Carpet underlay is generally needed when the carpet which you use in your home doesn’t provide enough comfort underfoot. However, many homeowners start to recognize the benefits of carpet underlays and use them as a part of their carpets. If you don’t know how to choose the best carpet underlay for your home, first you need to know the basics. Check our simple guide for choosing the best carpet underlay for your home:
Benefits of Carpet Underlay: Having a comfortable underlay can give your home a feeling of warmness and softness. Even the business offices use carpet underlays for keeping the carpets in good condition, considering the fact that the office carpets stand up to heavy traffic on a daily basis. Both homeowners and professionals also use underlays to keep the heat in the room, which can have a heavy impact on the monthly bills. The carpet underlays are great noise reducers as well, as they are designed to reduce the noise by up to 50%!
Types of Carpet Underlay: There are different types of underlays, but they all can be classified in two main categories: crumb and sponge underlay. There might be other types on the market, but the following ones are the most common:
- Crumble underlay is commonly regarded as the best carpet underlay. Made from recycled car tires, the crumble underlay is known as a firm underlay type, which means it is more durable and ideal solution for high-traffic areas. Also, the crumble underlay is perfect for rooms with many furniture pieces, as it is highly resistant to indentation marks.
- Sponge underlay has the characteristics of the natural rubber, but it is much more stable and doesn’t smell. It gives a soft and luxurious underfoot feel, but heavy furniture can make deep indentation marks on the sponge underlay. The sponge underlay is available in two different variants: flats and waffles.
- Flats: The flat underlay is known as a compact, high-density rubber underlay with great stability and support characteristics. It is especially designed to reduce the noise, regardless under what type of surface it is installed.
- Waffles: Without any doubts, the waffle underlay is the most popular underlay type. It provides incredible comfort level and insulation as well, thanks to its bumpy features that provide lots of air pockets.
How to Choose the Best Carpet Underlay: In order to select the best carpet underlay, you need to determine the room characteristics where you plan to install the carpet underlay. For example, if you need a carpet underlay for your hallway, choose a carpet underlay that is resistant to high traffic and capable to reduce noise. For your living room or bedroom, the best carpet underlay should provide a great underfoot comfort. For a dining room with many furniture pieces, you should buy a carpet underlay that is highly resistant to indentation marks.
