I have been hearing completely conflicting advice on whether to get foam or rubber underlay for our carpeted areas and would appreciate any advice please? Some say rubber feels better underfoot but then can break down?
Thanks!
Browse Forums Flooring & Floor Covering Re: Best underlay??? 2Apr 14, 2010 6:37 pm Hi Sanda, There has been heaps of discussion over the years about underlay. Have a read of these, and you should get an idea of what the professionals prefer in the domestic environment and why. These are a start - there are heaps more. Look for royalblue (Ash) posts and Col Nation viewtopic.php?f=7&t=28229&hilit=underlay viewtopic.php?f=7&t=30241&hilit=underlay viewtopic.php?f=7&t=25278&hilit=underlay viewtopic.php?f=7&t=24026&hilit=underlay Hope it helps Bel Still not in. Don't ask!? Re: Best underlay??? 3Apr 14, 2010 10:28 pm Sanda, retailers seem to always be trying to win sales by keeping their prices competitive. The way to keep costs down is to bulk buy certain lines of carpet and underlay. There are two major suppliers of underlay (Bridgstone and Dunlop) plus some others. Most retailers will have bought up on the underlays that they get a good deal on, and they will try to sell these lines. Often they will lean to either Bridestone Airstep rubber underlays such as black or gold, or Dunlop foam underlays such as Springtred which has three versions, 'standard', 'extra' and 'ultimate'. All of those underlays are average quality at best. There are much better underlays available at slightly higher cost, and worth every cent extra if you want a quality carpet installation that will last. I recommend better underlays such as Bridgestone PRIME or Dunlop Excellay. They are clearly the BEST. Ash. Re: Best underlay??? 4Apr 19, 2010 2:11 pm I ghave bought carpet recently and i sampled a few types from basic to ultimate, the basic was quite soft and felt that there were none at all however the ultimate felt extremely hard underfoot, as I have a four y/o son we chose the medium type (sorry forgot brand) and it is really soft and comfortanble to sit/lie on. Our carpet is guaranteed for 15 years against all defects including the underlay. Re: Best underlay??? 6Apr 20, 2010 3:07 am foc1 I ghave bought carpet recently and i sampled a few types from basic to ultimate, the basic was quite soft and felt that there were none at all however the ultimate felt extremely hard underfoot, as I have a four y/o son we chose the medium type (sorry forgot brand) and it is really soft and comfortanble to sit/lie on. Our carpet is guaranteed for 15 years against all defects including the underlay. Seems you bought Springtred Extra. Its a fair underlay, and if the carpets are laid tight, it should be ok. When it comes to the 15 year warranty, chances are the underlay warranty will be for replacement only of the underlay itself. Costs to move furniture, lift carpet, replace underlay, re-lay carpets and return your furniture would all be YOUR cost. So you see.... these warranties are little more than a sales ploy. Rarely ever is underlay replaced under warraty, NOT because it doesn't fail, but because very few people ever can be bothered to go through the hassles and make a claim. A technician I know did an underlay replacement for a customer to her whole house a few years ago. It cost her $5000 or the uplift, replacement of underlay, relaying and cleaning of a good sized home. Plus she paid to have removalists take all her furniture out in the morning and replace the next day. Now if that lady had chosen a better underlay 9 years before when she had the carpets fitted, (and they laid the carpets nice and tight) she probably would have paid about $300 extra at the time, and not had to go through all this! Ash. Re: Best underlay??? 7Apr 20, 2010 3:15 am upsydaisy Sorry to hijack this thread, but just wondering what "cumulus" underlay is like? We are looking at a Harvey Norman carpet and it has a free upgrade to this underlay. Thank you! Some bigger retailers have underlay made under contract with their own branding on it. In almost every case, these are made by Dunlop or Bridgestone to the same specs as their existing lines, but might have a different printed top lining on it. For example, Carpet Court have a good quality rubber underlay that is the same as Bridgestone Platinum, but its a different colour. The 'Cumulus' underlay is probably a foam underlay similar to the Springtred range. You have a right to ask for specs of the underlay, so you can compare what quality it is (apples with apples). All these re-branded products are designed to bamboozle the consumer so they haven't a clue other than the line the retailer feeds them! Usually, those retailers that have their 'exclusive line' of underlays will have two choices. They've bought kilometres of the stuff as a big buying group, so its cheaper for them to supply this. Their lines are invariably NOT the best underlays you can get. Ash. Re: Best underlay??? 8Apr 20, 2010 8:34 am Can anyone tell me what Carpet Court's "Blue" is equivalent too? When I asked for a good underlay the lady said "thats ok- I will through in Blue for no extra cost with this carpet" Our carpet is a Quest Aurora Extra Heavy Duty twist pile. Thanks Michelle Build thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=32574 Re: Best underlay??? 10Apr 20, 2010 11:58 pm Most customers never ask about the the quality of the underlay for their carpet purchase. If they don't ask, they will aways get the U/L the retailer has bulked bought. That is low or, if they are lucky, medium quality. Generally, low quality U/L to max. profit for the retailer on the job. In the overall cost to the customer, the percentage cost of a good U/L, is SFA, but the better performance and life of the carpet is far better. Re: Best underlay??? 11Apr 21, 2010 2:41 am shellb78 Can anyone tell me what Carpet Court's "Blue" is equivalent too? When I asked for a good underlay the lady said "thats ok- I will through in Blue for no extra cost with this carpet" Our carpet is a Quest Aurora Extra Heavy Duty twist pile. Thanks Michelle Ask em to make it Prime! Hi l plan to install a self adhesive vinyl plank floor. l first need to attach masonite boards underlay to by plywood subfloor of my house. What size nails and how many… 0 6490 Jimbo73 I would use heaps of adhesive on each sheet and screw rather than nail. use as many as you like cheers Simeon 1 3313 Hi, I'd like some advice on the best option please on the estimate options we've been provided from our builder. This is for the… 0 3066 |