A good laminate underlay

peter1 · 03-04-2007, 07:48 AM

Thanks for all the help so far and I certainly apologize for the newbie questions one after another.

I removed the old carpet in one of the rooms yesterday, and I also removed the tack strips along the walls (using the Super Wonder Bar), some 'relatively' significant amount of concrete came off along way (pictured). Will the holes become a problem for laminate flooring? Should I fill the holes with some sort of filler?

I plan to get the Kronotex Dynamic range (8mm) laminate, what would be a better underlay (mainly sound proofing) for it? My local store carries the Roberts Harmony (pictured), is it among the better ones?

Thanks in advance.

**AtlanticWBConst.** · 03-04-2007, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peter1

I removed the old carpet in one of the rooms yesterday, and I also removed the tack strips along the walls (using the Super Wonder Bar), some 'relatively' significant amount of concrete came off along way (pictured). Will the holes become a problem for laminate flooring? Should I fill the holes with some sort of filler?.

Don't worry about those small holes, they are too small to affect anything...

Quote:

Originally Posted by peter1

I plan to get the Kronotex Dynamic range (8mm) laminate, what would be a better underlay (mainly sound proofing) for it? My local store carries the Roberts Harmony (pictured), is it among the better ones?
Thanks in advance.

Here's one that we have used, for sound proofing attributes :

http://www.solidsoundusa.com/SolidWalkLT.htm

(You can check around for other similar products on their web site)

Floorwizard · 03-04-2007, 09:32 PM

cork underlay works nice if the manufacturer approves.

peter1 · 03-05-2007, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AtlanticWBConst.

Here's one that we have used, for sound proofing attributes :

http://www.solidsoundusa.com/SolidWalkLT.htm

(You can check around for other similar products on their web site)

Thanks for the link. I seem to remember seeing something similar (the non-lip version) some time ago, or it may be QuietWalk or another brand. I didn't pay too much attention at the time because I thought underlay is generic (i.e. non-branded).

If I remembered correctly, the fiber pad (SolidWalk/QuietWalk look-alike) costs twice as much as the Harmony. Interestingly, the Harmony is actually similar or better in terms of IIC/STC rating (possibly in biased control environment):

Code:

              IIC   STC
              ---   ---
SolidWalk :    58    54
QuietWalk :    58    54
Harmony   :    59    59

I wonder what the competition has to say about this:

Quote:

In Europe, where floating floors have a much longer history, a similar product to Quiet Walk was common some 20 years ago. Today you will not find any in use. It was found that after 10-15 years, when the floors were taken up, the material had disintegrated to the point that only dust remained.

It's pretty bold to imply a competing product will disintegrate into dust over time.

Having said that I'm tempted to get Harmony.

peter1 · 03-05-2007, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Florcraft

cork underlay works nice if the manufacturer approves.

Do they come in rolls or sheets? I have no idea how much they cost but for some reason I think they must be expensive.

KUIPORNG · 03-05-2007, 11:17 AM

How about those looks like cheap stuff selling in HD, red plastic sheet with those small white circular form stuff inserted, HD didn't offer other choice... ? Should I return all of those?....