Laminate flooring - recommended underlay

alx

alx

alx

Soldato
Joined
10 Aug 2003
Posts
6,073
Location
Dubai, UAE
Does anyone have any recommendations for laminate flooring underlay? I know for carpet Cloud 9 is usually recommended, and was wondering if there's any equivalent for laminate?
 
been mentioned a few times on here, I'm sure the proper stuff has gold foil backing whereas the cheap knock off stuff is more copper/bronzey coloured.

As much use as that is I cant recall the name right now :(
 
Cheers, Amazon has Sonic Gold laminate underlay (5mm) for around £1.50 a square meter (seller is Flooring Online UK).
 
Whats the reasons behind this being so highly recommended? i like the green fibreboard stuff my self but have never used this so interested for the next room i do
 
Hey,
what's the subfloor? you may need to put a DPM sheet down aswell if it's bare concrete, but that's a much debated point! they're really cheap so don't get too upst but have a look into it.

I ended up getting the underlay for my laminate from the same place as I got the laminate its self as it was starting to get uneconomical to get it anywhere else and it's fairly generic 3mm silver foil backed - can't fault it to be fair.

from what I remember the recomendations from 'the flooring forum' were:

timbermate excel
cush'n'wood
sonic gold
sundela board.

that's a decent forum by the way to have a hunt through; there's a lot of installers arguing with eachother, but most threads are useful!
 
R B Customs said:
Hey,
what's the subfloor? you may need to put a DPM sheet down aswell if it's bare concrete, but that's a much debated point! they're really cheap so don't get too upst but have a look into it.

I ended up getting the underlay for my laminate from the same place as I got the laminate its self as it was starting to get uneconomical to get it anywhere else and it's fairly generic 3mm silver foil backed - can't fault it to be fair.

from what I remember the recomendations from 'the flooring forum' were:

timbermate excel
cush'n'wood
sonic gold
sundela board.

that's a decent forum by the way to have a hunt through; there's a lot of installers arguing with eachother, but most threads are useful!
Click to expand...

It's not bare concrete, it's a new build with a floating floor - does that answer the question? Cheers for the advice :).

I have the feeling the flooring people I got a quote from are over charging me a tad, seeing as I know the flooring I want when I looked online it seems like it would be cheaper to buy it myself and have it fitted but will see.
 
alx said:
I have the feeling the flooring people I got a quote from are over charging me a tad, seeing as I know the flooring I want when I looked online it seems like it would be cheaper to buy it myself and have it fitted but will see.
Click to expand...

That's usually the case. They make much of their money from fitting and mark ups on underlay!
 
Bat said:
That's usually the case. They make much of their money from fitting and mark ups on underlay!
Click to expand...

Yeah, they've quoted me ~£36 per m2 all in for the carpet!! I can buy the underlay for £3.50/m2 and same carpet for ~£16/m2 lol.

For the laminate they're charging me around £48/m2, I can buy the laminate flooring I want for £21/m2 and the underlay for ~£2/m3........

Think I may just ask for a fitting quote and buy everything myself :p.

Anyone know any decent flooring fitters in Aberdeen by any chance lol?
 
Kimi said:
Whats the reasons behind this being so highly recommended? i like the green fibreboard stuff my self but have never used this so interested for the next room i do
Click to expand...

Always use the fibre boards here as well. Never had a problem with them and find they give a nice solid floor with no bounce or creaking.

The only reason |i can think of why people prefer the foam type stuff is the ease of handling and smaller size so it can fit in a car along with the laminate. I guess the built in vapour barrier is also handy when fitting on a concrete floor, although you cab get the fibre boards with a vapour layer as well.
 
For laminate I personally wouldn't bother with a fitter - get yourself a sharp saw, a set square, pencil, and a ruler. Job done. You'll save a good chunk of money in the process!
 
Here's how to tell if you've got Sonic Gold:

Sonic Gold on the left in both images

IKtyzjm.jpg



Notice that the Sonic Gold has next to no air pockets by comparison.

J78nGdg.jpg


more info in this thread: http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18535472&highlight=sonic

great place to buy genuine stuff: http://www.tradepriced.co.uk/sonic_gold_laminate_hardwood_underlay.html
 
alx said:
Anyone know any decent flooring fitters in Aberdeen by any chance lol?
Click to expand...

I know of a decent Engineer, not one of these sit at a desk playing on a computer with sums only can't get my nails dirty or work a screwdriver Engineer :D
 
Does anyone know of any good places to source laminate/engineered/solid wood flooring from online? After best bang for buck really so any direct from factory jobbys would be good or am I better of looking on Ebay?
 
R.O.S.S.I said:
Does anyone know of any good places to source laminate/engineered/solid wood flooring from online? After best bang for buck really so any direct from factory jobbys would be good or am I better of looking on Ebay?
Click to expand...

Prices here look reasonable:
http://www.wood2u.co.uk/

We've gone for Quick-step, seems to be a cut above a lot of the other laminates out there. We put our chosen one beside a nice semi-solid plank and tbh there was very little in it. After doing so much looking around, it's amazing how far laminates have come tbh. Balterio are also worth a look.
 
Is that just normal quick-step laminate you've been looking at or quickstep engineered. Trying to weigh up if engineered is worth the extra or if going for a good quality laminate (like quick-step) would be just as good?
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom