What are the benefits of choosing a better underlay?

Underlays are very beneficial as they protect your carpet from wear and tear. They are especially important for highly trafficked areas such as stairs. There are cheap underlays on the market but they do not provide sufficiently firm support for your carpet. Underlays have the additional benefit of noise and heat insulation.

Do all carpets require underlay?

Woven Carpets
These carpets do not have a cushioned backing so an underlay is highly recommended.

Secondary backed carpets
These carpets are the most common in flats and houses. The backing is usually a polypropylene mesh or hessian. There is no cushioning, so underlay is recommended.

Felt backed carpets
These carpets incorporate a thin layer of felt which can act as an underlay. However the felt is too thin to confer the benefits of a true underlay. Therefore an underlay is still recommended.

Foam backed carpets
Underlays are not advised for these carpets.

Benefits of choosing a better underlay

The benefits of a better underlay are as follows:

Comfort
Underlay acts as a cushion to give your carpet extra softness.

Appearance
Underlay protects your carpet from wear and tear ensuring it will continue to look good for a long time.

Prevention of furniture indentations
The support given by underlay stops heavy furniture from leaving unwanted dents in your carpet.

Sound insulation.
Underlay works to reduce both sound in the room itself and the transmission of sound to the room below.

Heat insulation.
Underlay provides a further layer of insulation which mitigates heat loss through floorboards as well as underfloor draughts.

Dust insulation
By reducing the flow of air under the carpet, underlay reduces the number of dust particles in the air.

Firm v soft underlays

Firm underlays are to be preferred. They give extra protection to your carpet and reduce indentations from furniture. They will also prevent unwanted stretching of your carpet when it is being used and prevent rucking.

Soft underlays are low density and do not give enough protection against wear and tear. They are inadequate in heavily trafficked areas where the carpet fibres are repeatedly pressed against the subfloor.

Types of underlay

Waffle
Waffle underlays have bumps holding air pockets which work to give superior shock absorption and comfort.

Flats
Flat underlays are more compact, giving them more stability and durability. They will still have air pockets but these will be very small.

Crumb
Crumb underlays are constructed from rubber and felt. This gives them extra durability.

Felt
Felt underlays provide superb sound insulation. As an added bonus, they are the most environmentally style of underlay.

Call us today

At Cherry Carpets, we are leading suppliers of carpet and underlays to domestic and commercial clients. Our expert fitters can advise of the best underlay to prolong the life of your carpet. At Cherry Carpets, we take great pride in every job, regardless of the size and we go the extra mile to ensure that we exceed your expectations and continue to build on the excellent reputation we have built. Our team are all fully employed by Cherry Carpets, meaning you get the benefit of fully accountable staff and also avoid the additional cost of paying a sub-contractors premium. If you are considering a new floor for your home or commercial space then please call us on or click here to complete the contact form and we will be in contact within 24 hours.

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