Wooden floor underlay????

[230K]

Hi

You guys are a knowledgeable lot so i thought I would ask the question here.

I am about to install a Junkers floor over the top of an existing suspended wooden floor and want an underlay that will provide as much insulating properties as possible so that the floor doesn't end up being cold.

Have any of you any experience of this and can recommend a product?

Some underlay is marketed as having excellent thermal properties but this is from an underfloor heating point of view....... In other words it lets heat through.

I want an underlay that doesn't let heat/cold through.

Oh and I am nailing the floor down so any open cell foam types will be compressed and would loose their effectiveness.

Any help or pointers appreciated.

Thanks and Happy Easter,

230k

 

[whitenemesis]

Check out Selitac

Selitac Aquastop Folded White Underlay, 4002245736610

 

[Vilus]

Any underlay will allow movement of the wooden floor, even the most dense panel underlays. If you nail the floor down through the underlay there will be some movement. I assume you are using an engineered Junkers floor which is ply softwood with a hardwood wear layer. Any movement will place stress on the nails and it will breakdown the ply causing even more movement and possibly push the nails up through the wearlayer. If you need to use an underlay then I would think about floating the floor instead.

If you are using a Solid wood flooring then underlay should not be used as you do not want ANY movement.

Until recently I was in the wooden flooring trade, importing hardwood and engineered wooden flooring for over twenty years.

 

[230K]

Hi Vilus

It is Junckers solid oak 129mm wide and 22mm thick Original Solid 2 strip oak variation.

I have a box of clips so could float it and am starting to think it might be better floated so that I can get easy access to a hatch in the floor into the void beneath.

Thanks,

230k

 

[Vilus]

Generally Solid wood needs to be firmly fixed to the subfloor (ie Nailed or glued). FYI when I say nailed, I mean with 45mm square cut serrated brads using a flooring nailer, not tiny little pins that they sell in B&Q.
Any kind of underlay, except a vapour barrier if needed, should not be used. In recent years companies such as Junkers have come up with various clip, and locking t&g systems for easier DIY use. For most domestic installations they work OK, but you will still need to minimise movement of the individual boards. If you fit a spongy underlay that allows tramping (up and down movement) over time you will notice gaps appearing as stress on the clips will loosen them. Also remember solid wood is suseptable to moisture and will shrink slightly in the winter with the dry atmosphere of the heating, and will swell slightly during summer when you switch of the heating and open the windows. Acclimatisation before fitting is essential. Junkers is a quality product and will be OK floated in a domestic environment.
If you decide you want an underlay go for the 7mm green fibreboard, they sell in panels, definitely not the foam spongy stuff.
Also bear in mind the floor height, 22mm floor and underlay will mean planing doors etc., and leave a 15mm expansion gap ALL aound the edge for a normal sized room. Wood is actually a very good insulator and with 22mm thick it is unlikely you would notice any difference with underlay.

 

[dredd32]

http://www.diy.com/nav/decor/floori...l-Sound-Reducing-Grey-Underlay-7-5m2-12608622

I have fitted a few floating floors and normally use something like this.

However gaining access to the hatch once the floor is down could be awkward as you usually fit a scotia beading to the boarders of the floor to hide the expansion gap between floor and skirting boards. Or the floor is layed prior to the skirting being fitted and then the skirting fitted afterwards to hide the gaps..

Either way to get to the hatch would mean removing skirting or beading and then the floor...

 

[Piff]

Usually firms like Junkers will have a good technical advice team.
Communicate via e-mail so you get a writen reply from them.