Underlay and Fitting

A new carpet should always be laid on new underlay. Underlay has been demonstrated to increase the wear life of a carpet in addition to providing the more obvious benefits of added luxury, cushioning and insulation. You may think on uplifting your old carpet that your underlay appears to be in good condition - but don't be tempted to keep it to use with the new carpet. Just as a carpet can show more signs of use in specific area so will the underlay! Consequently there will be less support for the new carpet in these areas and the new carpet is likely to show signs of earlier wear in these areas.

There are essentially 4 main types of underlay

• Felt
• Sponge rubber
• Recycled crumb rubber
• Recycled polymer foam.(Carpet foundation member Ball & Young is market leader)

This underlay has a high thermal insulation value and is ideal where heating is by open fire, radiators etc in that heat loss through the floor will be significantly restricted but is not recommended for use where there is an under floor heating system.

Sponge rubber underlays are available in a wide range of thickness and density and in both flat and profiled form. The thicker and denser sponge rubber underlays perform well.

The recycled nature of the raw material in crumb rubber underlays is seen as environmentally friendly and the performance is usually very good because of the high density of the material. The product is also recommended for use over under floor heating systems. Recycled crumb rubber can also combined with felt for some underlays and is again considered to be a sound type of underlay combining values from both types.

Recycled polymer foam is also known to perform well in use. The material is lighter in weight than other underlay types without detracting from its properties and is popular with carpet fitters.

Each style of underlay is available in a range of thicknesses and weights, where often the thickest and heaviest can be expected to provide the greatest support for the carpet There are two British Standards for underlay

BS 5808 Specifications for underlays for textile floor coverings
BS EN 14499 Textile floor coverings; minimum requirements for carpet underlays

You should be confident that your chosen underlay has been tested to one or both of these standards and is satisfactory for the intensity of use that it and the carpet will experience in use. This information should be on the product label or on an information leaflet or brochure available in the retailer's store. If the product is unlabelled or has no supporting information the retailer should be questioned about the provenance of the product.



Fitting

Carpet fitting is a craft - and should be left to the experts. There is also no such thing as free fitting Fitting is an integral part of the installation and is the end process that transforms your floor into a warm, comfortable, soft and luxurious space.

Handy Hints

We recommend that a clear understanding and agreement is reached between you and your retailer on such topics as:

• The removal, shortening where necessary and re-fitting of doors
• The removal and replacing of furniture
• Who is responsible for the removal and disposal of carpet and underlay waste
• Which tasks the fitters are unable to undertake themselves
• The condition of the sub-floor
• Number and position of seams (if required)

Registered Specialists, under the new Office of Fair Trading Approved consumer code of Practice will ensure that all the above are carried out - and there are no nasty surprises.