A carpet underlay is the layer under your carpet that both insulates and protects your carpet. It is a support layer that also adds an extra layer of cushion underfoot. It insulates for heat, moisture, and sound, it will also take most of the impact from the carpet allowing your carpet to last longer.
The main materials that can be used for an underlay are rubber, foam and other synthetic material.
Waffle rubber is a common type used, which comes in many different weights and thicknesses. It is best to use the heaviest you can get but thicker is not always better. It can get in the way when you are laying it and it can actually increase how fast your carpet wears. One of the best kinds of underlay you can use is flat rubber. This tends to be the most expensive but is well worth the price since it will last as long as your carpet will. When your carpet needs replacing, this type of underlay may not! There is another type of carpet underlay that is made entirely out of recycled furniture. It is growing in popularity all over the world which is known bonded polyurethane chips underlay. There is prime polyurethane and then there are bonded polyurethane chips.
Nimbus is an underlay that is easy to handle while the Cirrus underlay is good for reducing sound and keeping heat. Cumulus is good for that extra bit of comfort and cushion that feels so good on your feet. Silver lining is the best for floor that is going to be traversed allot. Contract and Super contract underlay is for those heavy domestic and contract flooring.
When carpet underlay insulates from heat, it does not only keep the heat in but keeps the cold out. During those cold winter nights, a good quality carpet underlay will keep your heating bills down to a minimum. No more cold nights curled up under your blankets, shivering. Using a good carpet underlay can help to sound proof your home as well. Have rude neighbours that play their music all night? Well say goodbye to them as this will help to keep out all that noise as well as keep IN a lot of the noise you will make. That way you will not be the noisy neighbour! When you are putting down carpet the right kind of underlay is essential, as this will help your carpet last longer and stay in good shape. If none of the underlay's that are in this article seem right for you then go to your nearest carpet store or log on the internet at home and look into it in more detail. All sorts of different sites will pop up as well as sites that will help you understand the correct way of installing.
Derek Rogers is a freelance writer who represents a number of UK businesses. For a wide range of underlay, he recommends Completely Flooring, one
of the UK's leading suppliers of Carpet Underlay.
