Soundproof Your Floors For a Little Peace and Quiet

Posted by john on Nov 7, 2011 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

With the colder months upon us, there will likely be more indoor activity: Perhaps family and guests will be visiting for the holidays, children will be running around from room-to-room, and pets will be kept indoors more often.

And all you want is a little peace and quiet amidst the squeaks and rumble of your hardwood floors.

If your home is an older one, you probably deal with this regularly. In years past, people weren’t as concerned with soundproofing as they are now. Lucky for today’s homeowners, however, there are now many different options and methods for soundproofing floors. Here are a few ideas from your friends at Crowley Construction:

Change the Flooring — Hardwood floors are the most infamous floors for causing annoying echoes and heavy footsteps. So if you’re in the market for installing a new hardwood floor, now is the best time to think about ways to soundproof it. Crowley Construction can consult you about the sound ratings of different species of wood and different manufactured wood flooring materials. Soundproofing floors is much easier if you take it into consideration from the very beginning.

Blocking Out Noise — Soundproofing floors is not a complicated procedure. You just need something between the hard flooring and the rest of the house to absorb noise. There are many different options for materials to place between the floor and the sub-floor to accomplish this.

Cork is very good at absorbing noise, and it’s being looked at with new interest lately as a more environmentally friendly form of soundproofing. You’ll only need a very thin layer, since cork is a very dense substance. This thin layer will be laid first, and then you will install the sub-floor and finally the hardwood.

Acoustic tiles and panels are also good for soundproofing floors. These panels were designed to dull echoes, and this is why they’re popular in large, open spaces. Simply install them as you would cork, making allowances for the differences in thickness.

When New Floors Aren’t an Option — If you rent and can’t redo your floors, or if it’s just not an option for you financially, there are still steps you can take for soundproofing your floors. If you value quiet over the look of hardwood, consider putting down carpet. Many families have a “no shoes” policy in their homes. Area rugs offer the same sound-deadening benefits of carpet with the added bonus of being moveable.

There are many different options for soundproofing floors, with something for every taste and budget. Do your research, and consult with the experts at Crowley Construction for help in deciding which options are right for you. And just think—once the work is done, you’ll get to enjoy a beautiful floor without the constant annoyance of excess noise.

The construction professionals at Crowley Construction can handle your Vermont home improvement project big or small.  If you’d like to have a private consultation, call 802-893-2603 or email gary@crowleyconstructionvt.com.  For more great home improvement tips, connect with us on Facebook.

Photo credit: Ambro