Using an underlay to fit wood flooring is becoming an increasingly popular method and more and more people are discovering its advantages. When it comes to underlays, like with many building materials, the variety on the market is substantial, ranging massively in both quality and price. The underlay that we stock is called Elastilon, and it is one of the higher specification underlays available. Elastilon is a Dutch manufactured product that we have been supplying for many years. It is one of the original underlays and it has been thoroughly tried and tested. We have found it to be nothing but a success and have taken the advice from many of our customers who regularly fit floors, to not change.
There are a number of advantages in using Elastilon to fit you hardwood flooring. First we will discuss the time it can save and ease of fitting when using such a product. It has been said that when using Elastilon, on average 50% of time is saved when fitting your floor (Ref: http://www.elastilon.com/uk/images/stories/mistral_recommendation_letter.pdf). Not only is using Elastilon one of the quickest methods in which to lay your floorboards, it is also one of the more pleasant and most convenient. With Elastilon, other than a standard wood glue to glue the header tongue and groove, there is no need for any screws, nails or potentially messy adhesives. This makes the installation much easier and can often make what was a difficult job into a job that can be completed by the DIYer. These advantages may or may not benefit you financially, depending on your circumstances. If you are fitting the floor yourself for your own property, this of course only really aids you in that your job is potentially made easier. If you are paying someone to fit the flooring for you then you may benefit financially in that half the time is spent on the job. Or if you are laying the floor for someone, you can work knowing that the job may well be completed quicker. We have been supplying Elastilon for years to DIYers, builders, carpenters, and experienced professional flooring fitters and we have had an extremely positive response, with nearly all complementing the product on how quick and easy it made the job.
As well as being a quicker and more convenient method of laying your flooring, Elastilon can also provide some technical benefits. The first of which is it reacts favourably to any movement within the floor. Due to Elastilon’s slightly elasticated structure, it holds the boards in place without putting too much strain on the underside of the boards if there is any movement. When Elastilon is used, the boards are only stuck down to the underlay and nothing is stuck to the sub-floor. This is known as ‘floating’ your floor which is promoted and recognised by the official flooring federations. Elastilon is a dense foam material which lays beneath the flooring and the sub-floor. Not only can this slightly take the harshness out the flooring and make it that bit more pleasant to walk on it is also good for acoustics. When using Elastilon there is often no need for any additional acoustic measures to reduce sound travel, making it perfect for flats, offices or even just upstairs.
To conclude, Elastilon can not only offer several benefits it can also work out to be a cost effective, reliable and very efficient way of fitting your flooring. At JFJ Wood Flooring, we can supply you with Elastilon along with your flooring if requested. Elastilon can be supplied in full 50 sq mtr rolls or to the nearest m2 if requested. If you have any further questions on Elastilon or just fitting in general please do not hesitate to give us a call. We are a family business that is always happy to help and advise the best we can.