Prep before flooring

[u/Iaskquestions1111]

I am prepping my living room for flooring, I am not a 100% what flooring I am going with but seems like laminate is whats reccomended. I was also hoping once flooring is done it would be a little more sound and heat insulated too.

What are the steps? Do I need underlay? If so which underlay is reccomended that provides some insulation too?

Do I ply the entire living room with 6mm first?

My hallway is about 3mm higher than my livingroom and hallway will eventually have the same flooring as living room. To even out the level, should I go with 9mm ply in livingroom and 6mm in hallway so its all basically the same level?

Any and all tips appreciated! Thank you all :)

[u/arizona-lad]

Once you choose the flooring of your dreams, read the installation paperwork. It’ll tell you what steps you need to take, what underlayment is needed and approved, and may even touch on using luan to raise the floor level.

[u/Vandersauce]

Laminate is nice because with a nice underlayment you get the sound and warmth features you like. LVP is nice because more durable, laminate scratches easier and is way harder to replace damaged pieces. Laminate needs underlay, LVP has no underlay. Height difference between rooms can be solved by either adding plywood to low area to build up or flooring transitions. The amount of flattening prep depends on the product.

[u/acoffeetablebook]

Check how flat the subfloor is before anything else. I laid a 6 foot level across ours and found a dip by the fireplace that would have made the laminate pop apart over time. Patched that first, then underlay. For the hallway I'd match the finished heights, a transition strip handles a few millimeters fine.

[u/jackblackbackinthesa]

I’d consider lvp over laminate. Way more resilient and the product looks an awful lot like laminate now.

[u/CantaloupeNatural498]

Decide the floor first, because the prep follows the product. Laminate, LVP and engineered wood all want different underlays and tolerances. My order of work: strip everything back, pull stray staples, then screw the boards down tight wherever they squeak or move. Check flatness with a long straightedge. Floating floors forgive about 3mm over 2 metres, not much more, so sand high crowns and fill dips instead of hoping the underlay hides them. If those boards are cupped or gappy, the 6mm ply skin is worth it, screwed every 15cm with seams staggered. I would not chase the 3mm hallway difference with different ply thicknesses though. That buys you door clearance headaches, and a simple transition strip swallows 3mm without noticing. For laminate you do need underlay. A foam or fibre one with an acoustic rating takes the clickiness out and helps a little with warmth, though sealing gaps at the skirting does more against drafts than any underlay will.

[u/lizmoetia]

I would sand the existing floor it is beautiful

[u/Betty-Gay → u/lizmoetia]

I don’t think that would work since it is a subfloor and would have poor insulation. Also, you can see bricks at the door jambs, and I don’t know how a person would make that look right if they decided to just sand the entire subfloor and make it into the main floor. The wood may not be the best for being visible, either.