good thermal underlay for laminate flooring???

[user1489844432]

I am about to get Quickstep Impressive Soft Oak Natural Laminate Flooring for my living and dining. I am after an underlay with good thermal isolation. I am considering Quickstep Thermolevel Underlay but not sure if it is worth extra money.

Thermal isolation qualities are very important to me as currently I am getting quite a bit of draft downstairs, so I am happy to pay bit extra to solve this issue. On this note is there anything else I should consider to improve heat retention whilst installing new flooring?

draughts mostly come up round the edges of the room, under the skirting. Sometimes through holes for pipes. the best treatment I know is to take up the floorboards round the edges and stuff the gaps with mineral insulation quilt (not obstructing any airbricks which ventilate the voids under the joists). Where the floorboards run parallel to the wall this is quite easy. If you are taking off the skirting for some reason, you can stuff the gap before fitting new.

With bare floorboards, draughts also come up through the gaps between the board. Laminate, carpet of other coverings will stop this.

There is no convection heat loss through a floor. You can insulate them by laying mineral wool quilt between the joists, but the improvement is not as dramatic as just curing the draughts. It is a fair amount of work, unless the floorboards are being renewed, or lifted for some other reason, for example if they are chipboard and have swollen, cracked or broken so need to go in the skip.

BTW if you are buying mineral wool, get the version treated with Ecose which does not shed irritant dust and fibres. It will be marked on the packaging. It is made by Knauf but sold under other brand names. It is brown. I would never use yellow fibreglass again.