How to Choose the Best Carpet Underlay for Your Home

The Hidden Hero Beneath Your Carpet: How to Choose the Perfect Underlay for Comfort, Quiet and Longevity

You might say that carpet underlay is the underdog of flooring, a critical but all-too-often overlooked component. Choosing the right underlay is vital: it can significantly influence comfort, insulation, noise reduction and carpet lifespan. But how do you know when you’ve chosen correctly? In this guide, we’ll walk you through the different types of underlay, explaining the best location for each and how you can be sure you’ve picked the perfect option for your budget, comfort and durability.

Why Choosing the Right Carpet Underlay Matters More Than You Think

Underlay provides far more than cushioning for your feet. Choose the right underlay and it will enhance your carpet’s thickness, wear resistance, heat retention, insulation, walking comfort and/or soundproofing. On the other hand, the wrong underlay might reduce your carpet’s lifespan. Read on to discover how you can be sure you’ve picked the best carpet underlay for your needs.  

Understanding the Different Types of Carpet Underlay

Foam, rubber, felt and combination are the most common types of underlay. Each offers a different blend of density, softness, durability and warmth. Key to choosing the best carpet underlay for you is understanding where it will live. High-traffic areas require resilient, durable underlay, while warmth is preferable in bedrooms, and noise reduction a priority in areas like living rooms where people gather together. 

Foam, Rubber, Felt and Combination Underlay: What’s the Difference?

• Foam underlay, made from recycled foam offcuts, is the most popular type of underlay thanks to it being lightweight and easy to fit. Prized for its cushioning, it provides excellent comfort and softness, not to mention insulation and noise reduction. Foam underlay can help extend a carpet’s lifespan significantly when correctly matched to the carpet and room use.

• Rubber underlay is made from recycled rubber, primarily old tyres. Tough, hard-wearing and offering excellent sound insulation, it’s perfect for high-traffic areas like hallways or stairs. Sponge rubber is known for its underfoot cushioning, while crumb rubber – largely made from recycled car tyres – is renowned for firmness and durability. Rubber is one of the more expensive underlays, but can last up to 25 years. 

• Felt underlay is the eco-friendly choice traditionally made from recycled materials like wool, jute or synthetic fibres. It has a soft, warm feel, perfect for cosy bedrooms. The firm structure of higher-density felt underlays means it’s durable enough to last up to 20 years. Cost-wise it’s the mid-range choice.

• Combination underlay is a hybrid that marries felt and rubber. It offers the dual benefit of warm, cushioning fibres with the impressive durability of recycled rubber and works brilliantly in high-traffic areas. With a lifespan of up to 20 years, it’s one of the more expensive underlay choices.

Where Each Type of Carpet Underlay Works Best in the Home

Durable underlays work best in areas that need to withstand high footfall, while softer underlays are perfect for cushioning the more luxurious areas of a home. We suggest thicker foam or felt underlays for comfort-focused bedrooms and lounges, and resilient rubber and combination underlays for hallways and stairs. Rubber underlay can be suitable in areas where moisture resistance is beneficial, such as utility rooms or ground floors — though carpet itself is generally not recommended for bathrooms.; felt adds insulation to stone or concrete floors; and foam minimises noise on wooden floorboards, in flats and upper floor rooms. 

Carpet Underlay as Soundproofing: Reducing Noise Between Rooms

Noise between rooms, from apartments or adjoining houses becomes a pain. So it’s great to know that you can enhance your acoustic comfort with the right underlay. If your primary concern is soundproofing, pick foam or rubber. Both are designed to reduce, not eliminate airborne (voice, TV) and impact (footsteps, dropped items) noise thanks to their makeup of high-mass, dense materials that absorb vibrations and reflect sound waves. True soundproofing requires full floor systems.

Choosing Carpet Underlay Based on Your Budget

Generally speaking, foam underlay is entry-level price, felt is mid-range, and rubber and combination are more premium, but of course there are many different price options within each category. We recommend spending more on underlay in the high-footfall areas of halls and stairs where durability and resilience is paramount. And with so many materials and benefits to choose from, rest assured that the most suitable option for you isn’t always the priciest. 

Explore our Carpet Underlay Range

Our extensive flooring range offers the best underlay for carpets, whatever your situation and budget. Do you want the benefits of cushioning, protection, insulation, soundproofing, or a combination of them all? Explore our range based on the level of traffic, and focus on what’s truly important for your room. 

Why Choose QA Flooring Solutions for Your Carpet Underlay?

We’re a trusted flooring specialist, renowned for our outstanding customer service, experience and reliability. Our superb range of underlays is made from high-quality materials and carefully selected products. And we proudly offer expert advice to ensure that you get the best for your home and budget. Each QA Flooring Solutions underlay comes with a long-term performance guarantee to last the lifetime of your carpet.