Changed my tune on skipping underlayment for a faster job

Seeing how much noise and cold came through without it made me add that step every time.

3 comments

3 Comments

What kind of subfloor were you working over? That's a key part of it. Underlayment is a great step, but if the subfloor itself isn't solid or is full of gaps, you'll still get drafts and sound coming up. I learned this the hard way in my old house. A good underlayment on top of a plywood subfloor with all the seams filled makes a world of difference. It's really about sealing up the whole floor system, not just adding one layer.

carter.troy1mo ago

Understand completely why you went back to using underlayment. Learned the same lesson in my own place (the hard way, of course). That cold draft coming up through the floor is no joke, and the noise difference is huge. Now I never skip it, even if it adds time to the job. Just makes the whole floor feel solid and quiet, you know?

derekmason1mo ago

Seriously, trying to save a couple hours by skipping underlay is the definition of being penny wise and pound foolish. You just end up with a cold, noisy floor that you have to listen to every single day. Some lessons you only need to learn once.

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