Do You Need Underlayment For Luxury Vinyl Plank

The higher the number the better the sound proofing is.

Do you need underlayment for luxury vinyl plank. The definition of delta iic rating performance gain in sound reduction between two sound test. With our quietwalk luxury vinyl underlayment designed for luxury vinyl plank achieving delta iic rating of 28 was achieved. Luxury vinyl plank can come with attached pad and without. It is very important to have a debris free and level subfloor for a glue down vinyl flooring installation.

You will install these planks by gluing them directly on top of the subfloor. Vinyl tile is available in three main styles with vct or vinyl composition tiles peel and stick tile and luxury vinyl tile. Having an underlayment that is built designed to absorb the sound is critical for home owners and condo associations since they don t want to disturb their neighbors. 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.

The fibers in the quietwalk luxury vinyl underlayment is bonded together patented process in a way to help absorb the sound waves from traveling through. If it has attached underlayment then the odds are you won t need underlayment for it and installing underlayment under will void the warranty. Opt for a dense underlayment if you go for one. If you re going to use peel and stick tiles just follow the directions and make sure the surface you are sticking the tiles to is clean and level you don t need underlayment.

Some products have it built into the product itself so it s not necessary to lay it separately. A luxury vinyl tile lvt underlayment is a specially formulated underlayment for installing underneath luxury tiles. As discussed previously it depends on whether the room requires thermal assistance or enhanced sound barriers or a moisture barrier. It s best to talk with one of our flooring consultants who can help you make a decision based on the manufacturer you select.

It is highly recommend that it be purchased unless one is already attached to the flooring materials then it is up to you whether you are willing to break the warranty or not. Glue down vinyl plank flooring will not need an underlayment. 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. If you have flooring that does not have attached pad you will want to install underlayment under it.

In fact as a softer flooring adding an underlayment could mean too much cushion resulting in dents and more wear and tear sooner. If you are a condo or multi family sound ratings do matter.