In today’s blog we’ll be going over whether Hybrid floors need underlay as well as what goes beneath Hybrid flooring. We’re also going to be introducing Airstep Moisture Barrier, a favourite new product of ours in the hard flooring underlay range from our sister company – Airstep Australia.
Does Hybrid Flooring Need Underlay?
One of the most common questions we get asked about Hybrid flooring is “do you need underlay for Hybrid floors?”
While the answer is no in terms of acoustic underlay (as both our Asha and Ikoma collections come with a pre-adhered one which makes them compliant for most acoustic standards) that doesn’t mean that you don’t need to ensure that your subfloor is prepared properly.
As a general rule, this means making sure that everything is level and suitable for the installation of a floating floor, but it’s also important to protect your new floors from moisture that may rise up from beneath your home. This is where underlay for Hybrid floors comes in handy.
Basically, if you’re looking to give your new Hybrid floors an extra layer of protection (and, in many cases, keep your warranty valid), installing a Hybrid flooring underlay beneath your new floors should certainly be on your to do list.
What Goes Under Hybrid Flooring?
More widely known as black builder’s plastic, Hybrid flooring underlay creates a moisture barrier that will work to prevent your floors from being ruined by rising vapours that are trying to enter your home. In this way, the plastic sheet acts as an underlay for your Hybrid floors, even though they do not generally require acoustic support.
Meet Airstep Moisture Barrier – Our Hybrid Flooring Underlay
Airstep Moisture Barrier is part of our sister company Airstep Australia’s range and is our recommended Hybrid flooring underlay. It provides many benefits for your Hybrid floors including the below qualities:
Suitable For Installation Beneath All Hybrid Floors
Airstep Moisture Barrier can be installed beneath any Hybrid floor, and fits the specifications often required for Hybrid installations.
Prevents Moisture Rising From The Subfloor
When installed correctly Airstep Moisture Barrier creates comprehensive protection against liquids and vapours rising from the foundations and subfloor. This is particularly important for Hybrid floors as the pre-adhered underlay on them is attached to the floorboards, which means damage to one requires replacement of both.
Inhibits The Growth Of Mould And Mildew
Mould and mildew are never good, but they’re particularly dangerous beneath your floors, as you cannot access them to properly remove them.
This can lead to health problems for you and other inhabitants of the home while also causing damage to your space, so should be avoided as much as possible.
The good news is that Airstep Moisture Barrier works to inhibit the growth of mould and mildew, so you can stress less about these nasties.
Help Create A Healthier Interior Environment
Not only does Airstep Moisture Barrier help create a healthier environment within your home through the abovementioned mould and mildew prevention efforts, but it also helps keep your Hybrid floors more stable through the barrier it creates against the outside world and things that would attempt to destabilise your floors. This helps prevent bows, dips and shifting of your floors as one of the causes of these issues is moisture damage.
Features Grid Lines For Precision Laying
Any moisture barrier that you use is only as effective as the installation allows it to be. For this reason, Airstep Moisture Barrier features grid lines so you can easily ensure that you lay the product in a way that is going to provide adequate protection. This grid also make installation faster, as you don’t have to worry about measuring (or worse, guessing) where to line things up.
In-Built Self-Adhesive Strip For Ease Of Installation
To further enhance the ease of installation, Airstep Moisture Barrier features an in-built self-adhesive strip. This means no more messing around with applying adhesives and hoping you’ve sealed everything consistently, as the strip allows for simple and precise installation.
Can Be Installed Beneath Underlay For Added Protection
As a final note, Airstep Moisture Barrier can also be installed with other types of floating flooring beneath your selected underlay (for example, you could lay both Airstep Moisture Barrier and ThermaTread or Airstep Moisture Barrier and Timbermax) if you would like extra protection against the elements. This is suggested in areas that are prone to having large amounts of moisture in the soil, as well as particularly humid climates (think Queensland and Northern Territory for example).
To discover either of our Hybrid flooring collections, click the image below, and once you’ve made your decision, don’t forget to ask your flooring specialist to add Airstep Moisture Barrier to your installation.
