The top 3 ways to soundproof a timber floor

How easy is it to soundproof a timber floor?

If you are living with the unwanted noise from noisy neighbours living above, or below, then the good news is that there are a number of timber floor soundproofing solutions which are highly effective and easy to install. If the floor is a concrete floor, then take a look at this article to learn more about the the most effective soundproofing solutions for concrete floors.

Unfortunately, for many people living in converted buildings such as flats and apartments, unwanted impact and airborne noise from noisy neighbours can be a common and unwelcome problem. A noisy neighbour article in The Mirror highlights an example of this with neighbours below banging constantly on their ceiling when the people living above were just going about their everyday lives (not even making excessive noise). So extreme was the constant banging coming from below, that the gentleman living above didn't feel comfortable living in his own flat. However, rest assured that if you are in a similar situation and living with noisy neighbours above or below, there are a number of effective floor soundproofing solutions to help reduce unwanted impact and airborne noise.

The basics of soundproofing when soundproofing a timber floor

To understand how to soundproof a timber floor, it's helpful to understand a little about sound itself. When sound waves hit a solid surface, they can bounce off and continue to travel through the air or through the solid material. This is why sound can be transmitted through floors, walls and ceilings.

When soundproofing a floor, the aim is to reduce the amount of sound that is travelling from a room through the floor to the room below, or from the room below travelling up through the floor to the room above.

This is achieved by using specialist soundproofing solutions which help to absorb or block sound waves. Different materials perform differently at blocking certain frequencies of sound and adding different high mass products will help block different frequencies of unwanted airborne noise.

However, the addition of high mass materials is only one part of the solution. The second is to add resilience to the floor, as it's this resilience which helps to absorb impact vibration such as footfall.

3 essential steps to follow when soundproofing a timber floor

1. Increase the mass of the floor. Mass is basically weight and density and airborne sound is blocked by mass. e.g. 300mm of concrete is going to naturally block a lot more sound than 10mm of timber
2. Add a layer onto the floor that adds cushioning so that when impact, such as footsteps or dragging furniture occurs, this impact is cushioned and absorbed creating less vibration in the floor. Without this cushioning layer the vibration can easily spread through the structure to the room below
3. Stop the amplifying of sound within the sealed chamber between the floor and celling void. This is achieved by adding acoustic mineral wool between the joists

The 3 best soundproofing solutions for timber floors

What are the top 3 soundproofing solutions for timber floors?

Choose a floor soundproofing solution specific to your situation

The correct soundproofing solution is dependent on each individual situation and variations can include:

1. The level and type of noise you are trying to block. e.g. is it impact noise on the floor above such as footsteps, dragging of furniture or airborne noise from above or below such as voices, TV noise or even shouting? It is worth highlighting that the distinction between airborne and impact noise, especially in relation to timber floors isn't quite as black and white as having two separate types of noise. Often, even though the cause of your noise problem might be an impact, what you are actually hearing is an airborne noise. For example if you clap your hands together, the impact vibration can be felt travelling up your arms. However, what you are actually hearing is an airborne noise. So, to get the best results for impact vibration you also want to reduce as much airborne sound as possible as well as cushioning the impact itself
2. What is the construction of the floor? e.g. Timber or concrete (if concrete please click here)
3. The other important factor when soundproofing a timber floor is taking into consideration the final floor finish. Is this going to be a soft finish such as carpet, or a hard floor final finish such as wood, tiles, vinyl or laminates?

Because of the variables highlighted above The Soundproofing Store offers a wide range of timber floor soundproofing solutions. This article covers the 3 most popular solutions, but is by no means exhaustive of every floor solution offered.

Floor Solution 1: SoundMat 3 Plus

When bearing the above principles in mind, the highest performing solution against BOTH impact and airborne noise and especially suited for soft floor final finishes such as carpet is the SoundMat 3 Plus floor solution.

SoundMat 3 plus is made up of three layers and is only 15mm thick:

• The top and bottom layers are a 3mm mass loaded vinyl which add 16kg per metre square of mass to the floor. It's this mass and density which helps to create a barrier to block airborne sound 
• In between the mass loaded vinyl layers is a layer of 9mm closed cell foam which compresses underfoot just enough to cushion footfall and other impact noises, while supporting weight without crushing. Closed cell foam also gives a much more consistent performance compared to chip foams (used in other floor solutions). This is because chip foams have inconsistencies (certain parts are harder or softer than others) which means the impact performance can vary within different areas of the same mat. Closed cell foam also doesn’t absorb water like chip foam, which makes it more suitable for domestic use where spillages and water leaks could be a consideration.

SoundMat 3 Plus is a proven soundproofing floor system against both impact and airborne noise, whilst being thin and very simple to install. An easy DIY installation is achieved by simply loose laying the SoundMats on top of the existing floor. This makes it a hugely popular choice for use in domestic homes. Particularly for people living in flats or apartments with noise between neighbours above or below. SoundMat 3 Plus is also regularly used within detached houses, separating for example any unwanted noise being heard from bedrooms above to living areas below and vice versa. 

SoundMat 3 Plus is an ideal floor soundproofing solution for reducing unwanted household level noise such as footfall on the floor, TV noise and general conversation type airborne noise. However, if you’re struggling with more excessive levels of airborne noise, then you may need to upgrade to an even higher performing system such as SoundScreed 28. This solution is discussed in more detail below (please see Floor Solution 3).

SoundMat 3 Plus is an extremely popular solution for carpet final floor finishes as it also acts as a luxury carpet underlay. Carpet can be installed directly on top, which helps to reduce costs and keep the final floor height to a minimum.

The below video goes into more detail about the SoundMat 3 Plus:

SoundMat 3 Plus Timber Floor Soundproofing Mat

How to soundproof a timber floor using SoundMat 3 Plus

SoundMat 3 Plus can also be used by developers needing to meet Part E Building Regulations.

Floor Solution 2: Reverso SoundMat

So, what happens if your final floor finish is a hard floor finish and not carpet? This leads nicely into our second solution which is the Reverso SoundMat. 

The Reverso SoundMat has the same excellent soundproofing capabilities as the SoundMat 3 Plus. Performing well against both impact and airborne noise, but uniquely, one of the mass loaded vinyl layers has been replaced with a very stable 6mm cement fibre board. This means that where hard floor finishes such as laminates, engineered wood and tiles are needed, it is perfect because of the built-in stabilizing layer.

The Reverso SoundMat also has 3 layers and is 18mm thick:

• The mass loaded vinyl and the cement board layers are very heavy and very dense, adding 17.5kg per metre square of mass and density to the floor. Again, it's this mass which helps to create a barrier to block airborne sound
• In between the 3mm mass loaded vinyl layer and 6mm fibre cement board layer is a 9mm closed cell foam layer, which in the same way as it performs in the SoundMat 3 Plus compresses underfoot just enough to cushion footfall and help absorb impact noises, while supporting weight without crushing

The Reverso SoundMat was developed this way because in the past soundproofing mats such as the SoundMat 3 Plus, which is perfect for carpets, had too much flex to install finishes like laminates directly on top. So after installing the SoundMat 3 Plus you then need to install a 6mm plywood over the top to make the floor more stable, and then install your hard floor finish.

Uniquely, with the Reverso SoundMat that stabilizing layer is built into the product using the 6mm cement board, which saves floor height, installation time and also money.

Similar to the SoundMat 3 Plus, the Reverso SoundMat is also very popular for domestic homes with timber joist floors. The Reverso SoundMat is thin and simple to install which makes it perfect for retro fitting in existing homes. Perfect for use on floors separating neighbours in flats and apartments, or floors separating living spaces from bedrooms in the same house and especially suited to hard floor final finishes.

The Reverso SoundMat is beneficial in all of the above situations and is ideal for reducing unwanted household level noise (both airborne and impact). The Reverso SoundMat is also a great choice for projects where multiple rooms are being soundproofed with multiple floor finishes. So rather than having different soundproofing products in different rooms for different floor finishes or having to have overlay boards in some rooms and not others, the same product can be installed in every room. Simply install the Reverso SoundMat hard side up for hard floor finishes and soft side up for carpet finishes. This allows for an even floor height in every room which also makes it a great product for developers and contractors.

The below video goes into more detail about the Reverso SoundMat:

Reverso SoundMat Timber Floor Soundproofing Solution

How to soundproof a timber floor using Reverso SoundMat

The Reverso SoundMat can also be used by developers needing to meet Part E Building Regulations.

Floor Solution 3: SoundScreed WF28

What happens if the noise you are trying to block is a louder, more excessive level of airborne noise?

SoundScreed WF28, the third floor soundproofing solution for timber floors is an overlay board which is used to reduce higher levels of airborne sound than the SoundMat 3 Plus or Reverso SoundMat. 

SoundScreed WF28 reduces even higher levels of airborne noise as it adds even more mass at 22kg per meter squared.

SoundScreed WF28 has 2 layers, is an engineered high performance soundproofing floor panel and is 28mm thick:

• 18mm dry screed gypsum bonded to a 10mm wood-fibre resilient layer
• The wood fibre layer also adds some cushioning to the floor to help with low levels of impact vibration. However, SoundScreed 28 doesn’t perform as well at reducing impact vibration as SoundMat 3 Plus or the Reverso SoundMat

SoundScreed 28 has an overlap join on all 4 sides allowing for a very easy installation without any gaps. This closely joined overlap makes it even more airtight and even more effective at blocking airborne sound.

An extremely versatile product, SoundScreed 28 can be used in any situation where high levels of airborne noise need to be reduced. This can range from domestic properties to commercial spaces like shops, offices and music studios.

SoundScreed 28 is also a great soundproofing product for new builds, conversions and refurbishments and is an excellent choice for tradespeople and specifiers needing to pass Part E building regulations (when used as part of a full system).

SoundScreed 28 is also very quick and easy to install.

A big benefit of SoundScreed 28 is that it also provides a strong and stable base, so any final floor finish can be installed on top including carpet, laminate, engineered wood, tiles and even LVT.

SoundScreed 28 Timber Floor Soundproofing Solution

Unwanted noise from above and no access to the floor?

This article focuses on the most effective ways to soundproof a timber floor. However, what happens if there is unwanted noise being heard from above, but no access to the floor above to lay the soundproofing? The recommendation is to soundproof against impact vibration at the source. Therefore, if impact noise is being heard from neighbours living above, the most effective solution is to soundproof the floor. The reality is that this isn't always an option as it depends on the neighbours above allowing access to their floor.

Luckily there is another option, which is to soundproofing your ceiling using the ReductoClip Ceiling Solution for timber ceilings.

ReductoClip Timber Ceiling Soundproofing Solution

Top 3 timber floor soundproofing solutions - Summary

Highlighted in this article are the 3 best ways to soundproof a timber floor featuring the SoundMat 3 Plus, Reverso SoundMat and SoundScreed WF28. These 3 floor soundproofing solutions are tried and tested solutions to help reduce the unwanted noise from noisy neighbours or indeed reduce unwanted noise separating different rooms and living spaces inside the same home.

Narrowing down and choosing the correct floor solution for your unwanted noise issue can often seem quite daunting. The recommendation is to always speak to an expert to make sure the correct noise insulation solution is used depending on your individual situation.

Please feel free to call and speak to a member of our expert team on (01423) 206208. Alternatively, you can also contact us via the form below.