Cork underlay for laminate: pros and cons

Tags:Laminate, Finishing

Underlayment is an important step in installing a floating floor with a laminate work surface. Among all types of coverings that act as an intermediate subfloor and work surface, pressed bark of cork has gained the most popularity among professionals. Cork underlay for laminate, pros and cons, all the nuances of use and installation - in our article!

Cork underlayment under the laminate pros and cons

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1 What is a backing and what is it for?
2 What types of substrates are there?
3 What will you benefit from using a cork lining?
4 How are we paying for these advantages?
5 3 ingredients for choosing the right substrate
6 Along or across?
7 Justified expensive, reliable and practical
8 Video: cork underlay for laminate

What is a backing and what is it for?

Use of an extra layer of spacer between the subfloor and laminate - a measure aimed at solving problems arising during the installation of a floating floor, including:

smoothing unevenness of the mounting surface, provided that their differences do not exceed 2 mm per 4 m² of area;
protection of laminate "locks" from dust emitted by the screed;
optimization of the distribution of mechanical loads on the floor;
reduction of the noise level arising from the use of laminated coverings;
creation of additional thermal and waterproofing of the floor in the apartment.

Using a backing does many things

What types of substrates are there?

In accordance with the type of base, covering and the intended purpose of the room in which the laminate will be installed, manufacturers offer the following types of linings based on pressed cork:

foil gaskets with increased thermal insulation properties;
a mixture of cork granules with rubber or bitumen. Due to their high flammability and the release of harmful substances, their use in domestic premises is not recommended;
pressed bark without extraneous additives.

Cork liner in a roll

Each type of cork underlayment under the laminate has pros and cons, and is designed to solve specific problems. At the same time, clean pressing, packaged in rolls or in sheets, is considered a universal material.

What will you benefit from using a cork lining?

The use of technical cork as an interlayer between the screed and the laminate has a lot of advantages:

huge resource of durability and wear resistance. This will allow you to change the laminate as needed without the cost of preparing the lining;
the best material for protecting the laminated coating from damage that occurs during use;
natural ingredients that do not emit toxins and do not accumulate allergens;
excellent insulating and antistatic properties due to the porosity of the material;
simplicity of work. Easily transported, laid out and laid without additional tools;
low flammability and high smoldering threshold.

To work with the cork, you only need a stationery knife

There are also implicit cork substrate under the laminate: when treated with an antiseptic, a fungus will not start on such a coating. Due to its composition, the pressed cork is not of interest to rodents and wood pests. However, like many organic coatings, it has a number of questionable qualities.

How are we paying for these advantages?

First of all - the contents of your own wallet. Natural coatings are traditionally more expensive than similar in characteristics, but made of synthetic materials.

Synthetic substrates are much cheaper than natural ones.

Besides:

this type of gasket cannot be used together with underfloor heating systemsdue to their excellent thermal insulation;
the waterproofing performance of a clean press is relatively small;
high fragility and susceptibility to mechanical damage requires careful work, in particular, stage-by-stage flooring.

Now that you know about the pros and cons of cork underlay for laminate flooring, let's move on to the recommendations for the choice and installation technology.

3 ingredients for choosing the right substrate

We will deliberately not list specific manufacturers or series. Based on your needs, you will independently select the optimal lining for the laminate, guided by these criteria:

The optimum thickness of the cork for an 8 mm board is 2 mm. Choose a 3-4 mm substrate only under thicker laminate... Too thick a backing will over-spring and, as a result, loosen the coating locks.
For rooms located above a "cold" garage, basement, or bathroom /bath use a rubber or bitumen-based technical plug.
For rooms with hardwood floors, a rubber base plug should be used.

Consider the advantages and features of laying a cork substrate under a laminate.

Trim the underlay at the junction of the floor and wall

Along or across?

You don't need any additional equipment or tools for laying. Make sure that the screed is prepared for maximum quality, there is no excess moisture on the sub-surface and in the room air.

For best results, leave the padded rolls in the room where you will be installing the floor for several days.

Laying laminate on cork backing

Before placing the cork, if you are using a clean press, it will not be superfluous to create waterproofing layer from polyethylene, cut into strips and overlapped 10-15 cm in relation to each other and the walls of the room. We carefully glue the strips with construction tape, pay increased attention to working with tools, so as not to damage the waterproofing.

Based on personal experience, it is preferable to lay the cork lining in a checkerboard pattern, perpendicular to the subsequent laminate flooring... However, if parallel laying is indicated in the manufacturer's instructions, it is better to follow the instructions.

Substrate flooring

The gap to the walls of the room, pipes, communication boxes and joints with another coating should not be less than 0.8-1 cm.To reduce the chance of damaging the cork, install it immediately before assembling the laminate to be striped in one pass. Construction tape is suitable for temporary fastening of the strips.

In order to preserve the cork, lay a new layer after laying the laminate on the previous

Justified expensive, reliable and practical

Now that you have read the article "Pros and cons of cork under the laminate", you can independently choose the right material and start installing the laminate! Also read on how to choose a flooring and what does the class of laminate mean, in a separate publication of our portal.