Underlayment

[dheltz]

Hi,

Long time lurker first time poster. I've gotten some great ideas from all of you and have decided on purchasing either Racedeck or Swisstrax fllooring. I have read a lot of reports of a cracking/hollow sound, etc. when walking on this type of flooring. I am trying to decide on what kind of underlayment I want to put under my flooring. My goal is to reduce noise from walking on the flooring (also mold is a concern of mine when looking at different underlayments) and also provide some type of added insulation because I am thinking of also purchasing a mini split system for cooling and heating.

I came across this product http://www.soundprooffoam.com/step-above-plus.html and it looks like it may work for me. Any ideas/suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[Wingnut65]

Welcome to GJ, dheltz. You have found the right place to get answers to your garage-related questions. I got a lot of flooring questions answered here. Hope I can assist you...

My RaceDeck is to be delivered tomorrow, so I can't give any opinions on the sound yet and I can't tell by walking on the samples I've received. Having all the tiles together gives a different effect than a couple tiles together. The underlayment idea may be counter-productive. Since the tile floor products are designed with gaps along the floor to allow for air circulation, any cushioned underlayment would compact under the tiles and fill the gaps and block the ventilation process. Also, whatever the product chosen for an underlayment may also absorb moisture and promote mold growth.

My mom has a Pergo-type laminated wood floor over a foam insulation sheet of underlayment. Every step on her floor echos thru the house. Granted it is a wood product in the house and not plastic tile in the garage, but the results may be the same.

I'm not convinced an underlayment would do what you want it to do. Call RD and they can give you some ideas on what others have done. They can even send you samples to try it yourself.

Good Luck on your Garage Project.

 

[dheltz]

Thanks! That is good info. I may just try it without the underlayment first and see how it works. I don't suppose it would be that big of a deal if one day I decide to pull up a section and place an underlayment under it so I could do a comparison and then make my decision.

 

[Shocker]

I have GarageDeck in my shop. It is a sister product from Snap Lock.

I used the cheap underlayment from Lumber Liquidators under my installation.

It seems to be working great. Floor is quiet and soft to walk on. No clacking. It does have a bit of hollow sound, but it is not bothersome at all and only when dropping things on it.

I feel that when taped up it does provide some semblance of protection for the concrete below. Been up a year now and it is working fine.