Carpet & underlay

[pikey]

I see now you can get PU Foam underlay and Rubber underlay, but I can't find anywhere the pros and cons of the two. I can't even work out if one type is better than the other.

Can anyone help me out?

Thanks

[TheD]

I was always told by my carpet laying bud that I should never buy the foam due it being total pish . Sticks to the floor and breaks down leaving bumps seemingly.

[Simpo Two]

I'd tend to agree. From my experience cheap black foam underlay collapses and sticks to the floor in 3-4 years (heavy traffic areas) whilst 20+ year old rubber stuff is still as new. Moral is - if you want it to last, don't buy cheap underlay.

[pikey]

I always buy the best underlay on offer, even if it means spending more on underlay than carpet but at the moment I'm finding you get 'best' rubber and 'best' PU foam. Same price but I can't get a straight answer as to one being better.

[pikey]

By the way, on that... do you know how much you can save by buying underlay from a supplier other than a major high street chain?

Generally speaking, around 70% !

[Dr_Gonzo]

I always thought (and had been told) the the decent PU foam u/l is better than the rubber ones as I've seen many of the rubber ones perish in just a few years. Lots of website also rate Cloud 9 Cirrus u/l (which is PU foam) as the top rated. But whatever you go for DONT buy it from the carpet show rooms. Get it online, and that inlcudes the gripper. I bought all the underlay I needed plus an extra two rolls AND all of the gripper I needed plus an extra box and a half for less than the quoted cost of just the gripper. The underlay would have been twice the price again.

[Simpo Two]

pikey said:

I always buy the best underlay on offer, even if it means spending more on underlay than carpet but at the moment I'm finding you get 'best' rubber and 'best' PU foam. Same price but I can't get a straight answer as to one being better.

Well, from first principles, I guess foam can collapse because its got air bubbles in it, but rubber can't because it's solid.