If maintaining a quiet home is essential to you, the flooring material you choose will have a substantial impact. The most peaceful soundproof flooring option available is carpet. A carpeted floor will reduce sound volume, echoes, and harshness in any room. But if you don't want carpet, then what?

Before we get into other flooring options, one vital thing with all of them is underlayment. Underlayment pads the floor and helps cut back on noise caused by harder and louder flooring materials. It is required in some flooring types to support the durability of the flooring. In some cases, underlayment can even help with temperature and moisture.

HARDWOOD

hardwood

Hands down, hardwood flooring is beautiful. Many people decide on hardwood because they last for generations and adds value to your home. But as far as being soundproof, everyday sounds will travel further and seem louder. If you go with solid hardwood, it can help some by using softer wood like pine, fir, cedar, or spruce because they are better at deadening noise. But these flooring types are very delicate and scratch more easily. Going with engineered hardwood is a better way to deaden the noise. You can go with a floating floor installation and several underlayment options with engineered hardwood.

LUXURY VINYL

luxury vinyl

Luxury vinyl has enough spring and is soft enough for a bedroom. It isn't slippery, ideal for water-prone areas like a bathroom or laundry room. Furthermore, you can install luxury vinyl over an existing floor. You need to keep in mind that whatever flooring material you are covering will influence the absorption of sound. Luxury vinyl flooring is very durable, easy to maintain, and can handle a good amount of foot traffic. Luxury vinyl flooring with sound-insulating underlayment is a great resilient flooring option used for sound treatment.

TILE

sound proof flooring

Ceramic, stone, marble, and porcelain tiles are prone to sound transfer even with proper underlayment. That being said, tile really isn't a good soundproof flooring option.

LAMINATE

laminate

Laminate in the past was not soundproof. Today, laminate has come a long way and now has the ability to muffle sounds. Installing a sound-insulating underlayment will further minimize sound. Laminate flooring is easy to clean and warmer than hardwood, making it great for bedrooms. There are several different varieties of laminate flooring, so you want to make sure you are shopping for a soundproof type with a pad attached. Laminate flooring is an acceptable option for sound reduction with the addition of quality underlayment.

AREA RUGS

area rugs

Area rugs and carpet runners are a fashionable addition to any hardsurface and can help with soundproofing. They dampen vibrations, reducing sound transfer but only to some extent. The thicker the area rug, the better if it is for soundproofing reasons. You can carry it a step further and add rug pads. It is just like carpet padding, but they are made to go under area rugs. It is a great addition to help insulation for sound.

As you can see, the acoustics of flooring materials are not one-size-fits-all. Some materials are better at preventing sound transmission than others. Our Flooring Consultants here at Creative Carpet & Flooring can help you work through your specific flooring needs. We can assist you in determining the most suitable material for your situation by working through all the flooring material factors. Stop by our Mokena, Illinois, or Highland, Indiana showrooms today for assistance with your soundproof flooring needs!