Best Underlayment for Vinyl and Laminate Flooring
By Nate Sawyer, Editor · Updated July 2026
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The right underlayment makes a floating floor quieter, warmer, and better protected from slab moisture, but vinyl and laminate do not want the same thing. Thick felt suits laminate and engineered wood, while thin click LVP needs a firmer, low-profile pad or none at all. The wrong choice, or a double layer over an attached pad, can void a warranty or leave the floor spongy. The picks below are proven underlayments with real sound and moisture specs, and we explain when to skip a separate underlayment entirely.
A premium recycled-felt underlayment with an attached moisture barrier and top-class IIC 71 sound rating. Ideal under laminate or engineered wood over concrete, especially in upstairs rooms where quiet matters.
- Laminate and engineered wood over concrete
- Upstairs rooms needing sound control
- Floors that do not have an attached pad
Pros
- Dense recycled-fiber felt delivers excellent IIC 71 sound absorption for upstairs rooms
- Attached vapor barrier lets you install directly over concrete without a separate sheet
- GREENGUARD Gold certified with low VOC emissions for indoor air quality
Cons
- At 3 mm it is best for laminate and engineered wood, not thin click LVP that needs a firmer base
- Should not be stacked on flooring that already has an attached pad
- Costs more than plain foam underlayment at roughly 50 cents per square foot
A 2 mm XLPP foam underlayment with a built-in moisture barrier, self-sealing seams, and top-tier acoustic ratings. A convenient all-in-one choice for floating laminate and engineered wood over concrete.
- Floating laminate and engineered wood
- Concrete slabs needing a moisture barrier
- Maximum sound isolation
Pros
- Closed-cell XLPP core is its own moisture barrier, no separate poly sheet required
- Self-sealing adhesive overlap lip makes seams fast and watertight
- Class-leading IIC 74 / STC 73 acoustic numbers for serious sound isolation
Cons
- Thin 2 mm foam smooths minor imperfections but will not bridge an unlevel subfloor
- Priced above basic foam at about 65 cents per square foot
- Not intended to be added under click LVP that already ships with an attached pad
The vinyl-specific sibling of QuietWalk: a thin 1.5 mm recycled-felt underlayment with an attached vapor barrier tuned for LVP, SPC and multi-layer floors. It adds real IIC 70 sound control over concrete without the sponginess a thick pad causes under thin click vinyl, as long as your planks do not already have an attached pad.
- Luxury vinyl plank
- Spc wpc
- Sound control
Pros
- Purpose-built thin 1.5 mm profile supports thin click LVP and SPC without the sponginess a thick pad causes under vinyl
- Attached vapor barrier plus Dri-Wick antimicrobial fibers let you install over concrete and resist mold and mildew
- Strong IIC 70 sound absorption quiets footsteps for upstairs vinyl, where most vinyl underlayments do little
Cons
- Many rigid-core LVP planks ship with an attached pad, in which case you must not add this second layer
- Some SPC warranties limit or forbid a separate underlayment, so you must check the plank spec sheet first
- At about $0.50 per square foot it costs more than the basic foam-and-film underlayment sold for vinyl
Still deciding? Compare them
Frequently Asked Questions
- Do I need underlayment if my flooring has an attached pad?
- No. If your laminate or vinyl already has an attached pad, do not add a second separate underlayment. Stacking pads makes the floor too soft, can overstress the click joints, and often voids the warranty. Over concrete you may still need a thin poly vapor barrier under an attached-pad floor if the manufacturer requires one.
- Is laminate underlayment the same as vinyl underlayment?
- Not quite. Laminate and engineered wood do well on a 3 mm felt like QuietWalk Plus that adds cushion and sound control. Thin rigid-core LVP wants a firmer, low-profile pad such as QuietWalk LV (1.5 mm) so the click joints do not flex, and many SPC planks are rated for no separate underlayment at all. Always match the pad to the plank's spec sheet.
- What underlayment is best over concrete?
- Use an underlayment with a built-in moisture or vapor barrier, such as QuietWalk Plus, QuietWalk LV, or FloorMuffler UltraSeal, or add a separate 6-mil poly sheet. Concrete releases moisture vapor that can damage flooring, so a barrier over any on or below grade slab is essential.
- What is a good sound rating for upstairs floors?
- Look at the IIC (impact) and STC (airborne) numbers. IIC 60 and above is good, and IIC 70-plus is excellent for reducing footstep noise to the room below. QuietWalk Plus (IIC 71), QuietWalk LV (IIC 70), and FloorMuffler UltraSeal (IIC 74) all perform very well for upstairs installations.