Few questions before I install laminate


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Old 06-05-19, 02:54 PM
S
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Few questions before I install laminate

I'm planning to replace carpet in bedrooms with laminate (rest of the house is engineering hardwood flooring). Below the carpet there is carpet underlayment and below that plywood. Do I need to put moisture barrier over plywood?

And will it better to install cork underlayment to reduce floor noise (I'm really paranoid about noise)?

I checked that 12mm thick laminate will make bedroom flooring height match the rest of the house, if I go with cork underlayment (which is thick) should I go with less thicker laminate? How to make sure the height will come out right?

And lastly, how do I make sure my floor is level surfaced? It looks all even currently and given there is plywood below carpet, should I assume it'll be fine?
 
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Old 06-05-19, 03:51 PM
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Follow the directions for your floor laminate. Everything you need to know is in the directions, which may vary by mfg. You will need to check the floor with a straightedge, and your instructions will tell you the allowable tolerance and radius. You might need some feather patch... no way for us to know, we can't see it.
 
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Old 06-05-19, 06:37 PM
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Thicker is not better when it comes to laminate underlayment. Too thick may cause too much flex and stress the interlock system. Go with the manufacturer's recommendation on underlayment.
 
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Old 06-06-19, 01:02 PM
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I don't think moisture barrier is usually called for over plywood. I put laminate on my whole main floor and only used moisture barrier where there was concrete slab or old vinyl type tile over concrete slab. I bought a laminate with underlayment attached on the boards rather than using a separate roll. I found that to be a little easier as the underlayment didn't shift at all as it might if it was a large sheet.

You're probably fine with the levelness of the floor but I would get a long level and check just to make sure. Check in every direction too, looks can be deceiving. You'll want to make sure you don't exceed the maximum flexibility of the laminate you choose with any minor irregularities in your levelness.
 
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Old 06-06-19, 02:14 PM
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Thanks for your responses, I'll follow them.
 
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Old 06-06-19, 04:05 PM
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Some laminate products have the underlayment attached to the underside of the planks. Otherwise, around here, there are two type of underlayment available... two different price points, and both are recommended. Your dealer/store should have both options for you.
 
 

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