By Kelly Kennedy National sales manager, MP Global Products
Quality underlayment is an effective upsell in residential floor installations, a win-win for customers and installers alike. Indeed, the right underlayment provides many benefits.

Build value into your sales from the start and present the upgraded underlayment as part of a high performing assembled floor system. Introduce the distinguishing characteristics up front and make them a key part of the pitch. Prioritize talking points according to customer interest.

In order to justify the higher price, you may need to explain how underlayment works and how a particular upgrade may deal with moisture from below and above better than typical basic underlayment over time. Also, explain how different materials and manufacturing processes can thwart various potential problems.

For example, if you are selling underlayment engineered to have exceptional sound-insulating qualities to a developer of multi-family housing, remind the property owner that residents of even moderately priced units expect that sound abatement performance is better than minimum code requirements.

While an Impact Insulation Class (IIC) rating of 50 is high enough to satisfy the Uniform Building Code for sound traveling from one living area to another, at that level residents likely would still hear footfall noise. Using an underlayment with exceptional sound insulating qualities that earns a score of 56 or 57 can minimize risk of complaints about footsteps overhead.

Other possible selling points:

• The underlayment may be thick enough to help easily smooth out imperfections in substrates before installation of a hard-surface.

• The product may have a high enough R-value (e.g. .50 or higher) to add a true thermal “break” to the flooring assembly, helping keep the home warmer in winter and cooler in summer.

• If the installation is part of a green project, suggest an underlayment that has environmentally friendly properties and can contribute to credits for LEED certification. Some underlayments are engineered specifically as eco-friendly—made of 100% or close to 100% recycled materials—and are sometimes third-party certified to meet a recognized green standard, such as Indoor Advantage Gold.

If the underlayment has a quality that adds value to the flooring system, flaunt it.