Wood fiber underlayment FAQ

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wood fiber underlayment FAQ

1. Will the underlayment help in case of a pipe break? What will happen to the

underlayment itself?

Yes, it will help. The underlayment absorbs the moisture of up to 20% of its own weight and will

prevent the lower floors from flooding. This will allow avoiding additional repairs and you will

save money. The rate of moisture penetration through wood fibers bound together is low. This

provides enough time to eliminate the causes and consequences of the leakage. With a

relatively small leakage, the wet underlayment will gradually dry without any consequences for

the flooring. In case of a large leakage, it is recommended to remove the flooring in the most

critical areas and wait for the underlayment to dry naturally. Then the flooring can be

reinstalled.

2. Will freezing temperatures negatively affect the underlayment?

No, even such temperatures as (-30 °С) – (-40 °С) will not have a negative impact on the

underlayment. Moreover, it also works as a heat insulator. Therefore, it can be used in such

premises as basements, balconies, attics and other unheated rooms. In cases where the

underlayment is to be installed in areas with high moisture, It is recommended to place a

waterproofing moisture barrier between the underlayment and the subfloor.

3. What is the meaning of a “breathing material”? Is the wood-fiber underlayment a

“breathing material”?

Wood fiber products are “breathing materials” that let moisture vapor pass through it. We

often use the term “breathes” (i.e. does not allow stagnation and accumulation of moisture)

when we talk about clothes made of cotton or shoes such as felt boots. Due to the capability to

pass moisture vapor through, i.e. to “breathe”, wood-fiber boards almost always remain dry.

Conventionally, “breathing” of material is gas exchange between the external environment and

the material itself. Cellulose fibers in wood can retain and give off the moisture of up to 20% of

their own weight without losing their heat-insulating properties. If the air in a room becomes

too dry, the excess moisture contained in the capillaries of the cellulose fibers will return to the

room maintaining a comfortable level of humidity therein. Therefore, it regulates the

microclimate in the premises. Inorganic mineral insulators accumulate moisture between the

synthetic fibers because they are not capable of absorbing it. Such moisture in the interfiber

space usually affects the material thermophysical properties.

In wood fiberboards, excess moisture is both retained by cellulose capillaries and, due to many

interconnected open pores between the bound fibers, lets a significant amount of moisture

pass through. Vapor condensates mainly in the further layer of the house’s heat insulation

structure, on the colder side. Good vapor permeability promotes the efficient removal of

household moisture through wood fiberboards.

Summary of content (6 pages)

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wood fiber underlayment FAQ 1. Will the underlayment help in case of a pipe break? What will happen to the underlayment itself? Yes, it will help. The underlayment absorbs the moisture of up to 20% of its own weight and will prevent the lower floors from flooding. This will allow avoiding additional repairs and you will save money. The rate of moisture penetration through wood fibers bound together is low. This provides enough time to eliminate the causes and consequences of the leakage.
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4. Is it necessary to install a plastic moisture barrier film underneath a wood fiber underlayment? A polyethylene film (or "plastic film") usually acts as a vapor barrier to various moisture vapors. When placed under the underlayment, it prevents condensation of water vapor on the lower surface of the underlayment and/or the finished floors. By doing so, it protects from mold and mildew formation underneath the floors and extends the service life and comfort of the floors.
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approximately 60%, and that of the wood fiberboard is 85-88%. Wood fibers in these boards are arranged so that the heat flows in the structure not along, but across the fibers. This leads to an increased heat transfer resistance of such boards. These properties allow wood fiberboards to be highly efficient thermal-insulating materials with interconnected open pores. Their heat conductivity coefficient (in an absolutely dry state) is 0.039-0.050 W/m*K. 6.
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The European Multilayer Modular Floor Association (MMFA) recommends that you always use underlayment for all types of modular floor finishes, including LVT boards. The density of the recently developed underlayment for LVT (650 kg/m³) is 2.5 to 3 times higher than that of a standard coniferous material underlayment. This is exactly what you need to protect your vinyl flooring lock-joints! The surface structure of such underlayment, for LVT, allows using both adhesive and lock-joint flooring laying methods.
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when laying the underlayment, you may manually break out a small section of the board. It is recommended to save excess material until the underlayment is laid. It can come in handy when leveling a rough floor. 13. How much subfloor roughness does the underlayment smooth? Wood fiber underlayment has a unique capability of leveling floors.
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16. Is the underlayment combustible? On our website you can watch a video comparing the combusting capacity of various insulation materials. This example shows that, at combustion, the wood surface becomes charred and prevents the spread of combustion to deeper layers for a certain time. You will notice a distinct difference in combustion of other insulation materials made of plastics and minerals.