Do You Put Padding Under Vinyl Plank Flooring

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.

Do you put padding under vinyl plank flooring.

No thick underlayment under vinyl flooring. 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. If your room has a baseboard or moulding at the bottom of the wall use a pry bar to temporarily remove it. And you shouldn t use padding to even out your subfloor as that will allow the floor seams to move more you should level mechanically or with a compound.

Knee pads are also a good idea. Underlayment for vinyl flooring if you already have flooring in mind it s always a good idea to refer to the manufacturer to see what they recommend beforehand. We recommend using safety goggles and work gloves during installation. It should fit snugly against your wall.

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. Second you may want an extra vapor barrier above the subfloor to reduce any risk of moisture. You also do not need an underlayment if your vinyl plank flooring has underlayment installed however you may need a vapor barrier. If you are installing your vinyl plank flooring over a concrete subfloor you may want to use an underlayment for three reasons.

First it will give you some added cushion to help make the floor softer to walk on. This is why it is the easiest to install. Vinyl is quite resilient after all. While underlayment for vinyl planks may be used under hardwood and laminate the reverse is not true.

If the vinyl has a backing layer or pad already attached 95 of the time they will not suggest anything at all aside from a vapor barrier. In general you do not need any padding under a vinyl plank floor. Because vinyl flooring isn t made from wood products it does not have the same structure that laminate flooring does. All of that said definitely check the specific instructions for the flooring you have to see if they list any requirements allowances or restrictions.

No glue or locking system is required to install loose lay vinyl plank flooring. Vinyl and pvc do not need moisture protection. Vinyl underlayment is an optional add on to click lock vinyls that are 4mm or thicker. If you are installing glue down vinyl planks make sure you have vinyl floor adhesive and a notched trowel.

Unfortunately adding insulating underlayment under vinyl flooring will cause the flooring to be unstable. Vinyl planks require hard thin underlay because the product itself is softer.