Basis of Financial Statement Presentation (Policies)	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2016
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation The accompanying Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of Lydall, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All financial information is unaudited for the interim periods reported. All significant intercompany transactions have been eliminated in the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). The operating results of Texel have been included in the Consolidated Statements of Operations beginning on the date of the acquisition, July 7, 2016, through September 30, 2016. As part of the acquisition of Texel, the Company acquired a fifty percent interest in a joint venture, Afitex Texel Geosynthetiques Inc., which is accounted for under the equity method of accounting. The operating results of the Life Sciences Vital Fluids business have been included in the Consolidated Statement of Operations through the date of disposition, January 30, 2015. The year-end Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet was derived from the December 31, 2015 audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Management believes that all adjustments, which include only normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair statement of the Company’s condensed consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods reported, have been included. For further information, refer to the audited consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	Recent Accounting Pronouncements In June 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-12, “Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Accounting for Share-Based Payments When the Terms of an Award Provide That a Performance Target Could be Achieved after the Requisite Service Period". This ASU affects entities that grant their employees share-based payments in which terms of the award provide that a performance target that affects vesting could be achieved after the requisite service period. The amendments in this ASU require that a performance target that affects vesting and that could be achieved after the requisite service period be treated as a performance condition. This ASU was effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015. The adoption of this ASU did not have any impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements and disclosures. In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-15, “Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity's Ability to Continue as a Going Concern” (Subtopic 205-40). This ASU establishes specific guidance to an organization's management on their responsibility to evaluate whether there is substantial doubt about the organization's ability to continue as a going concern. This ASU is effective in the first annual period ending after December 15, 2016, and subsequent interim periods. This ASU is not expected to have an impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and disclosures. In November 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-17, "Income Taxes (Topic 740): Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes". This ASU requires an entity to classify all deferred tax assets and liabilities, along with any related valuation allowance, as noncurrent on the balance sheet. The current requirement that deferred tax liabilities and assets of a tax-paying component of an entity be offset and presented as a single amount is not affected by the amendments in this ASU. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted this standard prospectively during the quarter ended March 31, 2016. The adoption of this standard resulted in the reclassification of $4.6 million from current deferred income tax assets in the Consolidated Balance Sheet as of March 31, 2016 to noncurrent deferred income tax assets. Prior periods were not retrospectively adjusted. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, "Leases (Topic 842)". This ASU requires entities that lease assets with lease terms of more than 12 months to recognize right-of-use assets and lease liabilities created by those leases on their balance sheets. The ASU will also require new qualitative and quantitative disclosures to help investors and other financial statement users better understand the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the method and impact the adoption of ASU 2016-02 will have on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and disclosures. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, "Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting". This ASU simplifies several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, classification on the statement of cash flows, and accounting for forfeitures. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted this accounting standard update in the first quarter of 2016, effective January 1, 2016. As a result of the adoption of this ASU, the Company recognized excess tax benefits from stock award exercises and vesting as a discrete tax benefit of $0.3 million during the first quarter ended March 31, 2016. In addition, as a result of this change, excess tax benefits were excluded from the calculation of assumed proceeds in the Company’s calculation of diluted weighted shares. The Company applied these changes prospectively, and therefore prior periods have not been adjusted. As permitted by this ASU, the Company has made an accounting policy election to record forfeitures as they occur rather than estimating expected forfeitures and, as a result, the cumulative effect of this change in accounting principle of $0.1 million was recorded as an adjustment to retained earnings as of January 1, 2016. The ASU permits equity classification of awards for tax withholding up to the maximum individual tax rate in a given jurisdiction for the net settlement of an award. The Company is currently evaluating its policy on tax withholding for award net settlement. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-10, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing", which reduces the complexity when applying the guidance for identifying performance obligations and improves the operability and understandability of the license implementation guidance. In May 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-12, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients", which amends the guidance on transition, collectability, non-cash consideration and the presentation of sales and other similar taxes. The effective date for this ASU is the same as the effective date for ASU 2014-09, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)". In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date", which deferred the effective date of ASU 2014-09 to fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim reporting periods within that reporting period. Early adoption is permitted for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016. The Company is currently evaluating the method and impact the adoption of these ASUs will have on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and disclosures. In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, "Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Statements", which requires entities to measure all expected credit losses for financial assets held at the reporting date based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. Entities will now use forward-looking information to better form their credit loss estimates. The ASU also requires enhanced disclosures to help financial statement users better understand significant estimates and judgments used in estimating credit losses. The broad scope of this ASU includes trade receivables. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted beginning after December 15, 2018. The Company is currently evaluating the method and impact the adoption of ASU 2016-13 will have on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and disclosures. In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, "Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments", which provides guidance on eight specific cash flow classification issues. Current GAAP does not include specific guidance on these eight cash flow classification issues. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact the adoption of ASU 2016-15 will have on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and disclosures.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-12, “Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Accounting for Share-Based Payments When the Terms of an Award Provide That a Performance Target Could be Achieved after the Requisite Service Period". This ASU affects entities that grant their employees share-based payments in which terms of the award provide that a performance target that affects vesting could be achieved after the requisite service period. The amendments in this ASU require that a performance target that affects vesting and that could be achieved after the requisite service period be treated as a performance condition. This ASU was effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015. The adoption of this ASU did not have any impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements and disclosures.

In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-15, “Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity's Ability to Continue as a Going

Concern” (Subtopic 205-40). This ASU establishes specific guidance to an organization's management on their responsibility to evaluate whether there is substantial doubt about the organization's ability to continue as a going concern. This ASU is effective in the first annual period ending after December 15, 2016, and subsequent interim periods. This ASU is not expected to have an impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and disclosures.

In November 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-17, "Income Taxes (Topic 740): Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes". This ASU requires an entity to classify all deferred tax assets and liabilities, along with any related valuation allowance, as noncurrent on the balance sheet. The current requirement that deferred tax liabilities and assets of a tax-paying component of an entity be offset and presented as a single amount is not affected by the amendments in this ASU. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted this standard prospectively during the quarter ended March 31, 2016. The adoption of this standard resulted in the reclassification of $4.6 million from current deferred income tax assets in the Consolidated Balance Sheet as of March 31, 2016 to noncurrent deferred income tax assets. Prior periods were not retrospectively adjusted.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, "Leases (Topic 842)". This ASU requires entities that lease assets with lease terms of more than 12 months to recognize right-of-use assets and lease liabilities created by those leases on their balance sheets. The ASU will also require new qualitative and quantitative disclosures to help investors and other financial statement users better understand the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the method and impact the adoption of ASU 2016-02 will have on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and disclosures.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, "Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting". This ASU simplifies several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, classification on the statement of cash flows, and accounting for forfeitures. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted this accounting standard update in the first quarter of 2016, effective January 1, 2016. As a result of the adoption of this ASU, the Company recognized excess tax benefits from stock award exercises and vesting as a discrete tax benefit of $0.3 million during the first quarter ended March 31, 2016. In addition, as a result of this change, excess tax benefits were excluded from the calculation of assumed proceeds in the Company’s calculation of diluted weighted shares. The Company applied these changes prospectively, and therefore prior periods have not been adjusted. As permitted by this ASU, the Company has made an accounting policy election to record forfeitures as they occur rather than estimating expected forfeitures and, as a result, the cumulative effect of this change in accounting principle of $0.1 million was recorded as an adjustment to retained earnings as of January 1, 2016. The ASU permits equity classification of awards for tax withholding up to the maximum individual tax rate in a given jurisdiction for the net settlement of an award. The Company is currently evaluating its policy on tax withholding for award net settlement.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-10, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing", which reduces the complexity when applying the guidance for identifying performance obligations and improves the operability and understandability of the license implementation guidance. In May 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-12, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients", which amends the guidance on transition, collectability, non-cash consideration and the presentation of sales and other similar taxes. The effective date for this ASU is the same as the effective date for ASU 2014-09, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)". In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date", which deferred the effective date of ASU 2014-09 to fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim reporting periods within that reporting period. Early adoption is permitted for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016. The Company is currently evaluating the method and impact the adoption of these ASUs will have on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and disclosures.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, "Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Statements", which requires entities to measure all expected credit losses for financial assets held at the reporting date based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. Entities will now use forward-looking information to better form their credit loss estimates. The ASU also requires enhanced disclosures to help financial statement users better understand significant estimates and judgments used in estimating credit losses. The broad scope of this ASU includes trade receivables. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted beginning after December 15, 2018. The Company is currently evaluating the method and impact the adoption of ASU 2016-13 will have on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and disclosures.

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, "Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments", which provides guidance on eight specific cash flow classification issues. Current GAAP does not include specific guidance on these eight cash flow classification issues. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact the adoption of ASU 2016-15 will have on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and disclosures.