Vinyl Plank flooring question- underlayment

18 years ago

Hi all,

Please forgive me if this question comes out sounding a little silly but what is the reason that you can't put the same underlayment you'd use for a pergo floating floor under a vinyl plank floating floor?

From all of my research this seems to be a no-no but I've yet to find a good reason. . . I know that Armstrong has a QuickTac plastic liner underlayment that you can use with one of their plank products (I think its the Mode line) but those aren't self adhering. They are stuck right down to the plastic.

The reason I ask is that I have the lovely old asbestos tiles in my basement and when I remove the carpet that is currently covering them I'd like to do a vinyl plank floating floor. I know that accepted practice is to use a leveling compound to fill the spaces between the old tile squares before putting down the planks but it's a big basement and I see that as a major job. I'm not worried about moisture- just doing my best to prevent the new floor from "showing" the outlines of the tiles below.

I've laid pergo in the past (the old glue together kind from Ikea) and for the life of me I just can't see why using that thin foam as an underlayment to "hide" the contours of the old tile would be such a big deal. . .

Please help me see the light!! Thanks in advance!

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Comments (2)

rjoh878646
18 years ago
The only way to be sure is check the installation instructions for the type of flooring you are planning to install. It will tell you what you can and cannot use for underlayment. If you vary from the mfg's recomended underlayment you can void any warranty.
mjsee
18 years ago
If you are talking about Konecto or Allure, the manufacturer specifically says no underlayment. Evidently the "give" can cause the seams to separate. I put Allure down in my laundry room last summer...it has held up well in that small area, with no telegraphing:

I decided I wanted something more permanent for the rest of the basement. I just had duraplank glued to my icky old asbestos...don't have a finished picture, but here it is "in progress":

I will say, the cost differential was substantial. My Duraplank ran $7/sq foot installed. The Allure (DIY) was less than $2...

I am very pleased with the performance of the Duraplank...but it's only been down a week. It HAS already survived a minor flood--Faye filled up a window-well (the one on the right in the picture) and sent water onto my new (down less than a day!) floor. I've fixed the downspout that caused the problem...but it was an anxious few hours while I waited for the floor to dry. It dried out just fine...but that possibility was one reason I went with Duraplank and not engineered wood. (Which would have cost about the same.) I'm pretty certain wood would have been ruined...as would any sort of laminate.

Good luck with your decision!

melanie
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