You can find three different kinds of wall underlay in the market today. They are foam, rubber and wool welt. We will get into the pros and cons of each finding the one suitable for your home.
Foam underlay
It is a moderately recent discovery in the market and has been in trend recently. It is designed to offer more comfort underfoot. The manufacturing takes places through recycles sponges which are mulched and compressed together in a cylinder with steam to get the desired product. The final product is then cut into pieces of specified thickness from 7mm to 12mm. There is no wastage of material in the process, also you can treat this is an eco-friendly process.
Advantages
· Feels soft underfoot
· Hard-wearing
· Thermal insulation due to the material used
· Good sound observer
· Environment Friendly
· Fitter friendly
Disadvantages
· Cannot be recycled
Rubber underlay
Rubber underlay is the most common underlay that you expect to find under most of the carpets. There has been the manufacturing of superior products, thus the use and production of the rubber underlay are under severe decline. New underlays excel in all the aspect and cover what rubber underlays might not be able to cover. Traditional rubber underlay has waffle air gap design which is compressed with use in a short period. Rubber manufactures have improved on this by manufacturing high-quality rubber that can go long way. It retains compression and gives a more luxurious design and feel to the carpet.
Advantages
· Feels firm underfoot
· Impact noise reduction is very high
· Hard-wearing
Disadvantages
· Cannot be recycled
· Not fitter friendly
· Poor thermal insulation
· Expensive
Wool Felt Underlay
They have high thermal and comfort properties and thus are becoming very famous. Traditional underlays were made with jute fibres which were known to be compressed and gave no luxury feel or thermal insulating properties. However, now manufacture has experimented with superior fibres. We all know wool is a great insulator, it is used in all the winter clothes from scarves, jackets blankets and much more. Thus, wool might be the perfect option to keep your room cosy and warm. It gives the feeling of an elite wall underlay.
Advantages
· Very high thermal insulation
· High impact noise reduction
· Feels comfy underfoot
· Environment friendly
· Cheaper than the other types of underlay
Disadvantages
· It does not feel as soft as foam underlay