Importance of carpet underlay

Laurence_WMF

I will be getting new carpets in preparation for letting my property, probably to young professional couple type of tenant.

Should I also replace the underlay? It's thirty years old, so past its best, but it's not causing any discomfort underfoot, and obviously it's not visible.

Thank you.

booksurr

the purpose of underlay is to prolong the life of the carpet by providing extra cushioning
if your new carpets are cheap cxxp as used by LL then new underlay won't make much difference.

theGrinch

in the old days, people stuff newspaper under the carpet. how many times have I lifted a carpet to get waylaid reading 1985 paper.

fairy_lights

Jeez, 30 years old? ! I didn't think carpet and underlay was even around back then, I thought people just threw a fresh layer of straw down every day.
Seriously though I would imagine the underlay must be pretty flattened by now and pretty filthy too, 30 years of food spills etc will have seeped down in to it. I'd definitely replace it.

-taff

Pull up bit of underlay. If there's owdery rubbish underneath, you'll need new. Plus, as has been said, it'll have 30 years of liquid spills [ of whatever kind....] on it.

G_M

Lift the carpet and take a look. My guess is you'll find it has pretty much deteriorated and crumbled and need replacing.

Consider the quality of new carpet you are putting down, and length of life you expect from it. If you expect to replace it again in 5 years or less, then use the existing underlay if it still has some life in it (!!??) or a cheap new one.

If you want the carpet to last, use a decent new underlay.

PixelPound

Underlay is supposed to be replaced every 10 years, though most people don't. Its designed to allow sideways movement as you walk in the carpet. Skimping can be a false economy, but it depends on what type of Tennant you want.

Old_Git

unless its an upstairs flat I would go for wooden floors .
Less hassle and more rent .

skintpaul

As a downstairs neighbour, i HATE wooden floors!

lurkylurky

I would replace the underlay.

When having our last carpet fitted we ordered Cloud 9 underlay online and fitted it ourselves the night before the carpet fitters were due. It was incredibly easy to do and we're not DIYers.

We used this company:
http://www.tradepriced.co.uk/cloud_9_carpet_underlay.html

Malmo

Second the Cloud 9 recommendation, specifically the Cumulus option.