A flooring project can sometimes feel like a huge undertaking, with the costs piling up quickly. Factoring in labour and the cost of underlay for most floors means stretching your budget further. But you can avoid underlay costs with Pro-Tek™ click vinyl. 

Vinyl floors are, unsurprisingly, the fastest-selling and most preferred type of flooring today. Luxury click vinyl has truly revolutionised the industry.  This is due to its remarkably natural appearance, extreme versatility and hardwearing abilities.

That’s not all. LVT is far more affordable, easy and quick to install than other flooring and comes packed with built-in benefits. One of which is often the underlay.

What Exactly Is Underlay?

The underlay is essentially a thin material sandwiched between the subfloor and the new floor covering. The underlay is a must in most flooring options, including carpet, to give the floor additional stability and cushioning. Plus other essential properties such as moisture and impact resistance. It is also imperative to use an underlay for thermal and noise insulation in most floors.

But the evolutions in luxury click vinyl have thankfully rendered it unnecessary.

Why Luxury Vinyl Flooring Doesn’t Need Underlay

If you’ve just purchased a luxury vinyl floor, you must be wondering if you need to invest in an underlay. The good news is, you don’t. Thanks to the cutting-edge advancements in vinyl flooring, the underlay is finally a component you can do without. Thus reducing your costs drastically.

The distinctive design of vinyl flooring is such that it comes packed with a strong, built-in base layer of an underlay. In general, luxury vinyl flooring is exceptionally stable and does not warp, wobble or buckle under pressure. If you choose to install an underlay for vinyl flooring, you in fact, increase the risk of damage to the floor by making it too soft and wobbly.

What Kind of Underlay Are We Talking About?

Different types of vinyl flooring have different types of underlay built into its structure. These range from cork, felt, plywood to foam. So it is worth checking the different brands before buying.

For unrivalled performance though, Pro-Tek™’s range of Luxury Vinyl flooring has a robust IXPE foam underlayment built in. Years of R&D and the most rigorous stress tests have helped perfect the underlay, to enhance the waterproofing and impact-resistant qualities of the floors, while making them feel comfortable underfoot. IXPE foam is a lightweight, tough and resilient material which is perfect for keeping vinyl planks thin, yet strong.

To ensure that they stand the test of time, all Pro-Tek™ floors have a sturdy multi-layer construction:

–   An IXPE foam underlay

–   An SPC or WPC layer for additional water-resistance

–   A top veneer mimicking natural materials

–   A protective wear layer that prevents scratches and scuffs

All of these layers make sure that our LVP / LVT flooring is high quality and without any hidden costs.

What Is IXPE Foam and How Does It Work?

IXPE or Irradiated Cross-Linked PolyEthelene, is a breakthrough advancement in foam technology. This cutting-edge material is made up of high-density, closed-cell foam of polyethylene, the same material used to make juice bottles, medicine containers, and rescue floats, to name just a few. It creates a tight, smooth surface that makes the floor waterproof and highly insulating. It has the ability to bounce back to form after compression, which means you can subject your floor to all kinds of impact and it’ll still hold its shape for years.

Below are just some of the advantages of the Pro-Tek™ built-in IXPE foam underlay:

Superior Waterproofing

The IXPE underlay makes our clilck vinyl floors 100% water and moisture proof. Also resistant to mildew, mould, rot, and bacteria. Even in places or conditions where significant amounts of water exposure or spillage is expected, the IXPE foam underlay works hard to not let it penetrate your floors. Whatever the climate, your floors will not let you feel it. Whether it’s a bathroom with kids splashing around or a humid restaurant kitchen at peak hours, the flooring will be robust. 

Noise-Absorbing

IXPE provides a superior acoustic performance. The underlay absorbs sound and scores highly on independent tests.

Enhanced Thermal Insulation

The dense, tightly-packed, closed-cell structure of IXPE gives it exceptional insulation properties. Whether you have an underfloor heating system or radiators, the IXPE Foam underlay keeps the heat from escaping and can significantly reduce your heating bills.

Time-Tested Technology

IXPE technology has been around for years and has been used to great success in the medical, automobile and hospitality industries. It is considered an indispensable material for its tensile strength and incredible properties. As a result, it’s a technology that has undergone stringent research and can be trusted to work in every possible condition. This also contributes to the longevity of our floors, allowing us to provide a lifetime guarantee on some of our best-sellers.

Easy Installation

In the past, when it came to cases where the subfloor was uneven or damaged, underlays were also used under vinyl to even out the subfloor. But with Pro-Tek™’s unique click-lock system, little or no preparation is necessary. Simply click the planks in place, with no additional underlay. Again enabling you to avoid underlay costs with Pro-Tek™.