Answer
May 08, 2019 - 09:24 AM
Most all bamboo flooring manufacturers require both a vapor barrier and an underlayment beneath their flooring for warranty purposes. Always refer to their installation guidelines as they are not all the same. For most of our bamboo floating floors, we recommend Quietwalk. This has a moisture barrier and underlayment, all in one. It's also non-toxic, zero VOC and has no odor. It's been specially made for Green Building Supply without any biocides, fungicides or antimicrobials. It comes in 100 SF rolls, 1/8" x 3' x 33' 3", and has a peel off tape that exposes some adhesive that allows you to overlap the seams to seal each row without the use of duct tape. The QuietWalk has an excellent sound deadening capability which is why its called QuietWalk. It has an impact resistance and overall acoustical rating that is better than cork. If your bamboo creaks when you walk on it, it may be caused by the joints rubbing against one another. That may be due to an uneven subfloor, which is usually the case, or lack of expansion space around the perimeter. No underlayment can prevent creaking completely if the subfloor is uneven, but underlayments are designed to smooth out the subfloor which will help reduce the rubbing significantly.
