Remember when you tried sneaking out of your home as a teenager? You’d carefully watch your step, knowing exactly which floorboards would alert your parents you weren’t sleeping.
Now as an adult, acoustics have taken on an entirely different meaning. Sure, the squeaky floorboard isn’t something you want in your home. You hate hearing the squeeaaakkkk as you step on it doing your daily chores. But there are other things that have you thinking about soundproofing.
Like the booming that comes from the home theater when your kids can’t get enough of their favorite shows, and all you want to do is read.
Or the noise from all around you in your home office. You just want to record a podcast, but the sound makes it impossible.
Sound familiar? Do you have a story? If soundproofing is top-of-mind, and you’ve been researching acoustics for a while, maybe it’s time to learn more about how to convert your flooring into something better.
Why Flooring Matters When Trying To Control Sound
What’s used more inside your home than any other material? Yep, it’s your flooring. You walk on it. You lie on it. Your kids play games and wrestle on it. You run down the stairs. Your pets gallop round and round. It’s a never-ending process only the toughest of flooring materials can take. Especially in high-traffic areas.
Your flooring is absolutely essential for sound absorption and reduction. Some materials have more sound-absorbing qualities, like carpeting. They help to minimize noise levels within a room and between floors.
Ever been near someone dropping something on tile floors? The noise filters throughout the room, everyone turning to look. Hard surfaces like tile, hardwood, and laminate can amplify impact noises such as footsteps, dropping objects, or furniture movement. Softer materials have the ability to significantly dampen these sounds. There are things you can do to help harder surfaces be quieter, but knowing this and keeping it in mind as you finalize your design plans can help you make better selections.
Some flooring types offer better acoustic insulation than others. This is where subflooring matters too. If you use the right underlayment materials, it can also add an extra layer of sound insulation, reducing the transmission of sound between floors.
It’s not just noise. Hard flooring surfaces can cause sound to bounce around, leading to echoes and increased reverberation. This can be particularly problematic in large or open spaces. Softer flooring materials can help absorb sound waves, reducing echo and creating a more acoustically pleasant environment. Flooring may be your starting point, but you can also turn to other soundproofing decor to help control the sound.
And with everything else in mind, you can also use the function of a room to dictate the best flooring choice for sound control. For example, in bedrooms and living areas where quiet is desired, carpeting can be ideal. In contrast, kitchens and bathrooms may require hard surfaces for durability, so additional sound control measures like rugs or acoustic underlayment might be necessary.
Two Types Of Noise
Before you decide on a flooring to help with soundproofing, it’s important to note there are two separate kinds of noise.
Impact noise, also known as structure-borne noise, is sound that is transmitted through a building’s structure when an object impacts a surface. Unlike airborne noise, which travels through the air, impact noise is created by the physical interaction between objects and the building materials, causing vibrations that travel through walls, floors, and ceilings. These vibrations are then radiated as sound waves, which can be heard in adjacent rooms or even different floors.
It’s caused by footsteps, walking or running across the surface. Or dripping a pan in the kitchen, or a painting falling off the wall. You can hear it when you drag furniture across the room. Or when your washing machine moves around the laundry room with a mind of its own.
Airborne noise, also known as airborne sound, is sound that travels through the air and reaches our ears without needing a solid medium. It originates from a source that vibrates and creates pressure waves in the surrounding air, which then propagate through the atmosphere until they encounter a listener or an obstacle. Unlike impact noise, which is transmitted through solid structures, airborne noise relies on the air as the primary medium for sound wave propagation.
It’s the conversation you’re trying to have with your spouse. The TV blaring from the other room. The piano your child is trying to practice while you’re trying to work. It’s the noise from the HVAC system, or the airplane flying a little too close to your home.
What’s The Best Flooring For That Noise?
With a better understanding of what noise you’re dealing with, you can focus on the best flooring to cover up the noise. It’s important to note that not every room will be acoustically corrected to the same degree … unless you develop a soundproof room.
Still, there are things you can do.
To better control impact noise, carpet is one of the most effective flooring options you can install. The fibers and padding absorb sound, minimizing the transmission of noise through the floor.
Want a different flooring installed? Installing an acoustic underlayment beneath hard flooring materials like hardwood, laminate, or tile can significantly reduce impact noise. Materials like foam, cork, or rubber underlayments absorb sound vibrations before they pass through the floor structure.
To better control airborne noise. Again, carpet excels in absorbing airborne noise, particularly when combined with a thick padding underneath.
While hardwood alone is not great at reducing airborne noise, pairing it with a high-quality acoustic underlayment can help. This combination can prevent sound from passing through the floor and being amplified.
Some vinyl flooring options come with an integrated acoustic backing that helps to reduce both impact and airborne noise. Want more? Simply ask. We can point you in the right direction for which flooring choices will best suit your needs.
Unless you’re looking for complete soundproofing, which isn’t practical for day-to-day living, some noise will always be apparent. Yet in every situation, there are things we can do.
Stop by today. We’ll help you find the perfect flooring to match your immediate soundproofing needs. And turn your room into a more acoustic area you won’t be afraid to use.