What To Take For A Subfloor Under A Parquet Board: Tuplex Or Cork?

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What To Take For A Subfloor Under A Parquet Board: Tuplex Or Cork?
What To Take For A Subfloor Under A Parquet Board: Tuplex Or Cork?

Video: What To Take For A Subfloor Under A Parquet Board: Tuplex Or Cork?

Video: What To Take For A Subfloor Under A Parquet Board: Tuplex Or Cork?
Video: Installing the Subfloor 2024, March
Anonim

The underlayment is often used in construction as an insulating layer between the concrete base and the parquet floor. Traditionally, cork has been used as a backing. However, a new material has appeared on the modern market - tuplex.

Cork has long established itself in the market as a backing material
Cork has long established itself in the market as a backing material

Will the duplex be able to replace the cork or compete with it? Both materials have both advantages and disadvantages. You can compare and identify them by comparing materials according to the criteria of price, moisture resistance, sound insulation, thermal insulation, compressibility, and styling features.

Price

On average, the price per square meter of material fluctuates between 1000 and 2000 rubles, and there is no big difference between cork and duplex.

Moisture resistance

Wooden parquet swells in conditions of high humidity and dries out if it is insufficient. Duplex wins in the ability to remove excess moisture, while protecting the parquet board from swelling and keeping the floor surface even. Unlike duplex, cork swells, absorbing moisture. However, many cork backing manufacturers have found a way out of this situation by gluing a special vapor barrier to the cork backing. The price of such a coating is higher.

What material to choose for a parquet underlayment? The decision largely depends on the characteristics of the room.

Soundproofing

Both cork and duplex have a high degree of sound insulation. In this case, the thickness of the cork substrate is usually strictly observed within 2 mm. The thickness of the duplex can vary up to 4 mm. Moreover, the thicker the substrate layer, the higher the sound insulation.

Thermal insulation

As a natural material, cork retains heat well. Duplex also copes well with this task, but the material of such "insulation" is unnatural. In addition, duplex is still inferior to cork in terms of its ability to retain heat. And even when using the underfloor heating system, it will not give as warm as a substrate made of natural materials.

Compressibility

The duplex is very durable, and perfectly adapts to the characteristics of the parquet, keeping the floor surface even. It does not shrink under the pressure of the weight. In addition, this material is able to withstand heavy loads. The cork can crumble, and this is a big disadvantage when it comes to the ability to withstand the pressure that people who walk on it put on the floor. But being the only sustainable material, cork is much better suited for living spaces. And the duplex can be placed in workrooms.

In living quarters, it is much wiser to use an environmentally friendly cork backing. In working rooms with their huge load on the floor surface, it is better to put a stable duplex.

Styling features

An additional layer of vapor barrier is usually placed under the cork backing, which somewhat complicates the installation. The cork backing is convenient because it is easy to cut and easy to install. The duplex already has a vapor barrier layer. It's also pretty easy to install.

Other uses

Cork has long proven itself as a backing material, but it can also be used as a standalone floor covering. For this, special cork canvases are used, which are thicker than the substrate. Walls can be insulated with cork. Duplex is used exclusively as a backing for parquet or laminate.

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