Soundproofing your home may sound like a challenge at first. But, once you understand how it works and what type of materials you should use, everything falls into place. If you’re looking for advice on how to efficiently soundproof your floor, read on what the team at NoiseStop Systems recommends.

Identify the Flooring Type and Needs

The first thing you need to consider before choosing the best materials for soundproofing your floor is the floor type. For wooden floors, airborne sounds are usually the cause of the problem, while concrete floors need soundproofing against impact noise. What’s the difference between the two noise types?

Impact noise is caused by moving furniture, footfall or dropping objects on the ground, and is transferred through the building structure. Airborne noise, on the other hand, is propagated through air and you can easily recognise it as TV noise coming from another room or a conversation you easily overhear.

Sometimes, it’s not only one or the other that causes all the noise, but a combination of impact and airborne sound. However, one is always more striking than the other, and soundproofing against that particular problem can considerably reduce the discomfort.

The next thing you need to do before looking for soundproofing materials is identifying within which of the two categories your problem falls – airborne or impact noise. Don’t get discouraged if you can’t tell them apart – you can always contact the team at NoiseStop Systems if you need support or advice on the matter.

What Are the Best Materials for Impact Noise?

Once you identify the main noise type – airborne or impact – it’s easier to choose the right materials. Impact noise can be reduced by absorbing the sound. In some cases, a rug is enough to reduce it, but it only solves the problem partially.

The best solution in this case is acoustic mats, which come in different densities, to cover sounds of all intensities. They can be easily laid over concrete floors, then covered. If you’re dealing with impact sound on wooden floors, acoustics mats work just as fine, but they may not be a pleasant aesthetic choice. In this case, floating floors are your best bet.

A floating floor can be laid over the older floor and creates enough space for the sound to dissipate before reaching the building structure.

What Are the Best Materials for Airborne Noise?

When it comes to airborne noise, the solution is acoustic absorption. This way, the noise no longer gets reflected and propagated through air and walls, reducing the overall noise level. Once again, acoustic mats prove themselves useful in capturing the noise and preventing any residual noise. You should choose the acoustic mat according to its density – the denser it is, the more sound it can absorb.

Of course, there are also alternative materials that can help you reduce the noise. You can install a cork floor in the kitchen or foam tiles floor in the children’s room. These are easy, at-hand solutions, but they need to be replaced frequently, because they wear out after a while.

What to Choose?

Although structure-borne noise and airborne noise have separate causes, they can be highly related. It’s not uncommon that one causes the other – for example, dropping a ball on the floor can cause both impact noise, but also airborne noise, if the building has poor sound isolation.

If that’s the case, a floating floor with an acoustic mat installed underneath is the best way to make sure that the noise that originated in a room won’t go down a level. Still not sure what you should choose? The experts at NoiseStop Systems are more than glad to help you.