Green Shoots Blog
This all-in-one underlayment is designed for moisture and vapor protection for all subfloors and floor types. The do-it-all, non-toxic sheet also achieves better overall noise reduction. Cali Complete thermal insulation makes floors warmer and more comfortable. Interlocking edges and a fan-fold design mean simple installations for homeowners and pros alike. And as an added plus for the planet, Cali Complete is 100% recyclable. Pair with Metallized Seaming Tape to ensure a full moisture barrier, even over concrete.
1.5mm | 100sqft/box Request a Sample
FEATURES
MOISTURE & VAPOR BARRIER
Complete subfloor moisture and vapor protection for all floor types.
QUIET STEP
Complete noise reduction in room and impact sound insulation.
THERMAL COMFORT
Complete thermal insulation makes floors warmer and more comfortable.
EASY DIY INSTALL
Complete fan fold design and interlocking edges make install simple for the homeowner and pro.
PERFORMANCE
TEST
- IIC
- STC
- DELTA
- R-Value
- Transmission
- Moisture Content Values
BAMBOO/EUCALYPTUS
- 67/65
- 63/62
- X
- 6.6/inch
- 0.00/24h1000sf
- 12lbs/24h/1000sf or 12% MC
CORK
- 68
- 62
- X
- 6.6/inch
- 0.00/24h/1000sf
- 12lbs/24h/1000sf or 12% MC
VINYL
- 72
- 66
- 22
- 6.6/inch
- 0.00/24h/1000sf
- 12lbs/24h/1000sf or 12% MC
Test performed on 6″ slab with drop ceiling.
STC/IIC testing performed for Cali Complete + Vinyl flooring on a plain slab yielded IIC 54; STC50.
Can I use my Roomba to “vacuum” Cali Vinyl Plus?
Can I use a regular upright vacuum cleaner?
The roomba is fine, and the upright is ok only if you can turn off the beater bar.
We will be flooring a first floor concrete slab house in New Mexico’s Chihuahuan Desert where today the humidity is 7% . Humidity can be as high as 70% for a few weeks during monsoon season temperatures swing from 29 f to 110 f on both extremes with the hotter days being either dry or humid and cooler days being mostly dry. We like bamboo or eucalyptus wide click for bedrooms and hallway. The house currently has Saltillo tile and some porcelain tile in the bathrooms. We know one person so far in the area who has had bamboo in his house for about 5 years and he loves it but he does not know the details and he bought it from LL for about $2.50/sf.
Do you recommend bamboo or eucalyptus for desert climate? Or do you have a better suggestion for our situation?
That’s one extreme climate. Solid flooring is interesting, it can be fine, or it can go south(no punn intended). 2 weeks or more acclimation time and proper expansion gaps during installation help tip the scale in your favor. The less risky option would be Engineered Bamboo which tends to care less where it’s installed, and an even better option is GeoWood flooring, it’s amazingly stable. The only downside is limited color options in both lines. Either way you go, you sould definately seal the slab with Titebond 531+ or if you float the floor, use Cali Complete underlayment with the metallic seal tape.
Hi guys. Have a quick question. We had a leak that flooded part of the current floor. We need to replace pretty much the entire floor. The first level currently has engineered hardwood glued over concrete. We do not have a basement. The second level currently has carpet. We are looking at Cali Solid Bamboo Vintage Java Click Lock. We are in the metro Washington DC area with cold winters as of lately and humid hot summers. Questions:
1. Would Cali Solid Bamboo Vintage Java Click Lock work over the concrete base? Our preference is NOT to glue it or nail it (2nd floor plywood). The guy at Lowes said that the only option over concrete and without glueing is Click Lock. So from the color options, we liked the Vintage Java. Would T&G also work in that case?
2. For the first floor after taking off the old glued engineered floor and cleaning up, do we need to perform any other tasks before putting the underlayment?
3. What kind of underlayment do you recommend for the first floor (concrete) and second floor (plywood)? Metalized seal tape on 1st and 2nd? Read somewhere that sealing might trap the moisture under the underlayment and might build a mold and damage the underfloor.
Thank a lot!
Peshko
Hi Peshko,
Hands down I’d go with Jasperwood from our GeoWood collection. It’s click-lock and nearly identical to Vintage java in color, but the stone composite core will resist expansion and contraction better with your area’s temp/humidity extremes. I would use our Cali Complete underlayment, just make sure to use the seal tape over the concrete only, no tape needed over the plywood.
Walker
Walker, thank you very much for your fast response! Highly appreciate it!
Boy you just crashed my wife’s dreams 🙂 She did some serious reading on the bamboo flooring…
How would you compare the durability of the GeoWood to that of the solid bamboo?
Thanks again, Walker!
Peshko
Well technically it is still the same super-dense, super-durable Fossilized® bamboo flooring material, it also has the same 10-coat aluminum oxide scratch resistant finish, it’s just got the limestone composite core making it more moisture resistant. Think RoboCop, but flooring 😉 Have your rep send you a free sample, once your wife feels the weight and the quality, she’ll be onboard. Plus, I think it even costs less, what’s not to love?
Once we open the Pandora box with questions we can’t close it;-)
One question my wife has is how to repair a bad dent or any kind of freaky accidents also known as life.
And second, with this specific flooring do we need to useTitebond® 531?
No problem, we have color-matched repair kits for each floor that includes a putty stick for deep gouges and a scratch repair marker for quick fixes.
Hello, we just had plumbers fill a 20′ wide, 7 foot long, 12-20″ deep trench from a half bath through the entryway and are replacing the flooring there with Cali Bamboo Vinyl. How long do you recommend waiting for the concrete to cure? I was going to use the Cali Complete underlayment as well because we are replacing floors in three simultaneous rooms that currently have tile, carpet and laminate and I thought that would lead to a more even floor. I also hate any hollowness associated with hollow floors. Does this sound like a good plan?
Hi Erica,
We recommend waiting for 60 days for a slab to thoroughly dry before installing flooring over top. If you don’t like the hollow feeling of floated floors, I would seal the slab with Titebond 531+ and then glue-down the flooring with Titebond 821, assuming you have T&G milled flooring. You can still glue down with click-lock, but it’s trickier.
We are mid way in the installing process and I noticed a difference in feel under my feet when walking on the first floor which is a recently re leveled concrete subfloor and the second floor which is wood. The concrete floor is not smooth, but is level!
The Cali Pro over the wood subfloor is wonderful! Love it!
The Cali Pro over the recently leveled concrete subflooring just isn’t “right”. Some planks seem to go down the slightest bit when walked upon and have a much different sound. Sounds like its going to crack, but I’m doubting this to happen. Some seem to be firm on the concrete while others are “floating”.
Would any of underlays help with this situation? We want low to no VOC.
Hi Kelly,
The Cali Complete underlayment is the best product we offer to alleviate minor subfloors imperfections (roughness) over concrete. If some planks feel like they are floating while others feel solid, the subfloor must be somewhat unlevel. The crackling sound you’re hearing is the click mechanism flexing but it will not break, and the sound will slowly diminish and be unnoticeable in about 3 months. The floor after a few months of use may settle into its new home and feel more solid. If the hollow feeling persists and is just too disappointing, you could re-level the subfloor or simply glue down to the concrete and remove the underlayment. Keep in mind if the floated floor over the wood and the glued down floor over the concrete touch, you’ll need to have a 1/2″ expansion gap between them and conceal it with a t-molding. Personally, I would give it a few months and re-evaluate it. Hope you are taking lots of pictures to share with us!
Congrats on your new floors!
I am putting down the Solid Bamboo in my bathroom. It is a small 60″ x 54″ room. Should I float or glue down the floor. I am worried that floating the floor in such a small space it might slide a bit on the concrete subfloor. Should I be concerned? If gluing what glue should I use over the titebond 531 moisture barrier? Would it be better to use the Cali Complete™ All-in-One Underlayment? I just poured the leveling cement today, do I need to wait 60 days? 1st time floor install for me. Any suggestions for best outcome would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Joe
Hi Joe,
No, 60 days is for freshly poured slabs, self-leveler cures after 24 to 48 hours. If you have click-lock milled planks, I would float it, should you have a toilet overflow, a floated floor could be lifted and salvaged pretty easily, while a glued-down floor you’d just have to cross your fingers and wait and see.
I just recently nailed down the calli java floor and love it so much we are going to put it in an adjoining bedroom, if I want to just float the floor useing the new underlayment will it bring the floor higher to the nailed down floor?
I used just a thin white roll that lowels sold to me for the nail down.
Thanks you and love the floor
Hi Kris,
You’ll need to have a 1/2″ expansion gap between the nailed down and floated flooring which can be concealed with a T-Molding. Floated floors need to be able to freely expand and contract with seasonal changes and can’t be butted up against any fixed objects like walls, columns cabinets and in your case, nailed down flooring.
We just purchased Cali vinyl pro and have a concrete sub floor what type of underlayment would be suffient?
For concrete subfloors we recommend using a moisture barrier, not to be confused with a vapor barrier, the latter being less effective. Some underlayments such as Cali Complete when used with the metallic tape are also moisture barriers. Titebond 531+ is a moisture barrier that you roll on like paint, it’ll give you the moisture protection you need but doesn’t offer any insulation or comforft benefits.
Our contractor is going to float T&G Antique Java instead of glue down which was originally planned. Do the joints have to be glued?
We installed Pergo click in our bedroom and it was not glued.
Hi Jim,
Yes, if you are floating T&G milled flooring, you’ll want to glue the planks using Tongue & Groove glue and give it a day to dry before walking on or moving furniture back on it.
How soon will Lowes have your GeoWood samples and product for puchase? Need to replace main floor (over 1200 sq ft) after plumbing leak. Water was rerouted from foundation to space between ceiling and second floor. Reclamation came in and dried up floors. The wet area was not large or severe. We had home built in 1999 and have never had any kind of issue or cracks in walls. Live in San Antonio, Texas so we have heat and humidity. We have a new Lennox AC and it keeps humidity betweeb 30 and 45 %, depending on thermostat setting. Currently we are setting at 72. In summer, it’s usually set at 75 or higher, depending on outside temp and humidity. Is that ok for GeoWood in our area? I wouldn’t want buckling. Regarding the underlayment, I’ve heard from several installers that a floating floor with a moisture barrier can hide a water leak and create possible mold issues, where a glue down floor will expose a water leak sooner and can be repaired sooner. What are your thoughts on that?
Hi Diana,
We hope to have GeoWood available in April. While your statement sounds logical, a moisture leak is always a bad thing, and generally leads to flooring replacement and mold remediation steps regardless of installation method.
I’m currently in a condo and want to lay Cali Bamboo flooring over the carpet. The management company has approved it. Is it possible to install the flooring and under layment over carpet?
We do not recommend laying flooring over carpet. The added give will put stress on the click mechanism and it could break.
Hello, we have purchased Cali bamboo antique Java hardwood to install in our kitchen and dining room. We plan on nailing down the boards and have some conflicting advice on underlayment. Should we purchase underlayment for insulation and noise barrier benefits? Some websites have stated that it could cause problems in the future. Your input is greatly appreciated. Thank you
Hi Robert,
If you’re nailing down, we typically do not recommend using underlayments, as it eliminates all benefits aside from slight noise reduction and thermal insulation. If these are two benefits you are after then it won’t hurt anything. Underlayments are typically used to either add comfort or to guard against moisture two things that nailing a floor down negate.
I am looking at purchasing the Cali Bamboo for my flooring in a new condo and the management company needs to know the IIC for just the underlay I am using. The IIC ratings I see on your website is for the total floor solution including the bamboo floor and the cement. I am not sure which underlay I will pick yet so can you give me the IIC for all three types of underlay. ex cork, complet or felt.
Hi Cathy,
It is my understanding that since underlayment is only found in conjunction with a flooring material, it is always tested with a flooring material and never by itself. Most underlayment manufacturers, however, do not specify or give details about what flooring material has been utilized for testing purposes. Here’s the sound rating breakdown (higher numbers are better and most building codes require at least 50):
Cork ICC = 58
Felt ICC = 67
CaliComplete ICC = 63
I have a wooden subfloor over a crawlspace. I will be floating the Cali Vinyl Plus over the Cali Complete. Is there a reason to NOT tape the seams of the Cali Complete? I noticed an earlier answer dated June 7, 2017, “…if you do use Cali Complete, don’t tape the seams, the tape is only for concrete subfloors.” Thank you for any clarification you can provide on this.
Hi Sean,
In humid environments, taping the seams can actually trap moisture under the underlayment and cause damage to wood subfloors.
Planning to install Cali Bamboo Java Standard T&G over a plywood subfloor on the second floor in a 3.5’x20′ hall and on a 8’x8′ stair landing. I saw your comment about not being able to use underlayment when nailing or gluing. Why is underlayment not an option when nailing? Also, I am planning a nail-down installation due to the narrow hall. Two questions – Do I really need 1/2″ gap at walls when nailing? I don’t understand how the floor can move that much when nailed. It seems that if it expanded and contracted that much the nails would work out of the subfloor. The house is in Florida but is seldom without air conditioning; the humidity is generally in the 60% range.
Hi Al,
While you could put an underlayment under a nail-down you won’t get most of the benefits the underlayment provides other than added thermal and sound insulation. Yes, we play it safe here and just require 1/2″ across the boards. True, it applies more to floated floors but a little expansion space never hurts. Think of it as gapping or buckling insurance.
The space between the floors is not environmentally controlled but the areas above and below are, and I was looking for some noise insulation. If it is acceptable for use, just not needed, I think I will lay some Cali Complete.
Thanks.
Yep, it will give you thermal and sound insulation.
Hi. I recently purchased @ 400 sq ft of the eucalyptus flooring t&g (by accident, I wanted click/lock -another story) as well as the cali complete underlayment from Lowe’s. I have a unique isosceles trapezoid-shaped room that I built myself, with a 3/4″ plywood floor. The floor dimensions are roughly 22x22x22x10. My question is concerning the direction recommended to run the cali complete underlayment. I will start the first run by running the planks (perpendicular to the floor joists under the plywood), “parallel” to one of the two 22′ side walls. This will obviously require lots of mitered cuts along both walls. If you can imagine the degree to which both 22′ side walls curve in toward the shortest 10′ wall you can see that also running the underlayment “parallel” with both side walls would waste a tremendous amount of underlayment. Running the underlayment perpendicular under the planks and straight across the room from each of the 22′ sidewalls makes much more sense. And, the interlocking tab cutouts on the underlayment will match up perfectly, sealing the floor in every direction. Technically, I am not even required to use the extra barrier of underlayment as I already have an 8 mil vapor barrier under the floor on the ground as well as R-34 (R-15 rockwool/R19 fiberglass-formaldehyde-free) combo between floor joists. Given that, is there a specific reason that would preclude installing the underlayment as I want? Thank you.
Hi John,
It doesn’t really matter what direction you lay the Cali Complete. Lay it in the direction that makes most sense, hopefully, it’s the same direction that’s also the easiest and produces less waste.
How much does the Cali Complete underlayment cost per sq foot?
Hi Kim,
I believe it’s about $.60/sqft.
I”m sure price varies depending on locale, if you buy from Big Box or direct etc. But I had to answer since I just checked Lowes and their stupid website says $59.99 per square foot – so about $78,000 for my project! Maybe I should go with the regular Cali underlayment which is only $39.99 per square foot, costing me only $53,000!!! Clearly Lowes (as usual) has wrong information, but I had to post it in hopes that CaliB can finally get them to correct it.
I’m guessing since it comes in 100 ft roll it probably (at least locally here) would be $0.60 per square foot, and the 3mm one would be about $0.40 per square foot. Hope that helps.
The price is right, but it’s for each box not per sqft. I’ve notified the person that can update this, no wonder it hasn’t been flying off the shelves. Thanks for the heads up 😉
I am planning to put down a Cali Bamboo floating floor over a plywood subfloor (2nd floor of home). How would you compare the performance of the Cali Complete with the other option of combining the cork underlayment with the Silicon Vapor Shield? I noticed that the cork underlayment is a little thicker, but the Cali Complete appears to be easier to install.
Cali Complete is our newest and best performing underlayment option. We offer cork and recycled felt as a more eco-friendly option to Cali Complete. SVS is our lowest cost underlayment and offers only the most basic moisture protection.
We are planning to use Cali-Bamboo vinyl click planks on our first level which is a concrete floor.
I understand that using Cali-Complete underlayment would work as a moisture and for a quieter floor.
Do we need to put down any other type of moisture barrier under the Cali-Complete.
We live in the Seattle, WA area. Thanks for any advice you can think of.
Can Cali be installed above an existing wood deck and between a vinyl floor on top?
Not totally sure what you are asking Rick. Ben our installation expert will be emailing you to clarify.
Hi Rick,
What do you mean by an existing wood deck? If you are talking about an outdoor deck, the Cali Complete wood not be applicable as it is made for indoor use only. If you are referring to an indoor sub floor as a “deck” then yes this product works great over all plywood, OSB and original 1 x 6 sub flooring. For any sub floor prep please refer to the install guides on our website.
Hi, I’m considering Vinyl panels with the attached cork underlay for a second floor kitchen with plywood subfloor. Reducing the noise and impact factors are of great importance. Would also laying down Cali Complete under the 1.5mm-2mm integrated underlay of the vinyl give me significant additional noise reduction? Is in even advisable to use additional underlayment with panel’s built-in underlay?
Hi Pauline,
You are correct, the integrated cork underlayment on our vinyl plank flooring makes it a touch more comfortable and adds sound and thermal insulation. If you were to add Cali Complete, you would get even more comfort, sound and thermal insulation.
Hi Mr. Hicks,
We are preparing a 144sq ft outdoor building (restored garden shed into a home office/living space) with climate control, etc. It is a woodframe structure, wood floor joists elevated about 1 ft off of the ground on piers, with plywood over the joists.
Our intent is to install CaliComplete on the plywood, then install CalilBamboo floating click lock flooring.
In previous post you noted that taping the seams is not necessary unless installing over concrete. Did I read that correctly? In other words, I don’t have to tape the seams for my over-plywood install?
Also, will CaliComplete suffice as a vapor barrier (based on what I’ve read, it appears so)? We are in St Augustine, FL (NorthEastern FL south of Jacksonville).
Thanks very much for your guidance.
Tony and Cindy
You are correct. For above-grade installations over a plywood subfloor, you do not need to tape Cali Complete. The underlayment alone is sufficient moisture barrier.
How does Cali Complete compare to Pergo Gold for performance? E.g. Comfort, insulation, noise…
Hi Chris,
I tried comparing them side by side but had trouble finding specs on Pergo Gold (PG). I can tell you they cost about the same and both cover 100sqft, Cali Complete is warranted at 12lbs./12% moisture content and Pergo only covers 3lbs./4.5%. PG is thicker at 3mm than CC at 1.5mm but CC is denser and much heavier. We post our spec sheet on our website and our STC and IIC tests show results for all of our flooring types, Bamboo, Eucalyptus, Cork and Vinyl. If you can find the STC/IIC rating for PG, it doesn’t state what floor type was used in the testing. Let me know if you need any more info.
Best,
My house was built in 1989 and it came with the vinyl sheet floor in the kitchen. I have to assume it is not a linoleum. It is glued down to plywood underlayment. The vinyl floor is in great shape with no tears or bumps.
I would like to replace the floor with Cali Vinyl Gray Ash Plank Flooring and have few questions.
Can I install Cali Vinyl directly on top of the existing vinyl sheet?
If yes, do I need to put down Cali Complete underlayment? My main concern is the moisture build up and mode issues.
I understand that the safest thing to do is to remove the vinyl sheet and the attached underlayment but if your experience suggests that placing Gray Ash plank directly on the existing vinyl floor is perfectly acceptable and there are no warranty issues, please let me know.
Thank you!
John
Hi John,
As long as the existing flooring is level and extremely clean and dry, you can install right over it, no underlayment required. You’re right though, the correct thing to do is to remove it to eliminate all possibility of moisture getting trapped in there. I debated the exact same thing and ended up removing my linoleum but halfway through removal I completely regretted it since it was really difficult to pull up but now that it’s done I guess feel glad I took the time to do it, but if I had to do it again, I would probably just leave it. Sorry for the wishy-washy answer.
Hi Mr. Hicks,
Thank you for your quick response. I will most likely lay over it but wondering if I use Cali Complete underlayment, will I get added cushion/comfort and advantage over any moisture and vapor related issue or will it actually create any issues?
In short, is the cork backing is better in contact with Cali Complete underlayment or in direct contact with linoleum?
Thank you,
John
If you use Cali Complete, you will get a more comfortable floor. You will also get added moisture protection between the underlayment and the floor, but not between the linoleum and the underlayment. So really the only benefit would be comfort. Oh, and if you do use Cali Complete, don’t tape the seams, the tape is only for concrete subfloors.
We are thinking of putting Calibamboo in our kitchen when we remodel. It will go over plywood. We are thinking of using T & G bamboo. Would it be to our benetfit to use the underlay?
If you or your installer plans to nail-down or glue-down, underlayment is not an option. If you plan to float the floor, an underlayment can do several things for you:
• Adds comfort
• Adds thermal insulation
• Levels minor subfloor imperfections
• Added moisture protection
We offer 4 different underlayments, here they are in order of cost/performance:
Cali Complete (The Cadillac of underlayments, but not so eco-friendly, so I guess it’s the Hummer of underlayments)
Premium+ Cork (The Tesla of Underlayments, high performance and eco-friendly)
Eco-felt Underlayment (The Toyota Prius of Underlayments, good performance, eco-friendly just kinda funky looking)
Silicone Vapor Shield (Think Ford Fiesta, the basics at an attractive price)
Hope this helps, or at least makes you LOL.
Best,
Walker
Can I also get a copy of the results of VOC testing? In addition, I would like to check on the R value, as I was advised by a Cali product rep that it would work well on a cement slab that has hydroponic heat in it. I need to confirm before the installers order it. Thanks.
Yep, safe to use with radiant heat. I just emailed you the test results.
Walker
PLease send me a copy of the results of the VOC testing. Thank you.
Sent. Here’s a link to the test report.
Is the metal looking tape on the video included with the Cali Complete?
It is not, we sell the tape separately because it is not needed for plywood subfloors.
The Cali Complete Floor Underlayment sounds great!
But…I have searched high and low – where can I buy it and how much is it?
I don’t need a sample. I need 800+ sqft to put under Cali solid bamboo (click).
Thanks.
Hi Jaye,
We’re not selling it on the website yet, only samples. Call us or email [email protected] to talk to a sales rep that can place the order.
Best,
What is the Cali Complete™ Floor Underlayment made of?Did you do any VOC tests of it?
Thanks,
Sabrina
Sure do, I’ll send you the test results directly.
Best,
Howdy. I’m about to install a floating Catalina Fossilized T&G Engineered floor over a concrete-slab subfloor. [I’m up in the Oakland hills, so the temperature extremes aren’t huge, but the winters are pretty rainy.] The floor will float over a Cali-Complete underlayment. Do I still need Titebond 531+ under the underlayment, or is the Cali-Complete barrier enough? [And does Cali Bamboo sell the Titebond 531+?]
Thanks heaps,
David
Hi David,
The Cali Complete is all you need, but you must seal the seams with the metalized seal tape. Watch the Cali Complete installation video.
Good morning I am using the Cali complete and have watched the video multible time . I have concrete floors and will need to use metalized seal tape to join the pieces . I will also need to tape to the outside wall my question is will I need to tape to the interior walls as well ?
Hi Denise,
I’d play it safe and tape all walls. If you need an extra roll, reach out to your sales rep or contact our support team and they may be able to get you another.