How to soundproof a floor in a flat-From Noisy Neighbours

In a life full of hustle and bluster, people expect peace and stability when returning home after spending hours outside. But the noise can foul the experience and can not be tolerated. When you are living in an apartment, several things t to create noise after some time. One of the most irritating ones is the floor.

From footsteps to moving furniture everything creates annoying noise. If you are facing the same issue then you must be looking for the best possible solution. Why not try soundproofing? At first, it looks like a big deal but it isn’t at all. Here in this article, we will provide the best ways to Soundproof a floor in a flat.

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What is soundproofing?

Soundproofing refers to the changes made to prevent noise and uneven sound. In the case of flats or apartments, soundproofing is done to ensure that no sound will enter or leave the room. It includes some techniques and methods which will make your floor free from uneven sounds and noises.

How to Soundproof a floor?

The floor is the most sensitive area of the house and is most used by the members. Every activity in the house takes place from the floor. That is why if it starts creating noise it can irritate and annoy you. Below mentioned are some of the most effective ways to fix this issue and you soundproof the floor of your flat:

Use carpet Padding

Using a caret is one of the best ways to get rid of the uneven noise from the floor. There are varieties of carpets available in the market which have varied properties including size, texture, and thickness. The factor that is important for you is the thickness, more thickness means better soy proofing. If you choose thin carpets, they are unable to completely block the sound of the floor.

That is why it is recommended to equip the floor with thick carpets. The rubber used in the manufacturing of the carpet offers more durability and noise control. But still, there are a few things to consider before installing the rubber carpet on your floor, these things are:

The rooms or areas of the house with high traffic must be equipped with carpet underlay with closed-cell foam. This is because the high-traffic area receives more human activities and needs a long-lasting solution. Using ordinary carpet can lead to a replacement within a few times.
Carpet padding is a crucial step needed to be done before or under the carpet. So, make sure to measure the total area of the floor and find out the total carpet padding required.

The thick and closed-cell foam carpets are recommended for the high-traffic areas of the floors, for other portions you can go for the thin carpets

Add Noise Proofing Compound

To make it easy for you to soundproof your floor there is a chemical compound available in the market named Sound Damping compound that can be a great way of eliminating noises. One of the biggest cons of this compound is that it can be directly applied to the subfloor and or between the two rigid surfaces. Within a period of 30 days, the compound will display its peak performance.

How to soundproof a floor in a flat-chemical compound

There is no need to worry about your children or pets if you have used the compound’s high-quality and genuine product, it will be non-hazardous, odorless, and environmentally responsible. It is proven to reduce 90% of the sound.

Use interlocking floor mats

Interlocking floor mats come in different textures, designs, and sizes. You can choose any of them as per your requirements and cover the entire floor using these mats. They will easily interlock with each other, if you have ever seen padded tiles, these floor mats are similar to them. One of the biggest advantages of these mats is that the edges can be cut off to organize them in the corners of the room.

There are a lot more benefits you can enjoy by equipping these mats on your floor, these are made using antibacterial materials and keep your floor 99% free from harmful bacteria and other microbes. These are durable and can handle heavy weight as well, can be cleaned easily with effort, and can also be used in other places like a garage, gym rooms, and studios.

Also, you can easily move heavy objects and furniture from the floor without creating noise. However, you can not get 100% relief from the noise after equipping the interlocking floor mats. To do so, you need to install them with other materials like the carpet.

Get Soundproof Floor Underlayment

If the floor of your house has a naked floorboard then this is the best option for you to make your floor soundproof. But if there is any other material like carpet, tile, linoleum, or vinyl installed on your floor, you need to remove it completely before installing acoustic floor underlayment.

The acoustic floor underlayment is made using high-quality materials which will work more effectively if used along with the acoustic mats. They can be effective against impact and airborne noise. But before installing the acoustic underlayment there are a few things to ensure like the floor must be smooth and have no cracks on it.

If the floor is damaged, make sure to fix it and eliminate the dirt before installation. Every acoustic underlayment has a different texture and kind, which is why you should follow the guidelines of installation determined by the manufacturer. Still, the general procedure of installation is mentioned below:

Keep the floor ready in excellent condition and free from dirt.
Keep the following materials with you:

Dustpan
The acoustic underlayment and mats
Tape
Broom
Scissors or a sharp pocket knife

Apply the adhesive materials on the own-facing of the acoustic underlayment.
Make sure that the edge of the underlayment must be butted up against the walls of your house, this will offer an elegant look to the room.
Do the same with other pieces of underlayment and fix slightly from the previous one. So that the adhesive will join them properly.

Use rubber floor mats

Sometimes machines and appliances like washing machines, juicers, television, stereo systems, dryers, etc cause noise by vibrating on the floor. To stop them from creating such noise you can use rubber floor mats. Placing the rubber mats directly below the appliance will absorb all the vibrations and reduce the noise and impact. Read NCP Typical Noise Levels of Home Appliances.

Also, Read–Best Soundproof Treadmill Mat For Minimising Vibrations & Protecting Floors

Insert deck screws

Sometimes the loose and over-flexible flooring can be a reason for the uneven sounds from the floor. To tackle these sounds you can use the deck screws, below mentioned is the full procedure:

First of all, make sure to have these materials along with you:

pencil
drill
drill bit with countersink
deck screws
a bit driver

Remove the topmost layer of the flooring whether it is carpet, linoleum, tile, or hardwood.
Have an observation on the floor and mark all the places with squeaking sounds on the floor.
Drill on the marker location using the bit, make sure to choose the screws slightly bigger than the size of the bit.
Take the floorboard and fix it adequately using the screws.

Finally, after following the same procedure with the whole floor the squeaky sound will be no more. This will not only eliminate the sound but also makes your floor stronger and more secure.

Install additional flooring

At last, the final way of reducing the sound from your floor is by changing the whole flooring or installing the new one. You can either use tiles, hardwood, laminate wood, linoleum, or carpet as the flooring options. There is one most important recommendation while installing the flooring, always use adhesive instead of nails and screws. Because the nails resonated in loose joints and cause squishy noise after some time.

Tips to avoid noise

There are some tips that can be followed to maintain your floor and prevent any kind of noise in the future. Some of these precautions are mentioned below, let’s have a look:

By installing additional accessories like the hand door curtains you can make your room soundproof and it also prevents the floor noise from magnifying.
The changing weather and environmental conditions, again and again, lead to spoiling the floorboard and creating noise. To avoid such a situation you can weatherproof your front door and windows, this will prevent the floor from directly coming in contact with outer weather.
Using soundproof curtains and rubber edges at the bottom of furniture and appliances can be a great way to avoid noise.

Conclusion

Home is the destination of peace and stability for almost everyone except for reasonable relief there. But small things like uneven noise from the floor while walking, doing any activity, and moving furniture will not disturb your leisure but also sound irritation. There are some ways to fix such issues, which are mentioned above. You can do any of them as per your preference. Some may permanently fix your problems while some are temporary.