Available Padding under Wood Floors
Lots of materials can be used for flooring but the best is the solid hardwood. It is 100% renewable and repairable. Nowadays, flooring can be laminated and engineered for more efficient function and aesthetics.
Despite of its durability, reparability and availability in the market; solid wood has its snags as a flooring material. Wood floor are often noisy because it transmits sound vibration. This is because solid hardwood is dense enough to absorb everything. So, when you walk especially when you are in heels, you can overhear every tip toe. Thus, professional wood floor installers added padding to mitigate the noise and sound transmission. We will give you ideas on what are the available padding that you can install between your subflooring and solid hardwood flooring.
- Rubberized Membrane – This is rubberized fabric all-purpose laminating product. Rubberized membranes are peel-and-stick which can be used as padding. This padding is water proof and effective in controlling sounds. This is usually installed just under the hardwood flooring.
- Solid Underlayment – This padding is nailed to the hardwood. During wood floor installation, the subfloor is no longer needed to be nailed to the underlayment. This is better than a soft underlayment.
- Thick Underlayment with Intervening Plywood- This can be directly installed under the solid hardwood flooring. This is soft and thick and best in absorbing sound and reduces the squeaks in the flooring.
After choosing what padding do you prefer, you need to educate yourself on how to reduce sounds in wood floors. This can be done in three ways, such as choosing denser hardwoods, using runners and placing shoe racks. The padding just reduces the sound and does not totally absorb it. When you really prefer hardwoods as flooring, choose the denser ones. Examples of hardwoods are oaks and walnut. Do not be deceived when some woods are offered as hardwoods like cedar and pine because these are actually softwoods. If you really want the best and better sound absorption, choose denser hardwoods like mahogany. Simple noise absorber like rugs and runners can be a choice too. They can also be used as protection. Rugs and runners prevent the surfaces form any form of scratches. Last thing, since shoes and sandals are the reason of all the noise, as a homeowner, you can put up a shoe rack at your door. You encourage a shoe-free policy inside the house. When outdoor footwear is not allowed inside the house, the house is cleaner and the floor is quieter. There is no more need of frequent sweeping and mopping. The noise between rooms is reduced too.
Taking care of your flooring is very important as your floor serves you 24/7 in any part of your house. Thus, it is better to choose the best wood before installing it. Although repairs and total renovation are possible, it is advised to have a fix choice of flooring so that you can save expenses and spend your money to other much needed project for the improvement of your home.
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