- Ha, sounds familiar... had a similar experience with our basement reno.
- Went budget-friendly on the underlayment (big mistake), and the installers flew through it like they had a hot date waiting.
- Sure enough, moisture issues popped up within the year. Ended up redoing it myself—slowly, painfully, but properly.
- Lesson learned: cheaping out costs more in the long run.
"Went budget-friendly on the underlayment (big mistake), and the installers flew through it like they had a hot date waiting."
Haha, that made me laugh because I swear my installers were racing yours. When we moved into our first place, I did a ton of research on flooring but totally overlooked the underlayment—figured it was just marketing hype. Big regret there. Within two years, our laminate started feeling spongy in spots, and when I finally pulled it up, the cheap underlay had basically disintegrated in areas with higher foot traffic.
Ended up redoing it myself last summer with a higher-quality foam barrier and moisture protection layer. Took way longer than expected (doesn't it always?), but now the floor feels solid again and no weird damp smells. Definitely agree: sometimes going cheap means paying twice...or three times if you're stubborn like me, haha.
I feel your pain on the underlayment issue. I went mid-range thinking I'd found the sweet spot between cost and quality, but even then, it didn't hold up as promised. After about three years, I noticed some hollow-sounding spots and ended up redoing sections myself. Lesson learned—next time I'll probably just bite the bullet and go premium from the start. Glad you got yours sorted out though, nothing beats that solid feel underfoot after fixing a flooring headache.
"Lesson learned—next time I'll probably just bite the bullet and go premium from the start."
I get why you'd think premium is the way to go, but honestly, I've seen plenty of high-end underlayments fail prematurely too. It's not always about price or brand—installation technique and subfloor prep play a huge role. I've had clients insist on top-tier materials, only to find out later that shortcuts taken during installation caused issues down the line. Hollow spots, creaks, unevenness... these often trace back to rushed prep work or moisture issues underneath.
In my experience, investing extra time and attention into proper subfloor leveling and moisture barriers can make even mid-range underlayments perform like champs. Not saying premium isn't worth it sometimes, but it's definitely not a guaranteed fix. Just something to consider before you shell out more cash next time around.
Yeah, I hear you on the premium stuff, but honestly, I've been burned enough times to stay skeptical. Like you said:
"It's not always about price or brand—installation technique and subfloor prep play a huge role."
Couldn't agree more. When we redid our basement floor, I went mid-range on the underlayment but spent a whole weekend just prepping the subfloor—leveling compound, moisture barrier, the whole nine yards. My brother-in-law laughed at me for being so picky, but guess whose floor still feels solid three years later?
Meanwhile, he splurged on some fancy premium underlayment, skipped proper prep because "it's premium, it'll be fine," and now he's got squeaks and hollow spots everywhere. So yeah, premium can help, but it's definitely not magic. I'd rather put my money (and sweat) into proper prep work any day.
