Common Question #1 – Do vinyl floors need underlayment? Short answer is no, vinyl flooring itself does not necessarily need underlayment, however it may need depending on the acoustic requirements of the building.
When you have a bump or dip in your subfloor, the uneven surface can cause vinyl planks click-lock-systems to become uneven. This will cause creaking or “popping” every time you walk over the floor. An underlayment can help fill in subfloor imperfections and leave your flooring a smooth surface to lay on.
Yes, provided it meets the specifications required for subfloor preparation.
The first step to proper installation is to get the subfloor in order. Vinyl is one of the few types of floors that can be safely installed over concrete, wood, or other solid floors. To help you start your installation project off right, here are a few tips for preparing your subfloor.
An underlayment can be beneficial for any type of flooring, including luxury vinyl plank flooring. It can improve sound absorption, increase comfort underfoot, and prevent potential problems. An underlayment can be installed on any type of subfloor, including concrete or wood.
It is not required, but we recommend using the Visqueen Vapor Barrier with all vinyl plank flooring installations.
In short, vinyl flooring itself can be completely self sustainable and does not require an underlayment to function properly. Another reason underlayments may be suggested for vinyl flooring is if the vinyl flooring type is thin. When the vinyl flooring is thin, it becomes a lot easier to flex and bend.
Prep your subfloor so that it's clean, dry and level within 3/16-inch change per 10 feet. Use a self-leveler on low spots and/or sand high spots of wood or concrete. Don't sand vinyl flooring as it may contain asbestos.
Plywood Subfloor: With plywood, an added moisture barrier isn't necessary, but you will want one that offers more comfort and reduces sound noise. Existing Floors: The idea remains the same when installing over plywood, tile, vinyl, and hardwood - the underlayment should provide sound reduction and comfort.
3/4" Thick Solid Wood Flooring and most all other hardwood flooring including Engineered or Floating engineered wood flooring and Laminate floors can be installed directly over 5/8" or 3/4" thick CDX plywood sub floors.
If your vinyl is getting installed over wood subfloors, you will need to add an extra layer of wood that is a minimum of ¼” thick. Give it a clean, making sure there is no dust or debris. We recommend choosing thicker vinyl for added stability and support.
Hardwood has been a flooring option for thousands of years. It works well over any type of wood subfloor more than 1/2 an inch thick. If squeaky floors are an issue, some construction adhesive will keep everything nice and quiet. Laminate floors can be installed over any wooden subfloor as long as it's in good repair.
Concrete Subfloor
For floating floors, like loose-lay vinyl sheet or rigid vinyl planks, a vinyl flooring underlayment may be required as a vapor barrier and can also add much-needed cushion and warmth underfoot. You may also want to look for an underlayment designed for moisture mitigation and insulation.
Your plywood would most likely be on a sleeper system (floating wood planks on concrete). Having a vapor barrier below the sleepers is ideal as moisture will not get to the plywood. Regarding on-grade applications, if their is a basement underneath, then you will not need a vapor barrier on top of the plywood.
Unfortunately, adding insulating underlayment under vinyl flooring will cause the flooring to be unstable. Because vinyl flooring isn't made from wood products, it does not have the same structure that laminate flooring does.
You can install vinyl on many types of subfloor, including concrete and wood. But that floor must be flat for your installation to be a success. An uneven subfloor can lead to potential problems, such as planks having varying heights that will make the flooring unstable and wear down more quickly.
Luxury vinyl plank manufacturers mention only vapor barrier in their installations. They recommend this due to not allowing (concrete subfloor) getting moisture or alkalinity to your flooring choice. This will eliminate any potential for claims or damages to the manufacturers flooring.
When properly used, expansion gaps can relieve the pressure from heat expansion that can affect a floating floor and prevent any noticeable buckling or peaked appearance. If the floor is less than 50 ft in length or width, leave at least a ¼-inch expansion gap around the entire perimeter.
Underlayment is needed if you're going to install vinyl plank flooring over tile, vinyl flooring, and even hardwood. As mentioned, with the plywood floor, there's no need to worry about a moisture barrier; the underlayment should provide cushioning and sound-deadening benefits.
Water vapor can cause serious damage to your home. For instance, if your flooring gets wet, it could cause mold and mildew, and even destroy your floor (source). No one wants that, so vapor barriers are there to help prevent the floor from getting wet.
Water vapor can penetrate through the concrete subfloor and damage the main floor of builds, causing deterioration of flooring adhesive; bumps, ridges, or bubbles under flooring, color changes due to fading, mold, mildew, bacteria growth; peaking, curling, or warping of flooring; or efflorescence, also known as the ...
OSB subfloor serves as a base under the finish floor (hardwood, engineered wood, vinyl tile, etc.) and even below the underlayment, in some cases. Plywood has long been used for subflooring.