When considering purchasing a new carpet, people often ask; do I need a new underlay? Well, we feel there are a few things to think about including:
– How old is my existing underlay?
– How long do I need the underlay to last?
– Is it a long or short-term purchase? (Eg, Are you planning to move in the near future?)
– Is the room going to get a lot of use?
When checking your existing underlay, we always suggest checking in the main entry doorway into the room which is where the underlay will be most worn. If you check over in a corner, it may still be like new because it may never have been walked on.
Another scenario, for example, is when the underlay is say, 10 years old, people tend to forget that in another 10 years’ time, the underlay will be 20 years old. Sounds obvious but is often overlooked.
To try and simplify things we have put our normal underlays into 4 general categories:
Bronze
This is our basic underlay. Ideal for low-use bedrooms or where a low-cost installation is important. (Eg, moving house soon)
Silver
This is our everyday underlay. Ideal for bedrooms that have a bit more use or would even be suitable for lounge use.
Gold
We would consider this underlay range to be a fusion of luxury and longevity. Giving a quality feel underfoot, but also long-lasting.
High Density
We always recommend our high-density underlay for heavy-duty areas such as stairs, landings, and hallways. We would also recommend this in your home study/office.
Further Benefits
Here are some benefits of having a new underlay:
– Improves underfoot comfort
– Improves heat insulation
– Extends carpet life helping the carpet look better for longer.
– Validates wear warranties offered by manufacturers
– Improves noise insulation
Felt backed carpet
There are some carpets that are made with a ‘felt’ backing which means these carpets can be laid without underlay. These are not to be confused with the older style foam-backed carpets which over time would break down into a powder. The other bonus with felt-backed carpets is that they can also be laid on underlay. However, we would recommend carpets with a hessian-type backing if possible with underlay.
Specific purposes
There are, however, lots of other underlays that may be for a more specific purpose such as:
– Underfloor heating
– Commercial ‘double stick’ installations
– Laminate flooring underlay
– LVT ‘click’ underlay
We always think every new carpet deserves a new underlay, but we are happy to reuse the existing underlay if customers request it as long as it is intact and usable.
We hope this has been beneficial for you in your new carpet purchase, but please contact us if you have any questions.
Mark
PS, if you would like to book a free measuring service, or need further advice, please do not hesitate to contact us.
