For any floor, we cannot stress enough the importance of underlayments & subfloors. Underlayments sit between the structural subfloor of the actual foundation and the flooring materials. The subfloor provides structural/foundational support. The underlayment absorb the roughness/imperfections of subfloors so you have a smooth, solid surface to give your flooring materials the extra support it needs.
Without proper subfloor & underlayment, the most resilient flooring is vulnerable to failure. Resilient flooring is not thick like carpet and thus this makes it a target for problems like separating structural joints, improperly placed nails, and moisture.
Common materials used for subfloors are:
Hardboard – Consists of wood fibres packed tightly together. Nails often cause the fibres to bounce up and around the nailhead, causing a bump, making it necessary to predrill nail holes. Not recommended for areas with a lot of moisture like bathrooms and basements.
Particleboard - Hard, smooth material but vulnerable to moisture. If it gets wet, its edges will swell and seams will separate on vinyl tiles. If the area is moisture-free, then it is a good choice.
OSB (Oriented Strand Board) – Widely used underlayment for both residential and commercial projects. Consists of wood strands bound together to create a strong, stiff material. OSB is fire & impact resistant and helps control temperatures and sound in the room. Strands of OSB can get larger or smaller according to their individual makeup, causing irregular lines to seep through the thin resilient floor on top.
Plywood – The most widely used.
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