Everybody has a budget to work with and if
you are considering purchasing new floor coverings for your home, you should
include the cost of padding. This is a
necessary buy and even cheap underlay is well worth buying rather than none at all.
There are two ways to go about it. If you are limited by your budget, you can
either buy cheap end carpeting and expensive underlay to compensate for the
quality of the floor covering, or you can buy good carpeting and the best
padding you can afford.
You need to know that cheap padding is now
very adequate for most rooms, especially bedrooms. It is a waste of money not to put anything
under your carpet at all. If you lay out
a carpet on a bare floor, all imperfections of the sub-floor are immediately
visible.
Protrusions can damage your floor covering
where they appear. A carpet without
underlay will also be hard and flat to walk on and they will soon show ridges
which will shorten the lifespan of your carpet or laminate flooring.
Another benefit of padding is that it will
retain heat and stop chills from the rooms below permeating, especially if the
floor underneath is made out of planks of wood.
Underlay will help you with your energy bills.
Of course, if your sub-floor consists of
planks, it is definitely worthwhile to stop up all gaps to prevent dust marks
spoiling your new floor covering. You
will not be able to remove these marks with a vacuum cleaner. They are there to stay.
Of course, concrete flooring also has its
disadvantages. They are always colder
and may suffer from moist penetration.
To prevent any lumps, bumps and moisture from coming through, it is
definitely worth your while to purchase a screed that has moisture repellent
properties.
The overall advice is that if you are
redecorating your living area where there is much social interaction and foot
traffic, you should buy carpeting of superior quality and perhaps push the boat
out at the same time to purchase good padding.