10 Best Laminate Underlayments 2025 in the United States

The QuietWalk LV Underlayment is a solid choice for anyone looking to enhance their flooring experience with luxury vinyl, laminate, or wood floors. One of its standout features is the superior sound reduction offered by the recycled fibers, which can significantly minimize noise transfer between rooms, creating a quieter living environment. This makes it particularly beneficial for apartments or multi-story homes where noise can be a concern.

Another great aspect is its compression resistance. This underlayment effectively supports the seams of your flooring, ensuring that it won’t flatten over time even with consistent foot traffic. Additionally, it includes a moisture barrier that protects your floors from potential damage due to moisture vapor emissions, making it suitable for use over both concrete and wood subfloors.

Moreover, the product is environmentally friendly, made from recycled synthetic fibers without harmful VOCs, which is a plus for indoor air quality. It’s also compatible with in-floor radiant heating systems, allowing for even heat distribution while protecting your flooring from thermal shock.

The QuietWalk LV underlayment is a versatile and well-made option for use with laminate, luxury vinyl, and engineered wood floors. It works with floating, glue-down, or nail-down installations, making it flexible for different flooring types including LVT, WPC, and SPC. Its thickness of about 0.06 inches (roughly 1.5 mm) provides a good balance of cushioning and support without being too bulky. Made from recycled synthetic fibers, it’s dense and compression-resistant, helping protect floor seams and maintain stability under foot traffic and furniture.

The sound insulation is a strong point, as the recycled fiber helps reduce impact noise, creating a quieter environment, which is ideal for multi-level homes or apartments. Moisture protection is another highlight; it includes a 6-mil vapor barrier plus DriWick technology that actively wicks away moisture from wood or concrete subfloors, reducing the risk of floor damage. Additionally, it is compatible with in-floor radiant heating systems, which is useful if you have or plan to install such heating.

A minor consideration is the thickness, which might be thinner than some other underlayments designed for more insulation or cushioning, but this also helps keep the floor height reasonable. While it’s priced as a quality mid-range option, those looking for maximum soundproofing might consider thicker or foam-based alternatives. This underlayment is a solid choice for anyone seeking moisture protection, sound reduction, and durability across various flooring types, especially in homes with moisture concerns or radiant heating.

This STEICO Wood Fiber Flooring Underlayment offers a 6mm (1/4 inch) thickness, which is a good middle ground for cushioning and support beneath laminate, vinyl, LVT, LVP, or hardwood floors. Made from natural wood fibers without glue or harmful chemicals, it’s a breathable and eco-friendly choice that helps prevent moisture buildup through its “Vapor Open” technology. It also stands out for soundproofing, having passed strict acoustic tests to reduce noise from footsteps, making it a solid pick if quiet floors are important to you.

The high compression strength means your floor’s click-lock system stays protected, reducing squeaks and the feeling of a springy floor, which can improve the durability and comfort of your flooring. This underlayment comes in sheets covering 180 square feet total, suitable for medium-sized areas. One thing to note is that while it’s great at minor moisture absorption, it isn’t a full moisture barrier like some synthetic underlayments, so in very damp environments you might need an additional vapor barrier.

Being a natural fiber product, it tends to be heavier and thicker than foam options, which might require some extra effort during installation and can slightly reduce floor height. If you want a natural, sound-absorbing underlayment that supports a variety of floor types and improves comfort without chemical additives, this STEICO product is a strong candidate.