Underlay for bamboo flooring from urbane living

Am about to order bamboo flooring from Urbane Living thanks to the AAM posters who have recommended them on previous threads. I will be flooring a bit over 60 sq m to cover most of downstairs (concrete underneath).

The only thing I'm wondering about is the "Timbertec underlay" that is included in the quote from Urbane Living, is this something any AAM posters can tell me about from experience, e.g. is it good for soundproofing?

As the underlay is about €46 a roll (to cover 10m2) - about €320 overall - I'm wondering is it worth the extra expense for the Timbertec, or would it be no different if I bought underlay - like for laminate flooring - locally at half the price?

Obviously I don't want to get it wrong, and I will ask Urbane Living who have been really helpful so far, but I was hoping for some independent advice here.

I was recommended to use Sika products & that is what I used to lay my bamboo flooring. Sika products are available in all major Irish Builders providers & they also have a office in Dublin. Products are available at Chadwicks, Heiton Buckley & Noyeks. Sika web site: www.sika.ie/.

If you need any advice pls Pm me or I'll try to post it here. My laptop battery is on its last leg.
PS: I have no connection to the companies mentioned above. I've used them.

Thank you, have just noticed your useful reply now, will try calling a couple of those places tomorrow.

As a matter of interest, do you find your bamboo flooring noisy? As I'm planning on laying it on hall, sitting, kitchen & dining floors I'm a little worried that there'll be sound bouncing all over the place!

I have these floors for a year & havent come across any problems. As far as the noise is concerned it depends on the way it is installed. if you install directly over concrete there is absolutely no noise. If you lookinto the Sika website there is a very informative document on different methods of laying them & you can choose. I've nailed them over 3/4 ply downstairs & upstairs directly on the floor board. Upstairs is slightly noisy just because of the creaky floorboards. I sourced all the material locally including floors & everywhere people where very helpful in giving me tips & info.
A pal of mine is going to lay bamboo over underfloor heating & we asked the supplier about installing over UFH & were given good tips & procedures & based on his advice we consulted Sika & based on their advice we are proceeding to glue them directly over concrete screed.
As far as my house is concerned it was a diy job for me & I laid around 80sq/mtrs as a single person. if you need any advice pls feel free to pm me.

sammya said:

if you install directly over concrete there is absolutely no noise. If you look into the Sika website ...

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Thanks Sammya.
Just to be clear, are you saying you don't have any underlay at all under your bamboo? Cause Urbane Living tell me the floor wouldn't feel very nice without it and also recommend that the seams on the underlay should be sealed with waterproof tape to stop any moisture coming through.

As mentioned in my earlier post, I've laid flooring over 3/4 ply & hence I've not used any underlay. Also I have an waterproof membrane underneath the ply. As far as my pals house in concerned we are going to lay directly over concrete. as mentioned earlier refer to Sika website where they have in detail. They also have special underlays with slots cut for applying glue. This is also a good method for installing & noise proof. Have you purchased your material?? If not decide how you want to install & work from there. As I had mentioned earlier all the stuffs are available locally including the flooring at the same price as in UK. I found Sika were very helpful in answering my questions & as far as bamboo in concerned they recommend you to prime the floor using a Sika primer & glue directly on the concrete. Hope this helps. any more queries pls post or pm.

Thanks a million Sammya, I really appreciate your help.

if you ever need/want to change the floor in the future i wouldnt fancy trying to scrape that sika stuff off of the floor