Do You Need Underlay For Vinyl Floor Tiles

Most vinyl flooring or luxury vinyl tiles do not require underlay.

Do you need underlay for vinyl floor tiles.

However you ll want to use one in every other application including covering existing hardwood floors vinyl flooring that isn t cushioned and concrete floors. Do you need underlayment for those. Because of issues of moisture movement and adhesion ceramic tile will work well with certain types of subfloor underlayment systems and can go dramatically wrong with other subfloor materials. In most cases 4 by 8 foot sheets of particle board or plywood must be installed in preparation for the vinyl floor install.

If you ve chosen to go the vinyl path you re probably wondering about the best underlayment for vinyl plank flooring. Vinyl flooring is usually not installed directly over the subfloor in residential applications. Concrete and wood subfloors each have their own subfloor preparation. Vinyl underlayment is an optional add on to click lock vinyls that are 4mm or thicker.

Vinyl flooring by its very design is very stable. The only time a vinyl floor may need underlay is when the surface beneath is uneven or has issues with damp. They mimic hardwood yet offer the ease of maintenance of luxury vinyl. Because you can install sheet vinyl over existing vinyl it offers the option of changing design without breaking the bank.

A vinyl floor usually features a base layer which serves the purpose of an underlay thereby removing the need for an additional underlay. The design of vinyl flooring prevents the need for an underlay. In most cases as long as the old vinyl surface is flat you don t need to do anything more for this type of underlayment. Actually you may not even need underlayment depending on the product and where you plan to install it.

Vinyl click tile is usually very thin. One of the most popular products on the market are easy to install click and lock vinyl plank tiles. This baselayer makes the vinyl flooring incredibly durable and comfortable to walk on. A vinyl flooring underlayment will not be as thick as a laminate or hardwood underlayment.

As a result vinyl floors do not wobble or buckle under your feet. For this reason ceramic and porcelain tile floors can be considered somewhat delicate despite the inherent strength of the material. Vinyl floors that are glue down or loose lay will not need a vinyl underlayment as these floors will be installed directly over the subfloor. What about for click and lock vinyl tiles.

Vinyl floors are designed with a base layer making the addition of underlay pointless. If you re laying the lvp over an existing cushion backed vinyl floor or a below grade tile floor then you won t need to use an underlayment.