When shopping for hardwood, laminate, luxury vinyl (LVP) or Vinyl flooring most homeowners prioritize aesthetics, durability, and maintenance – completely forgetting about how the product might sound.
Hard surface flooring reflects sound very well, particularly if there’s less furniture in the space, making it noticeably louder when compared to carpet. This is most evident when homes are empty, such as when shopping for a new home and it’s entirely empty – the voices echo throughout even with carpet!
Understanding Sound in Spaces With Hardwood, Laminate, LVP, and Vinyl Flooring
There are a handful of factors that go into what makes flooring quiet or loud, and it’s not just the flooring itself but the construction of the building plays an important role in how loud the space is. Even if you had the quietest flooring available, the construction of the building could prevent sound abatement being very effective. This is especially prevalent in older buildings.
Sound Ratings for Flooring
Flooring can be tested to see how loud it is under controlled conditions. This can be used as a guide to find flooring that is quiet enough for your needs. There are two types of sound ratings:
Impact Insulation Class – IIC Rating for Flooring
Impact Insulation Class or IIC measures how sound travels through the object and into other spaces. The most common use for this rating is a second story in an apartment, condo, or a home. The higher the rating, the more absorption the flooring has to lessen the sounds heard from walking, talking, or listening to music / television from outside of that room. Even a swing of 5 on this rating can make the difference between, “I can hear when they are stomping around up there!” to “I can’t hear when they are walking around most of the time.” Many HOAs have established criteria for IIC ratings with regards to hard surface flooring, especially in upstairs/downstairs dwellings.
Sound Transmission Class – STC Rating for Flooring
Sound Transmission Class, or STC measures how sound travels through the air in the room it was created in. This is what determines the echo of your voice in the room, how easy it is to hear the television from the kitchen, how loud your footsteps are, and if it’s easy to hear someone yelling down the hall. The higher the STC Rating the quieter the space will be under normal living conditions and can effect the noise levels when kids are playing, during parties, and similar gatherings.
What is a Good IIC or STC Rating?
Many things go into an IIC and STC rating – including the construction of the building, the subfloor, and any underlayment. Any test performed will also include this information so you have an accurate and full picture of the sound performance you can expect.
With that in mind, a general rule of thumb is 51-60 is good, 61-68 is very good, and anything over 69 is fantastic.
Underlayment is Important When Sound Proofing Your Flooring
Just like flooring, underlayment also has it’s own IIC and STC ratings. Although these tests use specific flooring and cannot be universally applied to practical use, it can be useful in knowing what underlayment performs best. This is what allows you to pair up a flooring product with an underlayment that you like to maximize the sound absorption. However it’s important to note that all IIC and STC tests are conducted in controlled environments, and not all of them use the exact same environment. You need to look at the test results for this information.
For practical applications to be the most accurate to what the tests show, you should choose a flooring product that has been tested with that underlayment, and install it over a subfloor that also matches that test.
For example, if the tests were performed on a concrete subfloor, and you install that product and underlayment on a plywood subfloor, the results will not be the same.
Best Types of Flooring for Sound Absorption
Finding the right flooring to make your space stylish while still being quiet doesn’t have to be a challenge. Many flooring options offer great solutions, especially when combined with the proper underlayment.
Finding flooring with the right balance of low sound, high style, and comfortable to walk on can be a challenge. We recommend talking with a consultant about your specific area and needs. That being said, here are the best types of flooring for a quiet space.
Luxury Vinyl Plank or LVP (Click-Lock)
There are two types of LVP categories, one is floating and the other is glue-down. Floating click-lock luxury vinyl planks (LVP) is one of the better all-around options with a balance between sound abatement, comfort, and ease of installation. This is due to the product construction and the floating installation which allows for additional underlayment. Some products are specifically manufactured with sound reducing properties, and boast ratings of over 70 STC and IIC!
If you’re choosing an LVP product and want the best sound reduction, aim for a product that is thicker, has an attached pad, and uses a quality underlayment.
Glue-Down LVP
The glue down variety of LVP is thinner and does not allow for additional underlayment. Glue-Down LVP is a decent option for sound reduction within it’s own space, but doesn’t do as much for sound transferring between stories of a building.
Being glued directly to the subfloor it doesn’t create a hollow space like the floating floor options. Another consideration is that it is more difficult to replace later due to it being glued down.
Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring can be a good option for quiet floors if the underlayment used is of high quality. Laminate flooring is louder than click-lock LVP due to it often being denser with a harder surface which amplifies your footfalls. This is particularly noticeable when wearing hard soled shoes or high heels.
There is little sound variation between products, but if you want to buy the quietest laminate, choose one that is thick, and install it over a thick underlayment.
Engineered and Solid Hardwood Flooring
The best hardwood flooring installations are nailed down, stapled down, glued down or installed with glue assist. While you can float a hardwood floor, it is not recommended as there are more points of potential failure. As a result of these installation methods, the sound reduction for hardwood flooring both in terms of above the floor and below the floor in a lower story is not very good when compared to the above options.
Honorable Mentions
These flooring options seem similar to the above, but there are specific reasons you would avoid them in most applications. Some of these offer greater reduction of sound, but the cost and longevity make them less desirable options for most spaces. They could be worthwhile in special cases such as a sound studio, but for most day to day uses they sacrifice durability when compared to other flooring options.
Cork
Cork can be a very good option and it is the most resilient of all hardwood flooring, and is excellent at sound absorption. However it requires periodic re-coating to protect against spills and stains, and has the same moisture issues as hardwood and non-waterproof laminates. You can lay cork down as an underlayment, but it becomes very costly and is out of the budget for people looking for the best value.
Rubber
Rubber flooring is another option, and is most often used in commercial applications. Rubber flooring doesn’t bring the longevity for the wear, or the beautiful aesthetic that LVP, laminate, and engineered hardwood offer. It has special use cases and isn’t often utilized in residential spaces.