Did you know that roughly 10-15% of your home’s energy escapes through the floor of your house? Lack of insulation is one of the biggest factors in high energy bills, meaning the lack of materials stopping the heat transfer to the outside.
That being said, it doesn’t have to be a giant construction job to add these insulating materials. Underlays are an easy install compared to windows and opening up the walls and injecting material.
As such, QA Flooring has made this guide to rank some of the best Thermal Underlays for carpets we have.
Best Thermal Underlay for Carpet
When it comes to the best underlay for carpets, we have a range of carpet underlays built specifically to ensure your home is as warm and comfortable as possible. Let’s take a look at them below:
Pure Range of PU Carpet Underlay
Pure is a range of carpet underlays designed for luxury carpets.
The pure range uses high-quality materials that have inherent insulation properties, allowing it to function as a heat barrier. This would also add to the level of comfort in the home, as not only is this luxury carpet underlay very soft, but it can keep temperatures consistent within the room. Other than that, there are a couple of extra benefits:
- High-Grade Foam – Foam is the most comfortable of all the underlay materials available. On top of that, the foam that exists within the underlay is of the highest grade. This is thanks to the material sorting process, which removes imperfections and low-quality foam from the underlay to keep it as rich as possible.
- Versatility in Options – The Pure Range consists of three different density options to ensure you get the best possible underlay depending on how durable you need it. There are three options, High Density, Super High Density and Ultra High Density. All three density options have two levels of thickness.
- Enhanced Stability – The non-woven backing and printed top layer contribute to better stability above the carpet.
PowerWalk Silver and Gold
PowerWalk Silver and Gold are made with insulation and density in mind.
PowerWalk Silver boasts a pretty high thermal rating of 2.3 tog. Tog is a measure of thermal. For carpet underlays, 1-2 Tog is considered to be reasonable insulation, with 2 – 2.5 considered “good”. This makes the PowerWalk Silver an incredible underlay for insulation. However, there is one other one that enters legendary territory – PowerWalk Gold. PowerWalk Gold’s Tog rating has been raised to a whopping 2.92 Tog.
As such, it’s clear that the PowerWalk Gold is the best insulation underlay by QA flooring. Here are some of the other benefits:
- High Density – PowerWalk has a density of 130kb/m3. This means that PowerWalk is hard wearing, prolonging the freshness of your carpet’s appearance.
- Compression Recovery – Due to the ability to recover from compression, you can ensure that your carpets will look fresher for longer.
- Stability – PowerWalk Silver, specifically, has been designed to minimise the movement of carpets underfoot when walking on it.
- Sound Reduction – These underlays have fantastic acoustic ability. PowerWalk Silver reduces sound by 38 dB, and Gold to 44 dB.
Best Thermal Underlay for Carpets – FAQs
Do you save money with thermal underlays for carpets?
Yes. Thermal underlays keep around 10-15% of the heat that would otherwise escape through the floor. This means that your energy bills will decrease, as you are not spending as much on energy as you otherwise would. This saves on bills.
On top of that, it keeps heat out in the summer, meaning that your home doesn’t overheat.
Can Thermal Underlays Be Used with Underfloor Heating?
Yes, thermal underlays can be used with underfloor heating. That being said, it’s important to choose an underlay that’s designed with this purpose in mind. In fact, it’s also worth understanding that many of these underlays actually have lower Tog ratings. This means they will be less able to insulate heat than normal.
Overall, Underfloor Heating may well offer a more even spread with the temperature, as well as being cheaper. In order to make a proper choice, you will have to do some maths to work out which has more value.
How often do I replace my Carpet Underlay?
Carpets may need replacements far sooner than QA Flooring’s carpet underlays. Whilst a carpet may need to go after 5-15 years, underlay can survive nearly two times that length. That being said, due to the labour involved in uprooting and replacing a carpet, we recommend that you replace the underlay each time to prevent potential damage compromising the underlay.
How do I choose the best underlay for my rooms?
You do this by judging what the room would most benefit from. Judge the following:
- Purpose of the Room – What is the purpose of your room? How many people will be there? Places that have higher traffic will require denser underlays. This is because they will be taking more wear and tear damage. A bedroom, however, won’t have a lot of people there – so try a softer underlayment.
- Type of Flooring – Carpet underlays are made of different stuff, and have different goals, than wood underlays. Not every underlay is compatible with another.
- Thermal Insulation Needs – How much Insulation do you actually need? If your room is losing only a little heat, perhaps you don’t need a high TOG rating.
- Noise – How noisy is your floor? A carpet making noise sounds strange, but it happens.
- Subfloor type – What is your subfloor made of? Concrete, for example, has a bad habit of getting moist, and having a moisture barrier for an underlay would nullify any potential issues.
- Thickness – The thicker, the more comfortable – but would it fit? Would it cause imperfections, or make it difficult to open your door?