When laying new flooring, you don’t just need the new floors.
Underlay, scotia beading, and door thresholds each serve a purpose, and the type you choose impacts the comfort, soundproofing, and moisture levels in your home.
Keep reading for a quick guide on flooring accessories, with an overview of what you really need to buy and why.
Underlay
Underlay goes underneath carpets or laminate. You can get different types depending on the floor being laid. For example, you can get carpet underlay and underlay for laminate flooring.
Some underlays improve soundproofing, while others increase comfort, improve insulation, or help control moisture levels.
As a guide to the different types of underlay:
· Carpets: Carpet underlay is essential. It keeps carpets soft, spongy, and comfortable. It also improves insulation and reduces noise transfer. Without underlay, carpets can flatten and feel firm.
· Laminate: Underlay for laminate flooring helps a floor look and feel even to walk on. It also prevents the planks from breaking, moving, or creaking as you walk around.
You can get an underlay to suit different budgets. More affordable options include a thinner underlay (see 8mm underlay) for carpets, or a foam-foil underlay for laminate.
Thicker underlay for carpets has a more premium price tag, but is significantly softer and helps carpets last longer (see 10mm underlay or 12mm underlay).
Specialist underlay for laminate includes XPS underlay (ideal for softness), rubber underlay (great for soundproofing), or fibreboard underlay (good for insulation).
Scotia Beading
Scotia beading (also referred to as trim) is used for laminate flooring as a “border” around the edges. It neatens appearances, fills expansion gaps, and prevents warping issues with your laminate over time.
It’s only essential if you lay your laminate so that it touches the skirting board. If you lay laminate flooring underneath the skirting board and replace the boards entirely, you don’t need scotia beading.
Scotia beading can match:
· Skirting boards: This type of scotia beading matches your skirting board, so it usually comes in white or black.
· Laminate: Scotia beading can match the colour of your laminate flooring exactly.
Door Bars
Door bars (also known as thresholds or cover strips) are another essential item when laying new flooring. These separate the floors in different rooms, and are usually fitted in line with the door frames.
You can get different styles of door bars, the most popular being:
· Metal strips: Available in silver or gold, these are usually fitted against carpets. They stop carpets from fraying or moving, and they act as a clear, neat separation between rooms.
· Laminate flooring strips: These match the colour and style of your laminate flooring. Laying laminate thresholds joins floors together, covers expansion gaps, and hides uneven floors in different rooms.
Shop Flooring Accessories Today
Installing new flooring in your home? Whether it’s carpet or laminate, we’ve got the flooring accessories you need.
Shop our flooring or accessories today, or visit us in-store for discounted flooring accessories in Manchester.
We offer next-day delivery and same-day click-and-collect for in-stock items.
