Underlay or flooring underlayment is a thin layer of material such as fiber, felt, rubber or foam. The thin layer of material helps cushion, sound absorption, insulation and reduce wear with your flooring.
For laminate or engineered wood flooring, it provides a “vapor barrier” to prevent moisture from coming through and damaging your floor. It can also help dampen noise as most of condo associations usually require for sound rating test.
Floor Underlayment Main Purposes:
- Sound Reduction or Dampens Noise
- Moisture Protection – Blocking Harmful Damage To Your Floor
- Compression Resistance
- Smooths Subfloor Imperfections
- Insulating Value
Read more about DIY floors and their required underlayment .