Impact noise is both distracting and unpleasant. That said, you need to ensure that your choice of flooring can help you with sound dampening.
If you are aiming for the quietest type of flooring, carpet is the best option. It works well in mitigating impact noise, making your room quiet and peaceful. Apart from managing impact noise, carpet flooring also plays a role in absorbing airborne noise.
Carpet is an excellent flooring choice if you are trying to soundproof your floor. But if you do not prefer carpet, other options work just as close.
Also read: 9 Best Soundproof Carpets and Flooring Materials
Why Is Carpet The Quietest Type Of Flooring?
Floors can be the noisiest part of your home. Such is especially true for parts of a house that has high foot traffic. To manage the disturbing noise that comes from the impact of feet walking on hard floors, you can install soundproof flooring.
If you are looking to upgrade your flooring into a soundproof one, the carpet will be the best option. It comes as carpet tiles, so you can easily install them on your floor.
The main reason why carpet is best for soundproofing your floor is because it is fibrous. It has air pockets between fibers and fiber groups. As a result, it can trap air molecules and prevent them from freely vibrating all over your floor.
There are a number of options for carpet flooring. However, if you want to get the most soundproof one, you should opt for carpets with higher piles. The reason is that they work better than other carpet types when it comes to absorbing noise.
Moreover, carpets can reduce noise in your home by approximately 30 to 70 percent.
It absorbs ambient noise and reduces echoes by preventing sound waves from bouncing all around your room.
Without carpet, concrete, or hardwood floor will let sound waves bounce off easily. But if you install carpet, it will rap and disperse sound waves due to its fibrous nature. As a result, echoes and impact noises will significantly reduce.
Carpet also reduces reverberation, the degree to which sound stays within a room. When your home is reverberant, it is generally noisy and produces echoes. Such can be disturbing, especially when you are talking to someone.
When you install carpet, you will be able to decrease long reverberation times to an acceptable degree. As a result, your home becomes quiet and peaceful.
Other Types Of Quiet Flooring
Some people prefer hardwood over carpets. Of course, acoustic flooring materials are not one-size-fits-all. Fortunately, there are other types of flooring materials that can help you soundproof your home.
However, it is essential to note that other flooring types will not work as well as carpet. Still, they work very well in improving the sound quality within your home while preventing unwanted noises from reverberating.
The other quiet flooring types that work as close to carpet:
- Vinyl Flooring
- Wood Plastic Composite
- Rubber Flooring
1. Vinyl Flooring
Vinyl flooring, especially vinyl tile, often needs sound-insulating underlay. Meaning this environmentally friendly flooring option plays a significant role in reducing unwanted and disturbing impact noises.
This flooring type has cushioned and flexible surfaces. For this reason, it prevents footsteps from producing impact noise.
Additionally, vinyl flooring is low maintenance, durable, and versatile, making it a popular option among homeowners.
It is also highly resistant to water. So, you can install it in areas of your home where there is a constant presence of water, such as your bathroom and kitchen.
2. Wood Plastic Composite Flooring (WPC)
Wood-plastic composite or WPC flooring is a waterproof, durable, and low-maintenance material. This acoustic flooring material provides excellent impact noise mitigation, especially in home areas with high foot traffic.
The primary reason why WPC flooring is good for soundproofing is that it has a backing layer. This layer provides great sound insulation. Apart from sound dampening, the wood plastic composite’s backing layer also protects your floors from mildew and mold growth.
3. Rubber Flooring
Rubber is extremely popular for its ability to absorb sound. Since rubber has elastic qualities, it works well in preventing impact noises. Such is the reason why rubber flooring is among the best sound dampening materials on the market today.
Another good thing about rubber flooring is that it is resistant to mildew, mold, and water. It is also slip-resistant, which is perfect if you have kids at home who loves to run around.
Are Cork Floors Quiet?
Aside from the three soundproof flooring options mentioned above, cork flooring is also an excellent soundproofing material.
Cork is a material that is natural and renewable. Flooring manufacturers harvest this material from the bark of cork oak trees, a species of tree native to Portugal, Spain, and Tunisia.
In addition, cork flooring is durable. It can resist abrasions and crack and does not absorb liquid.
Cork flooring also has the ability to bounce back. Meaning the indentations caused by heavy furniture will not be permanent.
The other qualities of cork flooring include:
- Fire, mold, mildew, and insect resistance
- Comfortable
- Practical
- Aesthetically versatile
But the best quality of cork flooring is its ability to absorb sound waves. It acts as a natural acoustic and thermal insulator. For this reason, your home will be quiet and warm when you use it for your floors.
Cork can absorb sound waves due to its cell structure that is similar to a honeycomb.
Each cell has airspaces that trap noises and prevent them from bouncing all around the room. So, when you walk on it, the impact noise that your footsteps make will be trapped, allowing you to walk quietly around.
Moreover, cork is a sound deadener. Meaning it can reduce vibrational energy. This ability allows the cork to dissipate sound waves against its surface before they can even pass through.
Sources
- The Top 3 Quietest Flooring Options, Douglas County, https://douglascounty.floorcoveringsinternational.com/articles/the-top-3-quietest-flooring-options/
- June, Acoustic Flooring: What You Need to Know, https://aquietrefuge.com/acoustic-flooring/
- Steve Cash, The Benefits of Cork Flooring, HGTV.Com, https://www.hgtv.com/design/remodel/interior-remodel/the-benefits-of-cork-flooring/