3 Best Rug Pads for Soundproofing

Using rug pads is one of the best options for soundproofing your rooms. They can help to reduce both footfall and impact noise. They also go a long way in reducing airborne noise, such as the noise produced when you talk or play music in your house.

The best rug pad for soundproofing for most people is the Mohawk Home Dual Surface Rug Pad. It has an excellent STC rating, several thickness options, and an outstanding grip and also offers floor protection, great surface versatility, customizable sizes, and a thick felt surface.

In the rest of this article, I will compare some of the most popular rug pad brands for soundproofing based on their STC rating, thickness, grip, and size versatility.

Best Rug Pads for Soundproofing

Overall, there are three rug pads (available on Amazon.com) that make the cut as the best rug pads for soundproofing:

• RugPadUSA’s Superior-Lock
• Mohawk Home Ultra Premium Felt Rug Pad
• Gorilla Grip Extra Strong Rug Pad

However, each of these rug pads excels in different areas. Read on to learn more about each rug pad and its defining features.

Also read: Do Rugs Help With Soundproofing? Here’s the Truth

Factors To Consider

The following are the four main factors that you need to consider when choosing rug pads for soundproofing:

• Sound Transmission Class (STC) rating
• Thickness
• Grip
• Size versatility

I will explain all these factors in detail below.

Sound Transmission Class (STC) Rating

Rug Pad	Material STC rating
RugPadUSA’s Superior-Lock	66
Mohawk Home Ultra Premium Felt Rug Pad	66
Eco-Plush 3/8 from RugPadUSA	66
Gorilla Grip Extra Strong Rug Pad	67

The sound transmission class (STC) measures how well a material or building partition reduces airborne sound. The STC is given as an integer rating and can compare rug pads to find out how soundproof they are.

Winners: There is no noticeable disparity between each of the rug pads’ STC ratings.

Thickness

It is a general rule of thumb that the thicker and heavier the rug pad, the better it’s performance will be in soundproofing.

The optimal rug pad thickness for sound reduction is 1/5 in (5mm). Apart from soundproofing, a thick rug pad also ensures that the members of the house have a comfortable walking surface.

Rug Pad	Thickness
RugPadUSA’s Superior-Lock	¼” (6.4 mm), 7/16” (11.1 mm)
Mohawk Home Ultra Premium Felt Rug Pad	¼” (6.4 mm), ⅜” (9.5 mm)
Gorilla Grip Extra Strong Rug Pad Gripper	⅓” (8.5 mm)

Winner: RugPadUSA’s Superior-Lock

Grip

Slippery pads can cause serious accidents in the home, especially if you have children who are always running around the house.

RugPadUSA’s Superior-Lock

The backing of this rug pad is made up of checkered natural rubber. The natural rubber backing attaches to the floor tightly and firmly anchors to your rug to prevent slipping. The natural rubber backing is also coated using heat-pressed natural rubber to make it even firmer on the floor and protect it against flaking.

Gorilla Grip Extra Strong Rug Pad

As far as grip is concerned, this rug pad is the best option. It is made up of felt on one side and has foam as the backing to improve its anti-skid qualities. Additionally, the other side in contact with the rug also has a good grip and prevents rug movement and bunching while you’re vacuuming and moving furniture.

Mohawk Home Dual Surface Rug Pad

The Mohawk home dual surface rug pad is made of felt, but has a latex rubber backing. This latex backing effectively reinforces its anti-skid qualities and prevents bunching while moving furniture and vacuuming.

Winner: Gorilla Grip Extra Strong Rug Pad

Size Versatility

Rug Pad	Size versatility Score
RugPadUSA’s Superior-Lock	9/10
Mohawk Home Dual Surface Rug Pad	9/10
Gorilla Grip Extra Strong Rug Pad	8.5/10

Building partition sizes can vary significantly from one person’s home to another. Rug pad manufacturers need to consider this and create products with versatile sizes.

Also, because it would be almost impossible to make rug pads that match the layout and design of every customer’s house, the manufacturers need to make the rugs easy to cut into the desired shapes and sizes.

RugPadUSA’s Superior-Lock

RubPadUSA’s Superior-Lock comes in a wide variety of sizes. The available dimension options are so many that you could even fill in your partition sizes on their website. If you’re looking for a specific size or shape of rug for your home, this is a great option.

Mohawk Home Dual Surface Rug Pad

The Mohawk Home Dual Surface Rug comes in popular partition sizes that users tend to go for. The size options for this rug pad include 8×10 feet (2.4×3 meters), 2×8 feet (0.6×2.4 meters), and 5×8 feet (1.5×2.4 meters). With this in mind, you can easily customize the size of the Mohawk home dual surface rug pad if the size of your partition is not manufactured.

Mohawk’s ease of customization comes from the fact that it is easy to measure your required dimensions and can be cut using simple scissors. When cutting the pad, ensure that it is smaller than your rug (by at least 2 inches, or 5.08 cm) so that it does not peek through.

Gorilla Grip Extra Strong Rug Pad

The Gorilla Grip Extra Strong Rug Pad comes in 23 different size options. Furthermore, just like the other two rug pads, it is also easily trimmable and can be customized to fit the dimensions of your partitions.

Winner: Mohawk Home Dual Surface Rug Pad, RugPadUSA’s Superior-Lock

Best Overall: Mohawk Home Rug Pad

With a thick felt material and an extensive variety of available sizes, this rug pad is the best option overall for someone in the market for a soundproof floor covering.

The Mohawk Home Rug Pad is also suitable for nearly any type of flooring, which means it will work well in most homes.

Bottom Line: Due to its versatility and customizability, I highly recommend the Mohawk Home Rug Pad for anyone hoping to add some soundproof cushioning to their home.

Pros

• Floor protection: This rug pad is made up of 100% recycled felt material. Most people have reported that rug pads made up of felt do not damage hardwood floors. This type of rug pad does not use any adhesive to stick to the floor and therefore does not destroy it over time or leave any marks during removal. Furthermore, it offers long-lasting protection from abrasive damage that could include scratches, punctures, and scrapes.
• Thick felt surface: The Mohawk home dual surface rug comes in two thickness options, ¼” (6.4 mm) and ⅜ ” (9.5 mm). The cover is thick enough to muffle most impact sounds.
• Good grip: The thick felt surface of this rug pad has an excellent hold on most types of floors. Its grip prevents the rug from being hazardous and causing large furniture to move around.
• So many sizes to choose from: When you buy the Mohawk home dual surface rug from Amazon, you get to choose from fourteen different sizes. The size you should choose depends on the area you want the rug pad to cover.
• Customizable size: Even though this rug pad comes in so many sizes, you may not find a size that fits the specific partition you want to put it on. You may, therefore, need to customize it to fit the dimensions. This rug pad is easy to customize into any size; you can trim it using regular cutting tools such as a knife or a pair of scissors.
• Thickness options: This type of pad has two different cushioning options: ⅜” (9.5 mm) and ¼” (6.4 mm). The pad’s thickness is not only crucial for soundproofing but also for comfort.
• Surface versatility: The Mohawk home dual surface rug pad is not limited to use on only one type of floor. You can use it on carpeted, tiled, and even hardwood floors.

Note: Only the directions for use differ between different types of floor surfaces. For instance, for use on carpeted floors, ensure you place the pad under the rug with the felt side facing down. The latex rubber side should face down when the pad is being used on hardwood and tile flooring.

Cons

• Average grip, especially on hardwood floors: One of its most significant disadvantages is that it has an average grip and can sometimes slip on some surfaces, mainly hardwood.

Best for Cushioning: RugPadUSA Superior-Lock 7/16

The RugPadUSA Superior-Lock flaunts an extremely high STC rating. As a result, those that purchase this rug pad will be extremely impressed with its soundproofing abilities.

However, this rug pad can be a bit spendier than similar products on the market. Keep this in mind if you are shopping on a budget.

Bottom Line: The RugPadUSA Superior-Lock is unlikely to disappoint when it comes to comfort and soundproofing abilities. However, it may not be the best option for someone with a tight budget.

Pros

• Outstanding STC rating: This pad’s high STC rating shows that it can silence a lot of noise.
• Plush cushioning: RugPadUSA’s Superior Lock is unmatched by many of its competitors when it comes to thick cushioning. Their 7/16″ (11.1 mm)option is the thickest available in the market. The plush felt surface holds firmly to the rug to prevent bunching and make the rug surface feel softer. The felt also protects the floor surface from damage due to abrasion.
• Excellent grip: This pad is felt on one side and natural rubber on the other side. The natural rubber side is checkered and provides outstanding anti-skid qualities, and prevents the rug from bunching. These qualities also help to extend the life of the pad.
• Extensive warranty: This pad has a warranty of up to 15 years.
• Surface versatility: This type of pad can be used in various floor surfaces ranging from hardwood and tiles to carpeted floors.

Cons

• Costlier than the others: Although this rug pad is known for its excellent grip and thick cushioning, it’s significantly more expensive than the other options. If price is a concern for you, consider looking into the other rug pads mentioned in this article.

Best for Grip: Gorilla Grip Rug Pad

The Gorilla Grip Rug Pad also displays a remarkable STC rating. This pad in particular is easily customizable to fit any location in your home. However, customization will likely be minimal due to the vast array of sizes available. Most notably, the Gorilla Grip Rug Pad clings firmly to your floor, reducing any potential slipping hazards.

Still, the Gorilla Grip isn’t without flaws. Some users have complained about floor damage after removing the rug pad from their floors.

Bottom Line: I recommend the Gorilla Grip Rug Pad for anyone particularly concerned about slippery floors. However, those with hardwood floors might benefit from looking into other options, due to this pad’s potential for damaging hardwood material.

Pros

• High STC rating: This pad has an STC rating of 67. Therefore, it is an excellent soundproofing solution.
• Thick: With a thickness of ⅓” (8.5 mm), this rug pad is greater than the optimal thickness required for soundproofing. As a result, it’s a great option for someone with a focus on sound proofing their floors.
• Easy to Install: This pad is easy to trim to fit any partition’s dimensions, and it only needs to be laid down before placing a rug over it. You can easily cut it using scissors or a knife.
• Numerous sizes: This rug pad’s manufacturer offers 23 different size options.

Cons

• Floor damage: The gorilla grip rug pad has been reported by numerous people to damage the floor by leaving behind a waffle-like pattern after removal. The pattern is more likely to form if your floor is hardwood. Therefore, if your floor is hardwood, I highly recommend going with any of the two other options presented in this article instead.
• Less surface versatility: The gorilla grip rug pad is unsuitable for carpeted and lacquered floors and floors painted with acrylic paints.
• Limited thickness options: This pad only has one option for thickness. It may be too thin for the comfort that some people would like.

Key Takeaways

After considering STC rating, thickness, grip, and size versatility, I have concluded that the Mohawk Home Dual Surface Rug Pad is the best rug for overall sound proofing.

This type of rug pad offers a very high STC rating, noticeable floor protection, several thickness options, great surface versatility, customizable sizes, an excellent grip, and a thick felt surface.

You can find the Mohawk Home Rug Pad on Amazon.com.

Sources

• rugpadusa.com: Soundproof Rug Pads
• nytimes.com: The Best Rug Pads
• Reddit.com: Soundproofing Recommendations?
• Quora.com: What is the best flooring for dampening noise in a 2 story house?