Do you need hardboard under vinyl?
Mia Smith
Published Mar 17, 2026
Do you need hardboard under vinyl?
If you are planning to lay vinyl sheet, tiles or even laminate, and your subfloor is old floorboards, it is more than likely that the floor will need to be levelled. The easiest way to do this is to cover the boards with a thin layer (3mm – 12mm) of hardboard, giving yourself a smooth, flat surface to work on.
Can you use hardboard for flooring?
What Types of Floors Can You Use a Hardboard Underlayment? Any type of flooring can be placed on top of a hardboard subfloor. This includes, but is not limited to, carpet, concrete flooring, natural stone tiles, ceramic tiles, vinyl flooring, laminate flooring, wood floors, engineered hardwood and linoleum flooring.
What board do you put under vinyl flooring?
Plywood underlayment is a thin plywood material that is most commonly used under resilient flooring materials, such as vinyl and linoleum sheets and tiles.
How do you install hardboard under vinyl?
the correct way to lay hardboard (and its fine for this if done properly) is to wet it first and lay it smooth side down butted joints (tight) and use an industrial stapler and mallet, you can hire these. you need to fix it every 150mm. let dry out 100% then lay the covering and I would advise to glue it.
Is hardboard good for underlayment?
The Resilient Floor Covering Institute (RFCI), a Rockville, MD, association representing seven of the largest resilient flooring manufacturers, recommends hardboard and appropriately graded plywood as the only two acceptable underlayments for resilient flooring.
Do I need underlayment for vinyl sheet flooring?
Generally, you won’t need to underlay for vinyl sheet flooring, as you can simply glue down the sheets directly over most flooring surfaces, including concrete, linoleum, and old vinyl floors. However, if your old floor is uneven, has bumps and dips, or is buckled.
Can you glue vinyl flooring to plywood?
Can I install vinyl flooring over wood, plywood, particleboard or chipboard? You can install vinyl over wood floors if you put a plywood subfloor on top of it. Do not install glue down or peel and stick products over particleboard, chipboard or any form of embossed floor.
How do you install hardboard sheets?
Choose 3 mm thick hardboard and condition them before they’re laid. This involves scrubbing water into the rough side of the sheet. The sheet should then be laid flat on top of one another in the room in which they’ll be used for 24 hours before you fit them so they can acclimatise.
Do you need to condition hardboard?
When the hardboard dries, it will shrink and stay flat on surface. London flooring specialists warn that this simple process must not be neglected – if you fail to perform it, the atmospheric moisture will expand the hardboard and wrinkle it up.