Underlayment for sheet vinyl?

17 years ago

I am trying to decide on a floor for my sunroom. Since there may be occasional spills out there and it gets hot and humid, vinyl may be the best choice. I can't do ceramic because of existing door thresholds...there is no room for the thickness of ceramic plus backerboard.

So here's my question. The subfloor is 3/4" t&g OSB. I know the old way of doing vinyl over a floor like this was to put down luan and use wood putty to make it perfectly smooth so the pattern of the osb didn't transfer through. Because of the low threshold problem, I may not even have room for a sheet of luan. Is there a roll of underlayment material available that you can just roll out and lay the vinyl over it? Maybe using a more rigid vinyl tile type product doesn't allow the transfer of the backer's pattern so easily? suggestions are most welcome. I only want to do this floor once! And it will be a DIY project if at all possible.

Cindy

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Comments (8)

glennsfc
17 years ago
I have seen a roll underlayment product manufactured by Tarkett that was designed for use under VCT (vinyl composition tile).

I cannot find the product on their website, but I know it was made.
unclecowboy
17 years ago
Hi Cindy, I'm eager to see the replies you get to your question. We have just now laid Â¾" OSB instead of luan because we were told that using luan can invalidate the warranty on some vinyl flooring. We are installing a very heavy sheet vinyl flooring from Tarkett and also wondered if something else should be laid over the OSB?

Good luck to us both!

Vicki
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ccoombs1
Original Author
17 years ago
vicki, generally OSB is not a good underlayment because it transfers it's pattern onto the vinyl. Nearly all vinyl needs a very smooth slick underlayment under it. I know Luan should not be used, but they do make a 1/4" underlayment plywood. No idea how much it costs though. I am going to look into the tarkett underlayment. I would rather use a sheet product than mess with plywood.
echoflooring
17 years ago
Lots of options here. Multi ply Accu ply and a host of others will be and approved 1/4 inch underlay. approx 350 fasteners per sheet will be needed if 4 x 8. Congoleum Airstep plus is a buckle free warranted vinyl that can be loose laid over top of the OSB Without any issues at all and you will get no telegraphing through to the vinyl. I would patch the joints to to even out high spots or fill any void. Make sure it is AirStep plus. We sell many types....this is the one you want.
unclecowboy
17 years ago
Cindy, I found the Tarket product. I think we are going to use this over the OSB, then lay the flooring.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tarkett underlayment
ccoombs1
Original Author
17 years ago
Airstep plus is really nice! I also like congoleum Ultimate, although it does have to be permimeter glued, which is not so bad. Congo makes a roll-out underlayment which I guess is like the tarkett underlayment. I am not sure how much either of them costs.
kittimarie
17 years ago
I just did a kitchen floor in a rental property. I used a 1/4" underlayment called Sureply. It is $20.00 for a 4 X 8 sheet, at Lowes. Each sheet weighs 20lbs. I used 1-1/4" Ring Shank nails. The instructions recommended using staples, but I am not experienced in using our air compressor & stapler. You butt the edges together, no need to fill in. A 1/8" to 1/4" space is needed at the wall edges, of course. I cut the sheets with a jig saw. A circular saw would work too.

I used an Armstrong vinyl that was loose laid, with tape under fridg & stove areas and doorways only.

The floor is about 10-1/2' X 10-1/2' and I used 3 sheets of Sureply. I cut the pieces, nailed ( 360 nails per sheet ) and layed the vinyl. I did it in one day, and it took all day (10 hrs).

I guess I should mention that I am 62 yo, female and almost always wear a back brace. So, if I can do it, you sure can. I looked at your "My Page" and saw that you built your own home. That's impressive.
glennsfc
17 years ago
Cindy,

You want Tarkett Quiet-Cor underlayment, not Tarkett Polyfoam. The Quiet-Cor has the fiber top surface and the foam bottom.

Glenn