As wood flooring is the only second worst choice to tiled floors surfaces when thinking about noise reduction, to properly soundproof wood floors, you will need to think about it before installation takes place. If it’s too late you will be left with some of the trade tricks which can still work as well as carpeting.
Materials To Soundproof Wood Floor
Acoustic Mineral Wool
Being twice as dense as traditional loft materials, acoustic mineral wool can exceed the efficiency at noise reduction of many other materials. It’s not only great at reducing airborne noise between floors, but it also works for partition walls, and suspended ceilings. The acoustic mineral wool is also non-flammable, and chemically inert.
Acoustic High Performance
Suitable for all types of flooring including wood. However, It does not work well with airborne noise (only impact, acoustic noise), and must be combined with another product to reduce airborne noise.
Acoustic Laminate
Although acoustic laminate floor composition is mainly intended to reduce sound and moisture barrier beneath carpeting, it also can be used beneath wood floors. Its design comes in different thicknesses depending on applications. To improve the noise barrier, it is suggested to use it with mineral wool soundproofing.
Acoustic Underlay
Despite being designed for laminate floors, the acoustic underlay proves to be a great soundproof material for engineered wood, solid timber and also wood laminate floors. It not only works well at reducing noise between floors and rooms, but it also decreases the noise reflected back into a room.
Mass Loaded Vinyl
A soundproof wood floor can also be easily achieved with mass loaded vinyl sound barriers. It’s easy to install and it provides decent noise reduction when installing beneath wood flooring. These materials also provide great moisture and mould proofing properties and work well with other soundproofing materials. You can also use it behind drywall and under the ceilings.
Soundproofing Mats
Soundproofing mats sheets are budget-friendly and can be used alone or in conjunction with other soundproofing materials. Matts are usually installed between layers of subfloor or directly on top of the subfloor below the flooring material.
However, if your floor is already in place, it can be also used in the ceiling or the area between the wood floor and rugs and runners. Although it provides good noise reduction, it is not intended for vibration or contact noise, such as areas beneath appliances, eg. washing machines.