Underlay for engineered wood flooring

Jan 31, 2019 Last reply: 7 years ago 3 Replies

Does anyone have any knowledge/experience of underlay for floating engineered wood flooring on a concrete base?



From some cursory reading it seems that there are varying thicknesses, tog ratings, sound insulation etc and of course price. My initial thoughts are that a decent thickness and tog rating could be beneficial on a ground floor, however I wondered if this would lead to sponginess/springiness underfoot? Perhaps it's a good thing having some 'give' and it may make it a bit quieter to walk on? Speaking of sound, I am assuming the 'sound deadening' underlays are more to minimise transmission of noise *through* the underlay (to rooms below) and not for reducing floor-related noise within the room itself?


I used one of the better ones - it is soft, but the floor is not spongy. The wood evens the load out to the point where it cannot easily compress a larger area.

I recommend a vapour barrier - some of the underlays have a plastic film to act as a barrier and it's a good idea to tape these joints.

Check the subfloor for flatness with a 4ft level - you might need some

1mm and 2mm card handy to pack out low spots (happened on every floor I've ever laid).

In message snipped-for-privacy@googlegroups.com, Mathew Newton snipped-for-privacy@googlemail.com writes

The professional who fitted our engineered Oak over screed and wet underfloor heating used a polythene backed 3mm foam. No issues over 9 years use.

Ground floor and solid concrete sub base so no noticeable noise. The cottage has an extension with screed over block and beam. The tiled area *thumps* a bit if you walk heavily.

Upstairs, I used 22mm grooved chipboard and aluminium spreader plates,

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topped with 12mm hardwood ply and low tog underlay and carpet. Noise free:-)

I used that and its OK after 16 years.

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