Underlays - Does hardwood laminate flooring need underlay if laid directly on to a concrete floor?

Does hardwood laminate flooring need underlay if laid directly on to a concrete floor?

I am about to have hardwood laminate flooring laid in a hall and living room. The hall is concrete and the front room has floorboards. Do they need underlay or other preparation?

Public Comments

Definitely needs underlay if it's going onto concrete. You can buy rolls of foam stuff that does the job :-)
Underlay (foam) is good.....makes less noise
Yes
it is advisable as we laid it with no underlay and its all gone uneven.
the eejets who laid the floor in my pad before i moved here did it onto carpet. it was uneven and now the floor moves and has a huge split in it across the living room floor. get it done properly, dont spare the expense and for gawds sake make sure the floor is as even as poss. its well worth it if done properly though.
They must use a damp resistant underlay (usually a foam with a Silver layer underneath). This prevents any moisture coming from the Concrete subfloor into the Laminate and damaging it. An underlay is always required as without it you will have a noisy floor which is unable to expand and contract as it needs to. If you fit without an underlay it will only be a matter of time until the floor comes up. By the way if the floor is running in the same direction as the floorboards you would need to use a thicker underlay to prevent a weak point where the joins on the floorboards and flooring line up, in this case use 7mm thick green board underlay (Fibreboard) and use Polythene underneath it in the concrete section to stop moisture ingress. As long as the floor is generally flat and sound you will not need any further preparation.
The ideal underlay, though not the cheaper, is cork, for hygrometric, phonic and bunch of other reasons. Forget money - buy it !!!!!
Yes, the polystyrene type.
Underlay is a good idea, if the concrete floor isn't totally even then you'll end up with loose boards that'll move about when you walk on them and "tap" on the concrete below, which is so annoying! If you're sure the concrete is even then you could risk putting the boards right on top. As for putting them ontop of floorboards then I would definatly put underlay down!! You can get different types of foam from any DIY store and they're not really that expensive. Bottom line, underlay will give a better finish and feel to the floor.
Definately needs unerlay. This will also keep your room warmer.
the floor manufacturer can tell you most need an under layment. most likley you will need one with a vapor barrier. laminate flooring is not hardwood it is a picture. if you have an engineered wood floor make sure its a floating floor type. if its a glue down floor then you dont need under layment.
for both hardwood laminates(engineered flooring) and laminates(not hardwood at all) you would need a vapor barrier foam underlay for both of these project. if you just use the foam underlay the manufacturer will void the warranty on the product and your left in the cold if something goes wrong.
Have just put foam underlay under our laminate flooring in the porch. You should use underlay in case the concrete floor is slightly un even - just like ours. Unless you don't mind it being a bit wonky !
yes,