Floor Prep & Underlayment: Producers continue to innovate and broaden portfolios toward a one-stop-shop model – January 2025

By Darius Helm

Over the last couple of decades, many of the specialists in the arena of floor prep, underlayment and pad have become generalists, expanding their offerings into each other’s domains, often through strategic acquisitions, as they seek to diversify their offering-and relying on their reputations from their specialties to gain support for their broader offerings.

In this increasingly competitive environment, producers have had to step up their game, driving them to develop targeted innovations as solutions to recent developments in the market and their impacts on projects and jobsites. For instance, budget and schedule pressures lead to uncured substrates, moisture problems and other inadequate conditions, so floor prep producers have had to come up with fast-drying self-leveling compounds and better moisture mitigation technologies. And trends toward hard surface flooring in general, and thin rigid-core products in particular, have generated a range of acoustical issues, both within a space and between floors, leading underlayment producers to develop a range of materials and compositions for acoustical abatement that can compete on price with the entry-level products coming out of Asia.

At the same time, interest rates and inflation have not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels, so the market is underperforming, though signs point to improvements over the course of this year.

According to Marlene Morin, senior director of floorcovering for Sika, “While residential remodel/replacement has been soft for some time, we have experienced a boon through the sale of our adhesives, tile setting materials, and subfloor surface prep products in the builder market and through the commercial construction backlog experienced by the industry as a whole, including our commercial distributor and contractor partners.” Morin anticipates a strengthening in the residential remodel market this year, possibly not until the second half.

Following a couple of slow years, Deanna Summers, MP Global’s senior marketing and business development manager, is expecting “that retail in general will bounce back, and our products will be used in many environments again.” And Chris Palmer, vice president of sales for Leggett & Platt Flooring Products, adds, “Multifamily was down last year after several strong years of growth. Hopefully, it will begin to rebound soon.”

Ken Mitchell, UTT’s business development director, notes that, following a peculiar year that saw sporadic spikes in demand, the last quarter saw some growth in the hospitality market on the soft surface side (which is where UTT is largely focused). He says, “It seems that carpet and hard surface swing on a little bit of a pendulum, and the carpet side appears to growing.”

Many floor prep and underlayment producers note that customers are being extra careful with spending. Summers says, “The jobs that are happening are price conscious. Upgrading to something a bit more substantial gets cut out of the budget quickly.”

And Brian Culley, director of sales and marketing for Foam Products, notes, “I see the market bifurcating into two separate markets, one driven by cost and one driven by performance. The cost-driven market is the prominent player at this time.” Laticrete’s team concurs, adding, “The competitive landscape has intensified due to reduced project opportunities, leading to increased price sensitivity and a shift towards more economical product offerings.”

Commercial business is comparatively healthy. According to Laticrete, “Commercial and industrial segments have shown resilience, with strong performance in sectors such as healthcare, education, office, hospitality, and sports and recreation. These segments have been key drivers of growth for business.”

UNDERLAYMENT AND PAD UPDATE
It’s been a busy year for Calhoun, Georgia-based Foam Products, a manufacturer of custom polyurethane, latex, synthetic latex and IXPE foams. Its branded underlayment, The Silencer, goes to the residential market both through regional distribution and direct to home centers.

In late September of last year, Foam Products’ Erwin, Tennessee production facility was hit hard by Hurricane Helene; the floodwaters took it offline. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but the physical damage forced a shift in production to other facilities.

On the positive side, the firm just opened its new IXPE foam production facility in Trion, Georgia. The $15 million investment targets domestic hard surface producers that use attached pad. “Those companies can now receive product in days instead of months,” says Culley. “They no longer have to deal with importing product logistics, port issues, or the costs/tariffs incurred to bring product in from Asia.”

The firm, which does the majority of its business in the residential market, serves both the cost- and performance-driven sides of the market, with its IXPE for a low-cost domestic source and its polyurethanes for performance. For its polyurethanes, the firm relies on plant-based polyols. It also uses recycled ground tire rubber, on average preventing over 6,000,000 pounds of tire going into landfills annually, according to Culley.

One of the most distinctive producers in the underlayment arena is MP Global, notable for its heavy use of recycled materials, including fiber from recycled and repurposed textile scraps. “We inject about 30 to 50 tons of recycled material into our process daily,” says Summers, noting that the firm uses a patented process for creating its products out of the recycled materials. According to Summers, the process creates “high-performing underlay products that are super functional for noise reduction, moisture protection and comfort performance under the flooring.” Most prominent in the market are the firm’s QuietWalk rolled goods.

While MP Global started out focused on products for carpet, hard surface underlayments now make up an estimated 95% of revenues, using thinner and denser constructions to support these materials. The firm does most of its business on the residential side of the market, and its products are particularly sought out in the multifamily market where sound control is paramount. She adds, “The power is in the fibrous material we choose to use and manufacture with, creating a cost-effective upgrade option to noise reduction.”

Summers notes that the products also offer effective moisture control. “We don’t just cover up vapor emissions over concrete,” she says. “We actually manage the moisture in a way that over time protects the floor from harmful damage.”

A couple of years ago, MP Global introduced a new hard surface underlayment, QuietBoard, designed to use under rigid core products to increase their height for transitions, obviating the need for materials like plywood. It comes in boards as opposed to the firm’s typical rolled formats. It’s almost entirely made from recycled materials, and it offers sound and moisture control.

Leggett & Platt’s Flooring Products division, based in Fort Worth, Texas, has been focusing on high-visibility partnerships in recent years. The firm, which focuses on the residential market with a wide array of carpet cushion options and hard surface underlayments for all types of flooring, including porcelain tile, was launched in late 2023 with Scotchgard Guardian, a mid-priced alternative to its hugely successful WhisperStep product, which Palmer says is “the most innovative product we’ve ever produced.” And last September, the firm announced a partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, donating $0.01 per square foot of Make-A-Wish branded carpet cushion and underlayment products: Passion, made with Duraplush densified urethane; Inspire, constructed of high performance memory and conventional foam; Desire, which offers comfortable support in the more traditional configuration of rebond foam; and Strength, an underlayment designed to support hard surface flooring.

In addition to serving the retail, builder, multifamily and mainstreet commercial markets, the firm also offers its Tred-Mor brand for commercial applications. The full line covers carpet cushion, including for double-glue and stretch-in installations, and hard surface underlayments.

According to Palmer, “Our manufacturing footprint also gives us a national coverage and, with our own fleet of trucks, enables best in class service.” He adds, “We manufacture every type of carpet cushion, and this is important so as to help differentiate our customers from their competitors.”

Palziv North America, headquartered in Louisburg, North Carolina, serves the domestic market with a range of underlayments and attached pad through its Palziv Underlayments business. The firm’s parent company, Palziv Group, was formed in Israel 50 years ago. Palziv NA makes all of the products it sells in North America at its Louisburg facility. Beyond flooring, the firm supplies foam for recreational floats, gym mats, packaging and more. It recently developed a line of shock pads, called Shock Pal, for artificial turf applications.

The firm’s premium residential carpet cushion, under the HQ Living brand, is made of polyethylene, is free of Prop 65 chemicals and is hypo-allergenic, according to the firm. Its unique construction includes air channels that allow moisture to escape, keeping subfloors dry. And its waterproof Tuff Layer underlayments for wood, vinyl and laminate flooring, made of cross-linked polyethylene, feature a patented 6 mil vapor barrier, eliminating the need for an additional vapor barrier when installing over concrete slab. Palziv’s underlayments are also sold through Home Depot under the Eco Cork Foam brand and are private-labeled to Lowe’s under its Stainmaster brand. All of its underlayments are infused with antimicrobial treatments.

New this year to the HQ Living brand is commercial carpet cushion-available next month-with enhanced durability to meet the high-performance needs in the commercial market. The brand is also introducing a new line of rug pads that are waterproof and anti-skid with added comfort underfoot.

To accommodate continued growth, including from inroads into the commercial market this year and a focus on bolstering its distribution business, the firm recently added to its team, including Pamela Coleman as customer service manager and Dennis Layne as director of sales.

Universal Textile Technologies (UTT) has been a prominent player in polyurethane attached backings and cushion for carpet as well as artificial turf, under the BioCel and EnviroCel brands. Key markets for the commercially focused firm include hospitality and senior living, and it also has a strong position in trade show and marine applications. BioCel is the firm’s higher-traffic, higher-performance brand, with a moisture barrier, and EnviroCel is designed more for medium traffic with moisture resistance-multifamily, for instance, is a strong market for EnviroCel products.

The firm uses recycled materials and bio-based urethanes to offer over 60% recycled and renewable content in its backings, and while the firm does a small volume in the residential market, its high-performance products are generally steered toward high-traffic applications. It is currently working on new products for commercial applications where roller mobility is a key factor.

FLOOR PREP, GROUT, ADHESIVE UPDATE
Schönox, a German firm, serves the U.S. market through Florence, Alabama-based Schönox HPS North America, offering a wide range of floor prep materials-moisture mitigation products, self-leveling compounds, patching compounds, adhesives and more-with most of its business in the commercial market.

“We serve all project segments, from the most extreme to everyday challenges,” says Shane Jenkins, director of technical training and development. “We equip flooring pros with the ability to do things they have never done. We provide subfloor material that allows the flooring professional the ability to renovate rather than demolish subfloors, projects with the Need for Speed, control moisture, providing for a smooth, sound, and level substrate.” Need for Speed is a set of products and strategies Schönox offers to help contractors meet tight deadlines.

Jenkins reports that business was up across the board last year. For 2025, more commercial growth is anticipated, with multifamily likely remaining steady and residential housing posting healthy growth.
One notable new product is Schönox MBL (moisture-blocking leveler), a two-part leveling compound for use over concrete substrates to control moisture before flooring installation-a moisture mitigation system and subfloor leveler in one step.

Sika, a Swiss specialty chemicals firm with U.S. headquarters in Lyndhurst, New Jersey, offers a portfolio spanning both the residential and commercial markets with subfloor prep materials, moisture mitigation, hard surface adhesives and tile-setting materials. “Key markets for our products include residential remodel, single-family builder, multifamily and all segments of the commercial market, such as mainstreet, hospitality, healthcare, corporate, education and retail,” says Morin. “Our core business over time has been on the residential side, but our commercial business continues to grow exponentially.”

New to the lineup is Sika MB EZ Rapid, a single-component, roll-on moisture membrane designed to mitigate vapor transmission on porous subfloors for commercial and residential installations of all hard and soft surface flooring applications. It’s a fast-drying (one hour) polyurethane resin reactive primer that can be used over plywood (replacing tar paper), concrete, gypsum and old cutback adhesive, and also to prime gypsum-based underlayments and patches prior to the application of flooring adhesives, and it mitigates moisture issues originating from below the membrane, allowing for moisture emission limitations of up to 98% relative humidity.

Noting that the residential market has traditionally been Sika’s main market, Morin adds, “However, the commercial market remains a key area of growth for us. Some of our largest distribution partners specialize in the commercial market segment, and this has allowed us to enjoy larger success in recent years.”

The creation of the industry’s first polymer-fortified thinset adhesive in 1956 launched Laticrete, first incorporated in New Haven, Connecticut and now headquartered in nearby Bethany. Over the decades, the firm has expanded hugely both within and beyond the tile and stone arena, and it now offers a comprehensive range of flooring-related products that serve all major market segments, including commercial, industrial, and residential applications.

A couple of years ago, the family-owned firm introduced NXT Level Plus Lite, a cement-based lightweight self-leveling underlayment for substrates ranging from OSB to gypsum and concrete. According to the firm, “In renovation projects, it’s not uncommon to encounter situations where the floor substrate needs to be repaired and leveled, but weight restrictions come into play. That’s where NXT Level Plus Lite comes in. Designed specifically to address these challenges, it provides a lightweight, innovative option for multiple substrates that expands the possibilities for such projects.” And last year, the firm introduced Primer Plus, a multi-purpose primer that enhances bond strength of self-levels or peel-and-stick membranes on multiple substrates.

On the residential side, Laticrete has expanded its AnyColor program of customized grout colors, which dovetails with its Latisil silicone sealant color-matching program and color-matched MVIS pointing mortar.

Copyright 2025 Floor Focus 

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