Do You Need Underlayment For Laminate Flooring? Introducing To You The Best Underlayment And Mop For Your Laminate Floor

Have you fully understood the importance of underlayment for your laminate floor?

Here are what you going to learn after reading this post:

• Do you have to use underlay for laminate flooring - a detailed explanation?
• How to choose the right underlayment for your laminate floor - a simple tutorial.
• The best mop for your laminate and how to prevent leaving a film after cleaning it.

We believe these topics are more than enough to reveal the answer to: “Does laminate flooring need underlayment?” So let’s get started!

Underlayment For Laminate Floor - Is It Really Necessary?

Laminate flooring is a type of floating floor that needs to be installed on a subfloor because it is not strong enough to bear the loads. Even though this type of flooring has many layers, these layers are for protecting the floor itself, not for other purposes.

So, do you need underlayment for laminate flooring? The answer is definitely yes. Installing underlayment for your laminate floor will combine the thing with the subfloor better, which results in higher function for your household construction.

Without the underlayment, your laminate floor will be unstable, lack support, not sound-proofed, and the planks locking system is not sturdy. So underlayment for the laminate floor is a must!

How To Choose Underlayment For Your Laminate Floor

Without a doubt, there’s no need to ask: “Do you have to use underlayment for laminate flooring?” So we are going to move on to the next section where you can learn how to choose the perfect underlayment for your laminate floor.

First, we need to know which subfloor you are having. There are pros and cons in each type we need to pay attention to for the best installation of underlayment for laminate floor later.

The concrete subfloor:

The concrete subfloor is the sturdiest subfloor so we won’t need any supporting underlayment. The main problem we need to prevent with the concrete subfloor is moisture. A laminate floor without underlayment on a concrete subfloor may result in loosen adhesives, warp flooring planks, mold and mildew crisis.

That is why you need to choose a thin foam pad for the underlayment to prevent the water from seeping up into your laminate floor. The material of the pad is usually made of polyethylene or polypropylene. This kind of foam pad rolls out in sheets.

The plywood subfloor:

While the concrete subfloor needs a vapor barrier to prevent moisture, things are the opposite for the plywood subfloor. The wood needs to breathe since it is a natural material, having a vapor barrier like the concrete subfloor will make it difficult to release the moisture.

When it comes to choosing an underlayment for your laminate floor on a plywood subfloor, you can choose any kind as long as it is not a waterproof material. Do you need padding under laminate flooring? Probably not if your subfloor is made of plywood.

Things would be easier if you haven’t chosen your laminate floor yet. Nowadays there are many laminate flooring that has the underlayment included as an additional layer of the material. But if you already went with a typical laminate flooring, you have to gain knowledge about underlayment types.

You have to choose underlayment based on your situation

After knowing which kind of subfloor you’re going to deal with, it’s time to get to know the underlayment better. There are three types of underlayment for laminate floors: standard foam underlayment, combination foam underlayment, and cork underlayment.

• Standard foam underlayment: this kind is good for installing the laminate floor on a plywood subfloor. The underlayment consists of a cushion layer made with thin and soft materials. Since this underlayment is not waterproof, you shouldn’t use it for a concrete subfloor.
• Combination foam underlayment: this kind is a standard foam underlayment with a vapor barrier layer included. You can use this underlayment for both concrete subfloor and plywood subfloor. Of course, the price will be a little bit higher than the standard foam underlayment.

Cork underlayment: this is the best soundproof underlayment you can get. The cork underlayment also helps even out the surface before installing laminate floors. But since it is not highly waterproof and pretty expensive, you should think carefully to see if this is the most suitable underlayment for your case.

Cork underlayment is the most expensive underlayment out of the three.

Based on your condition, one underlayment type would be better than the others. We can’t say which one is the best underlayment for your laminate floor because each type has different pros and cons. And they will create different results when combined with your subfloor.

We hope now you have understood the importance of using underlayment for laminate floors. For better soundproofing or to expand the lifespan of your floor, whatever it is, choose carefully so that your floor is better after installing the underlayment.

➜ RELATED: 4 Homemade Laminate Floor Cleaner Formulas You Can Try Right Away With Things In Your Cabinet

TOP Mops For Cleaning Laminate Floors

I bet now your answer to the question: “Does laminate flooring need underlayment?” would be: “Absolutely yes!” And since you've learned which underlayment is the best for your laminate floor, we’d like to lead you to the next topic: the best mop for your laminate floor.

1. The best flat mop: Oshang Flat Mop and Bucket Set

If you need a mop set that is suitable for daily cleaning your laminate floor, the Oshang Flat Mop and Bucket Set is perfect for you. The water bucket is very lightweight even when it is filled with water. You can easily dump the used water out by releasing the plug at the bottom.

But the special feature about this mop set which we think deserves your attention is the self-cleaning feature. You can clean the mop head in the bucket so that it is always clean for the next swipe. The 360-degree swivel head helps you reach any place easily. There is no doubt the Oshang Flat Mop and Bucket Set is the best flat mop for laminate floors.

2. The best spin mop: O-Cedar Easywring Spin Mop & Bucket System

With a triangle head, the O-Cedar Easywring Spin Mop & Bucket System has surprised many customers since this is not the usual shape of a mop head. But this special design helps you get into tight corners effortlessly which will come in handy if you have a lot of furniture on your laminate floor.

The bucket of this mop is easy for everyone to use since it is a spinning system. You don’t have to use so much force, just step on the pedal and let the wringing system squeeze out the excess water along with the dirt for your mop. Chor can be a fun activity for your kids with the  O-Cedar Easywring Spin Mop & Bucket System.

3. The best strip mop: Libman Wonder Mop

Made with microfiber cloth strips, the Libman Wonder Mop is perfect for cleaning light messes on laminate floors. This mop is super compact for storage since there is no bucket included. You can use the sink or any bucket available in your home to dip this mop in. How convenient is that?

Another thing that we love about this mop is the wringing system is an effective design to keep the mop at a perfect moist level. The Libman Wonder Mop is also the lightest mop on the list if you don’t want to tire yourself out after a laminate floor cleaning session.

4. The best spray mop: O-Cedar ProMist Max Spray Mop

You can cut down cleaning time with the O-Cedar ProMist Max Spray Mop with two outstanding features this mop offers. The first one is the onboard spray bottle. Just squeeze the trigger to release water while you work, no need to carry a bucket around. You can even add cleaning solutions for better cleaning results.

The second feature is the flippable mop head. Instead of replacing the pad in the middle of your work because it gets dirty, just flip the head to use the second pad and continue your cleaning session. No wonder why the O-Cedar ProMist Max Spray Mop is considered the best mop for laminate floors on the list.

5. The best wet/dry stick mop: HOMTOYOU Microfiber Hardwood Floor Mop

The HOMTOYOU Microfiber Hardwood Floor Mop is good news for pet owners since this baby can clean pet hair on dry laminate floors. You can use this mop daily to keep the floor free from pet hair and throw the pad into the washing machine afterward. When other messes appear, you can also use this mop in wet mode.

With an adjustable handle, everyone in the family can use this mop comfortably. The 360-degree mop head can easily glide around furniture and keep your laminate floor spotless all the time. The HOMTOYOU Microfiber Hardwood Floor Mop is definitely a good investment if you’re looking for a wet/dry stick mop.

A trick to prevent film on your laminate floor after cleaning

Now that you have the best mop to clean your laminate floor (not the Best Mop for Vinyl Floors but of course you can find that topic on our website too, so make sure to check that post out as well), let’s learn the secret to a film-free laminate floor. This is a very easy two steps tutorial so everyone can do it at home.

Step 1: make sure your laminate floor is free of debris and dust beforehand

You can sweep, vacuum or dry mop the laminate floor beforehand to remove all the dust and debris. This action will make sure nothing lingers around after applying a cleaning solution and forms the unwanted film. This step also helps prevent scratch marks created when you drag the mop with debris still on the laminate floor surface.

Step 2: mix the secret DIY film-free cleaning solution

Besides learning the true answer to: “Does laminate flooring need underlayment?”, you will learn how to make a super cheap but effective cleaning solution for a film-free laminate floor in this post. Here are what you need for the recipes:

• A spray bottle
• Vinegar
• Hot water
• Essential oil or dish soap (optional, based on your liking)

Pour equal parts of hot water and vinegar into your spray bottle and shake it up to mix the DIY solution. If you can’t stand the smell of vinegar even though it will fade away after a short time, add a few drops of your favorite essential oil or dish soap into the mixture.

You can use any kind of vinegar that is available in your kitchen

Now you can use this DIY solution to mop your laminate floor. We guarantee there won’t be any film afterward. This formula works like a charm every time and that is how to clean laminate floors without leaving a film.

Final Words

We hope after this post you have gained better knowledge about laminate flooring, from choosing the best underlayment to cleaning mop and a DIY cleaning solution for a film-free laminate floor. We hope you will come to our website the next time you need informative knowledge about taking care of your household.

Don’t forget to check out other posts to learn new things for an easier and better life because we’re always here to help you achieve that goal!