Forbo Vinylbase Acoustic UnderlayUnderlay

Forbo Vinylbase Acoustic is the quiet bit you never see. It's a 2mm resilient underlay that sits beneath compact sheet vinyl and linoleum, taking the edge off footfall noise without changing the floor you've chosen.

It's built from PVC with a glass fleece reinforcement and a foam backing, and paired with Forbo's project vinyl and linoleum collections it delivers up to 18dB impact sound reduction. That makes it a sensible upgrade for schools, care homes, healthcare, offices and upper-floor rooms where noise travels downstairs.

It works with Eternal, Surestep, Safestep, Allura 0.55 and 0.7, Marmoleum and other compact vinyls, and can also go under Flotex sheet for a little extra thermal insulation. It isn't designed for use under acoustic vinyl or acoustic linoleum, which already have their own sound backing.

Vinylbase comes on 2m wide rolls, 35 linear metres long, and weighs just 1.2kg per m². As with any soft underlay, indentation resistance is slightly reduced compared with a floor stuck straight to the subfloor, but residual indentation stays below 0.3mm across the Forbo range.

Installation is fully adhered: the underlay is stuck down with a water-based acrylic adhesive such as 540 Eurosafe Special, left 24 hours to dry, then the floor covering goes on top. Seams should be offset at least 50cm from the floor covering joints, and the subfloor needs to be smooth and sound to BS 8203.

Not sure it's the right underlay for your floor? Give our team a call on 0345 222 1544 and we'll talk you through it - or let our nationwide fitters take care of the whole job.