To not have underlay for carpets in new build?

[MoiraNotRuby]

Has anyone ever skipped underlay and how much difference did it make? I am moving to a well-insulated small-roomed house and need to carpet the whole place. Had a quote for a carpet that can be laid without underlay and it would save a lot of money.

Context is that I am working 3 jobs and still having to borrow money for the floor so want to minimise what I spend. I know everyone says 'get the best underlay you can afford' but realistically am I going to regret the lack of underlay or is it truly worth getting into more debt?

We bought top end underlay and mid-low end carpet when we did our place on a budget and the difference the underlay makes is massive.

Get the carpet and underlay all online and source a fitter independently - you'll save a fortune.

I didn't buy underlay for our lounge when we got it carpeted.
I had so much regret everytime I walked on the carpet, it was so cold and thin.

This carpet, we have bought underlay and the difference is amazing.

My rented property has no underlay, you may as well just be walking on the bare floorboards.
You can also hear every bit of movement upstairs.

You’ll regret it. We’ve just bought a new build and they left the floor in a shocking state. Where hard floor was required it had to be latexed and everywhere else needed thick underlay.

The cheapest way to buy carpets is to get the carpet from designer carpets online (sounds expensive but isn't) who sell offcuts and end of line products and then get an independent carpet fitter to come and fit them. The fitter should be able to source some underlay at a good price. We managed to do 2 bedrooms (about 2m by 3m and 3m by 3m) for just over £200 each including underlay and fitting.

Yes I had the felt backing carpet in my old house. It looked fine at first and was cheap, but within a couple of years I could see the floorboards and it really looked cheap. When I could afford it I replaced them. I would also recommend buying some underlay off eBay and following a YouTube video, it really is false economy.

OP, did you say you had floorboards? If they’re decent enough why not sand or paint them - this can be done really cheaply - until you can get the flooring you want? Just throw a nice big rug over them for a cosy feel.

Felt backed carpet is said to be ok to lay without underlay. But it feels flat and far less luxurious compared to carpet with underlay. I have installed both, the felt backed when I had little money, but would now do without any for a while in order to save to buy the decent stuff.

If you've got concrete floor downstairs, it will be really cold in winter. It sucks all the warmth out of the house.

I'd get the thickest underlay possible. It'll keep it warmer, make the cheap carpet feel a thousand times better quality and, whilst in my old flat, to have any new carpet at all felt wonderful at first (it had foam backing) to walk on, within a couple of years, it felt no different to the knackered 25 year old offcuts I'd used for the other rooms. But my friend who had bought the same had also paid for underlay - hers felt brand new.

I just happened to get one of the cheapest carpets in the shop because it was the closet to colour and weave I wanted
We had a really good underlay ao the cheap carpet wore really well.

I def wouldn’t skip underlay

@MoiraNotRuby

The carpet is the cheapest one in the shop

"100% polypropylene, with a felt backing, meaning it can be laid without an underlay and is therefore ideal for those on a budget."

We have this in our bedroom, because after sorting a million other things we forgot to sort the flooring we wanted in there in time to move in and that's what the shop could get to us next day.

Our bedroom is above living room and we don't find it noisy. We don't think our room is colder than any other either. Isn't as soft as the carpet elsewhere with underlay but it was significantly cheaper I would definitely use it again if on a budget.

@MoiraNotRuby

The carpet is the cheapest one in the shop

"100% polypropylene, with a felt backing, meaning it can be laid without an underlay and is therefore ideal for those on a budget."

We had some of this it was terrible carpet so thin it was like ytring to lay kitchen rolls as it just stretched so badly

I had a carpet in my bedroom that supposedly had underlay incorporated it was rock hard, didn’t keep the room warm, it’s noticeable that other rooms with underlay are warmer and I have replaced the carpets with a thick good quality underlay and carpets the difference is really noticeable

Get the underlay

Do you need carpet in the whole house? I can understand you wanting to have carpet in the bedrooms but carpet is not that practical in other areas of the house. Maybe just have a nice rug in the living room? You can get very inexpensive ones in IKEA.

@BoredZelda

Do your customers tend to report back so you know how their carpet is doing a year /few years on?

Good question. Of course someone who sells it would recommend it.

If you really can’t afford it, have you thought about only putting it in the well trafficked rooms? Living room / kitchen/ hall.

Almost everyone here has also recommended it, for good reason. If I didn't think it was needed, I would say so.

I did the underlay myself in my DD’s room and it was easy. But the grippers were already down.

I’d also consider putting down laminate floor yourself (I’ve also done it) and it’s pretty easy if you’re confident. Maybe a family friend or member would help you?

You would be crazy not to get underlay.

My parents had cheap carpet with no underlay on the stairs for about 15 years. It was initially as a temporary make do kind of thing when we moved in but they didn't get round to changing it.
It was ok but very loud on the stairs, probably colder too but they don't have central heating so it's always freezing anyway.

I think you could put that down now and save up for really good carpet and underlay in a few years time. It’s not a good long-term option.

@DappledShade

Are you carpeting the downstairs too? If so I doubt it will be floorboards there, newbuilds are usually concrete downstairs which is very hard and very cold. Your carpets would wear down really quickly on that I think.

My new build was exactly this. Concrete floor downstairs extremely cold and very noisy. We had the best underlay the shop sold (as I was worried about my 3mth baby dd falling back when learning to sit/walk etc on such a hard flooring 😳) To be honest it's the best thing I bought, 8 years later and not replaced the underlay yet

Hiya, I'm a flooring contractor, 15 years experience, I would never install a residential carpet with no underlay, I understand you are budgeting, where is the carpet from? Design/range? If you need any guidance please inbox me, if your installers agree to do without underlay..I would be disappointed, there are many budget ranges, you just need the information

@MoiraNotRuby

The carpet is the cheapest one in the shop

"100% polypropylene, with a felt backing, meaning it can be laid without an underlay and is therefore ideal for those on a budget."

We had our whole house carpeted recently. The carpet fitter (who we didn't get the carpet from so was totally impartial) said that felted carpets are the cheapest, and the worst, and if we were to go for a felt back, we'd need a better underlay to offset how thin and cheap it is compared to a stronger backed carpet.

He also said he wouldn't fit a felt backed carpet on the stairs as we have a toddler. He said the felt stretches over time in a high traffic area and you end up with bumps in the carpet where it's stretched out and become too big for the area, which then pose a trip hazard.

He said at most, he'd advise felt backed in a lower traffic area such as a bedroom, but certainly not in the living room/stairs/hallway etc.

@picklemewalnuts

Felt backed carpet is different to hessian backed carpet, and different again to the old foam backed carpet.

Get what you get, and replace as and when you can. It's not worth going further into debt than you need to.

I agree with this. When I first moved into my house, I got cheap felt backed carpet and underlay, plus fitting for £200 in two bedrooms, so that just goes to show how cheap the carpet was. But with a bit of underlay, it was fine, and lasted me 7 years before I replaced but to be honest it could have stayed down longer. We only replaced because we were doing the full house.

Pay what you can for now, and replace as and when needed, and when you're in a stronger financial position.

Sorry, I'm not being helpful replying in dribs and drabs, but our carpet fitter got us a roll of underlay for the whole house (4 bedrooms, a large living room, stairs and double landing), plus rods for £200. So it's worth looking online to see what you can find.