What kind of substrate to choose under the laminate

Laminate is an outdoor coating capable of bringing a wooden floor to any room. So that he served for many years, you will have to comply with certain requirements during its purchase and styling. One of these requirements is the choice and use of the correct substrate.

To clearly decide on the type of the desired substrate, you should know exactly what it is and why it is necessary. Since the laminate is made of wood and paper, despite the applied protective coatings, it is still exposed to moisture. The substrate, separating the floor and boards of laminate, protects it from excess moisture and dampness of concrete and brick surfaces, and large pores of the substrate contribute to a constant influx of air. It also performs depreciation and sound insulation functions, eliminating small irregularities of sexual coating and preventing the free passage of sound.

The most common and cheapest substrate material is isolon, it is a foamed polyethylene. In addition to ordinary isolon, the market can be found a foil pd track, specially created to reduce the amount of heat separated by the floor. Such a substrate can be of different thickness. Products of companies Arbiton, "Iodder" and "Jarmiflex" are particularly popular. This material has its advantages and shortcomings about which you should know. Isolon is easy to install, perfectly restrains moisture, prevents the formation of mold and fungus and has very decent sound insulation. The main drawback is the fast loss of volume and weak strength. Shortly after installation, the substrate will lose its density, and together with it, and part of the useful functions. This material is perfect for raw premises, the use of which is minimized.

Cork substrate is an excellent insulating material. The plug is excellent, not subject to rotten insulator, which blocks the appearance of mold. The cork substrate is often used as a heat insulator for a "warm floor". Most manufacturers, for example, Egen or domestic Corkart, manufactures a substrate in sheets or rolls of various thickness. In contrast to the isolon, the physical dimensions and operational characteristics of the cork substrate are constant value and absolutely do not change. The main disadvantages of it are the following - moisture fear and high cost.

With the functions of the insulating layer, extruded polystyrene foam is perfectly coping. The polystyrene is characterized by increased wear resistance, low cost and ability to perfectly align small irregularities of the base. Due to the combination of these qualities, it is better to use such a substrate in intensive use rooms. In addition, the extruded expanded polystyrene is perfectly insulates the floor, and due to the special structure is characterized by increased moisture resistance. Because of its density, the substrate will retain the thickness and elasticity for a long time. The products of the Polish manufacturer FIXPRIX and the German Grun & Wald Flooring are characterized by constant quality and is recommended for using most professionals.

Combined substrates are becoming increasingly distributed, which are based on polyethylene and expanded polystyrene. Perhaps the most famous combined substrate today is Tuplex. Externally, such a substrate looks like two layers of polyethylene, between which the balls of polystyrene are located. As a rule, the thickness of this material is 2-3 millimeters. Thanks to the method of manufacturing and applied materials, the substrate can "air" the space between the floor and laminate. The upper layer prevents the penetration of moisture from the surface to the rough floor, and the bottom layer on the contrary - misses moisture to the balls, which is displayed from there through the technological gaps. The main advantages of the substrate are strength and flexibility. In addition, it perfectly retains its thickness and aligns the defects of the base.