A comment
Good health to all!
I would like to insert my "five cents".
I have been doing flooring for about 10 years.
And here is what I wanted to clarify:
None of the substrates is able to completely soundproof the room, but it is possible to make noise more deaf !!!
Because laminate (like parquet board) is such a material. Everything that happens on its surface will be heard, but to one degree or another.
On the question of what cork substrate is best, I do not agree here. Because if, adding all the pros and cons, then this picture emerges:
- It is recommended to lay the cork backing on a flat, dry, clean, non-absorbent base (wood, plywood and chipboard base).
If you are laying on a prepared and leveled cement-concrete screed, then you will need a plastic film for laying as a waterproofing layer (laid directly on the screed and joined with a simple adhesive tape), without its existence, it is likely that your expensive cork substrate can rot .
Regarding the thickness, I think that a substrate with a thickness of 2-3-4 mm is quite enough, all that above can cause problems with butt locks. The fact that a thick substrate evens out irregularities - MYTH. The maximum leveling of any normal substrate is a difference of 1-2 mm, everything else is an improperly prepared base. But back to the traffic jam.
- On the issue of environmental friendliness, there are some doubts, at the moment, all self-respecting manufacturers of all types of substrates have certificates that their products are environmentally friendly, resistant to bacteria and fungi and do not cause allergies. And I dare to assure you that these certificates correspond to reality (after the fire in the "lame horse" everything became strict with this, Rospotrebnadzor is also very fierce and the Ministry of Emergencies).
Of course, we are talking about well-known companies such as IZOPAK, ARBITON, ENKE KRAUSE, ECOCOVER, etc., and not about manufacturers from Malaya Arnautskaya.
- The cork backing is easy to tear and costs (I mean a real cork such as from Spain or Portugal) approximately from 2200 to 3000 rubles per roll (rolls are from 10 to 20 m2 - approximately).You can conduct an easy test when choosing a cork, when buying this product, look at the coating "to the light" if this substrate is visible then g .... oh, and you should not stop there.
“In addition, I have some doubts about the ugliness, ductility and the ability to restore the structure after a long operation of the cork substrate, well, as the manufacturers say.
I do not touch on other types of substrates, because here we are talking only about cork, they also have their drawbacks and advantages, but here's what I wanted to say (I humbly ask you not to take it as an advertisement, just sharing my observations).
Recently I encountered ENKE KRAUSE substrate - I was pleasantly surprised. As I understand it, this is a novelty in the market (well, at least I haven’t seen this material). Very elastic, tear-resistant material. It has all the qualities that a cork (full characteristics can be found on the Internet). It seems to me that this is something between a cork substrate and extruded polystyrene. My parents did the repair, I decided to try it and bought a roll as an experiment. It’s too early to talk about the results of operation, but this product is not very bad. I paid for it somewhere 1200 per roll of 15 m2. In general, it seems to me that the meaning of using one or another substrate looks like this:
- Laminate 31-32 class, costing from 200 to 350 rubles - a polyethylene substrate is enough;
- Laminate 32-33 class, costing from 350 to 700 rubles - a polystyrene backing, ENKE KRAUSE, the same ECOCOVER, who is ecologically crazy, is enough (although I wrote above about the uncriticality of this fact)
-Laminate 33 classes from 700 to ..... type Pergo 34 classes - cork substrate, Tuplex, ECOCOVER, ENKE KRAUSE this applies to parquet boards.
All of the above is purely IMHO, because, based on the logic, the person who bought a cheap laminate is unlikely to buy an expensive wear-resistant substrate.
Thank you for reading my opus to the end. I really hope that this fiction was sculpted not in vain, and it will really help someone.