Choosing Flooring For Sound Reduction

Have you ever walked on a floor, and the sound became almost unbearable? Your shoes echoed, and made you feel self conscious with every step?

Sound can carry a long ways. And when it comes to flooring, the more muffled the sound the better it is, especially in a multi-story office building, house, apartment or condominium.

Sound is transmitted when hard objects connect with a hard surface, such as tile or stone, and there is nothing to absorb it. The sound waves can spread and multiply, creating an echo effect off the walls and moving through the floors. It can become quite a distraction for all people involved.

Overall, flooring is rated using three different standards, each defining the way sound is transmitted. Impact Insulation Class (IIC) is measured in terms of how well sound vibrations travel through a floor to the room below.

IIC50 has the least sound absorption quality, and is usually used for ground floors. Stone and tile fall into this category.

IIC60 has a medium impact sound absorption quality, and includes flooring choices such as wood, laminate and some vinyl.

IIC 65 has a high impact sound absorption quality, and includes superior sound reduction materials such as carpet and cork.

While the flooring choice itself has influence, the underlayment, insulation and subflooring can also have a significant impact. The loudest floor is stone or tile laid directly over concrete. By adding any type of subflooring, including passing or insulation, the noise factor will be reduced. You can also fill in joints with adhesives, sealants and other sound deading agents to help trap and dissipate the sound.

Overall, if sound is a factor for your room, and you wish to keep it as quiet as possible, your best choice is carpeting, followed by cork, vinyl and laminate. If you wish to learn more about how to keep your room quiet, stop by today. We can show you a complete selection of noise reduction flooring, and help you choose the right one for you.

For all of your Denver Hardwood Flooring needs visit our site today.