Installing a subfloor is essential for laminate boards to be smoother, better connected, and to provide a softer feel underfoot. The manufacturer may pre-place the subfloor on the underside of the laminate floor or the user can install it separately. Foam padding is not necessary for solid wood floors since hardwood is so dense that it limits sound transmission, both inside the room and to the lower floors. Premium subfloors designed to reduce noise can be expensive. The difference between a solid surface, such as tile, and a laminate floor with a subfloor is evident.
Laminate floors offer many advantages and can be an attractive floor covering option for living rooms, bedrooms, home offices, and other areas of your home with low humidity. Installing a second layer of subfloor is not only unnecessary but can also be detrimental to the stability of the floor. When installing on hard surfaces, such as concrete, extra padding from the bottom layer may be desired for a smoother walking experience. The only case where no subfloor is needed is when the laminate floor already has a subfloor attached to its underside. Laminate floors with a denser felt undercoat provide a closer feel to real wood floors.
A subfloor is recommended when installing laminate floors since they can be difficult to install on surfaces that are even slightly imperfect. Placing a separate subfloor rather than installing laminate floors with a prefixed subfloor provides a more cohesive barrier underneath the laminate. Laminate flooring has neither thickness nor density since it is usually no more than 12 mm thick and made of low-density fibreboard. Subfloors exposed after removing existing flooring may have nail holes, pits, grooves, and chips. Laminate floors are thin and constructed with fibreboard instead of solid wood or plywood like engineered wood floors.
The wooden subfloor has enough flexibility so that the subfloor only slightly softens the surface of the laminate.
