Many old buildings and houses were built without anticipating sound transmission from one room or dwelling to another. Are you experiencing the inconvenience of airborne noises like voices or music as well as impact noises? The solution could simply be to ask your neighbors to be more careful, but in many cases, the problem comes from the floor itself. In fact, one out of two complaints about floor noise simply comes from the creaking of the floor.
Wondering how to soundproof a wooden floor? Here’s how to work on your floors to solve your peace and quiet problem!
Soundproof a wooden floor from above or below?
At first glance, soundproofing a wooden floor or acoustically isolating it will be more effective and ideal from underneath. Why? Noises caused by footsteps or impacts are, in fact, transmitted through the floor structure. An object falls on the floor and this impact creates a vibration on the ceiling material below, which then produces a sound wave. However, to achieve very effective soundproofing, nothing is better than working both below and above the floors!
Reducing impact noises on a wooden floor
No matter how careful we are, impact noises on a wooden floor occur regularly. If you want to reduce the sound problem on top of an existing floor, you can try to absorb the shock directly at its source. For this, the most easily accessible means will be adding a carpet of at least 3/16 inch thickness. Note that to really absorb sounds, even the noise of heels, this carpet is best equipped with a plastic foam backing.
If you don’t want to put a carpet on your beautiful wooden floor, you can also use an acoustic membrane which then involves laying a new floor on top!
To install an acoustic membrane under a hardwood floor. You will need to remove the floor and also the subfloor. Once the membrane is in place, add a new subfloor on top and perform the leveling of the floor. Pour finir, finalisez par la pose du plancher.
If you cannot remove the subfloor, firmly screw it down and place the acoustic membrane on top. Then add a new ¾ inch plywood over the membrane and finalize the procedure by adding the floor. Always remember to level before finalizing the procedure with the installation of the floor.
Other procedures also exist depending on the floor configuration, please contact a specialist for more information.
Reducing airborne noises on a wooden floor
Do you mainly want to reduce airborne noises from your floor, that is, the sound of voices or music? The transmission of airborne noises can go from bottom to top or from top to bottom. One of the most interesting solutions to solve this problem is to suspend two layers of ⅝ inch drywall from the floor joists. This heavy mass screwed onto resilient bars in the floor frame is a very effective solution for eliminating airborne noises. The resilient bars should be fixed perpendicular to the floor joists, at an interval of 16 inches. For better soundproofing, you can also install SONOpan panels on the joists before installing the resilient bars. Then install gypsum on the resilient bars.
Adding acoustic insulation in the wooden floor
For maximum wood floor soundproofing results, you can also add acoustic insulation between the floor joists. This can be made of different materials: fiberglass or cellulose. It should have a thickness of 4 to 8 inches. However, it is strongly recommended not to soundproof floors only with acoustic insulation, as this is a complement to the other techniques mentioned previously. The results can otherwise be very disappointing, especially when it comes to reducing impact noises.
If you have an urgent need to soundproof your wooden floor optimally and durably, don’t hesitate to call on flooring specialists. They will carry out the necessary work for you with expertise. Ask for an assessment of your floor’s condition and then a quote for the costs required for this installation!
