Any carpet fitters on here, need your expert advice

[Slider]

In the process of choosing underlay for the upstairs of my home, 4 bedrooms, landing and staircase. I think I will be going to Blue Heaven (from the makers of cloud 9). It's like Cloud 9 but without the paper backing as this can sometimes be noisy underfoot.

My quandary is, do I go for 9mm or 11mm? I would like 11mm as this offers greater sound impact reduction and thermal insulation. I have read on other forums that some carpet fitters don't like the 11mm as it is harder to stretch the carpets.

[Dave Liquorice]

11mm for comfort on your bare feet in the bedrooms and possibly the landing. Stairs take a hammering and the thicker stuff might not be so good there as far as the carpet is concerned, too much movement.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I can't see why.

[John Rumm]

Partly because its harder to get it onto ordinary gripper rods as there is a bigger step down. For thicker underlay you would probably be better off with the longer pin gripper.

[Grumps]

Hijacking this thread, has anyone got any experience of

any other online underlay/gripper merchants that can be recommended? Ta.

[Bob Mannix]

Screwfix do gripper rods

[fred]

If you're still looking:

[Grumps]

Ah, so they do. Thanks for the tip. Saves online postage.

[Grumps]

> or

[Grumps]

> or

Fitting underlay onto a wooden floor, do you staple it down? If so, whereabouts?

[fred]

In article , Grumps writes

Yes, I did, every 12" round the edge of each length, about 1" in to avoid tearing out.

On the other group, less trafficed than here but perhaps better mannered, I generally direct question posters here for the broader knowledge base. Useful to subscribe to both.

[Grumps]

Doesthe stapling cause little pits in the underlay?

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Yes - but the carpet is stiff enough to cover those without showing.

[Dave Liquorice]

Seems bit OTT that frequent. The underlay isn't going anywhere once the carpet is down and stretched. But you do need something to stop it moving as you lay and stretch the carpet. I stapled each corner and centre of the width then about the same distance (30" or so) down the length, adjusted to get the spacing equalish.

Very small, not worth worrying about.

[Grumps]

I can't recall any fitters that we've had in using staples. Maybe they used adhesive or tape instead, or nothing.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Simple tacks is one way. But if you have a proper stapler that's quicker.

[Bob Mannix]

I have always used staples on wood - the carpet fitter I had recently used spraygrip on the concrete along the edges of the underlay pieces just to hold in place while carpet being laid.

[dennis]

Same here, there is no glue or staples holding the underlay in place. The joints are taped on the top.

[Alang]

>>> or

We just had a new carpet fitted and the fitter just stapled the underlay to the floorboards every 2 to 3 foot. Pretty much how it was done with the old underlay. I know because I went round and pulled all the old staples before we go the carpet laid