Can You Put Underlayment Under Vinyl Plank Flooring

No thick underlayment under vinyl flooring.

Can you put underlayment under vinyl plank flooring.

If you re trying to increase some height to your floor then adding an underlayment under the finish floor can be useful. Vinyl flooring is usually not installed directly over the subfloor in residential applications. Meaning if you re going to install vinyl plank flooring over tile vinyl flooring and even hardwood. If you re installing new vinyl flooring over an existing floor such as hardwood tile laminate or vinyl then cork or foam make good choices.

Higher end wpc and spc vinyl floors may come with an attached underlayment. Wpc and spc vinyl are more dimensionally stable and usually come in a thickness of over 4mm. Vinyl planks require hard thin underlay because the product itself is softer. If you re unsure whether installing underlayment for your vinyl flooring project is truly necessary then talk to knowledgeable builddirect product expert or a professional installer to see if your existing subfloor is.

We can understand why you would be concerned with warmth and insulation in any place you can get it. Unfortunately adding insulating underlayment under vinyl flooring will cause the flooring to be unstable. As with the plywood floor there s no need to worry about a moisture barrier. For click lock wpc and spc vinyl flooring you can install it with a vinyl flooring underlayment or directly on top of the subfloor.

The underlayment should provide cushioning and sound deadening benefits. Putting a soft product under vinyl plank will result in an unstable floor that is much more inclined to being damaged and even punctured or torn over time. There is some good news and bad news when it comes to underlayment and vinyl flooring. In most cases 4 by 8 foot sheets of particle board or plywood must be installed in preparation for the vinyl floor install.