Does Cork Flooring Need Underlay. Thermal Insulation air is a good thermal insulator and cork is loaded with air. Cork when used as an underlayment will make any floor warmer underfoot preventing cold from migrating up from the sub floor below.
Cork flooring is made of bark from the cork oak trees and has benefits that make it ideal for bathrooms and kitchens. Cork is especially beneficial under laminates making them feel and sound more like hardwood. It only requires a vapour barrier in the form of a plastic sheeting when being installed over concrete.
The planks do not have an attached padding or underlayment.
Use of a humidifier is suggested. Loose-lay underlayment installations which are common for floating floors require only a. Another qualifying feature for underlayment is a moisture barrier. The higher the STC number the better the sound barrier.