Sound Below

One problem with hard floors is sound carrying through to rooms downstairs or outside. There are methods to minimize this problem.

Floating timber floors Perth

Floating timber floors have far fewer sound issues; the underlay beneath the wooden surface absorbs a significant portion of the sound vibration. As long as the wooden surface we walk on is not physically coupled to the sub-floor (as long as it is not nailed or screwed to the subfloor) there should be minimal vibration transmitted outside the room.

Occasionally this backfires, and a loose floating floor produces a lot of noise when walked upon.

Timber flooring Perth

Some timber floors are fixed to the wooden frame underneath. If this is the lowest floor of the house there tend to be no sound problems; there is no ‘downstairs’, and nobody to complain about people walking on the floor.

If timber floors are used on upstairs rooms they can conduct noise to the people downstairs. Carpets and rugs largely remove this issue. If you are still in the planning stages you can physically isolate the wooden floor from the wooden frame, but this is a serious modification. It is better to simply install a floating floor, or add carpets.

Bamboo flooring Perth

Bamboo flooring varies in quality depending on the manufacturing method. Some softer bamboo is a little better at absorbing vibration and sound than hardwood, bit otherwise noise is still an issue and carpet or acoustic isolation is required.

Laminate flooring Perth

Laminate flooring make a noticeable acoustic difference; the sound of people walking does not carry as much as it does with solid, hard flooring.