Combat noise from your wood or laminate floor
One thing you will almost certainly notice if you replace carpet with a real wood or laminate floor is the noise level when walking on the floor, not only in the room itself but also in the rooms below if your room is on the first floor. This is an especially common problem in flats, where owners and landlords often fit laminate flooring as a cost effective and hard wearing solution, only to find that they receive complaints about the noise from those unfortunate enough to live below them. In extreme cases the noise can be so bad that neighbours have taken legal action against the owner of the noisy floor.
Thankfully there is something you can do to prevent this from happening to you, and that is to use a specialist acoustic underlay when you fit the flooring. Compared to the basic foam underlay that many people use (it’s under the floor and I’ll never see it, so why bother spending more than I need to?) specialist acoustic underlay tends to be much thicker and is designed specifically to dull down both the noise that travels through the floor and the noise in the room itself. As a bonus the extra thickness also provides better thermal insulation and will cope with a slightly more uneven subfloor. If you are fitting wood or laminate flooring in a flat or upstairs room it is well worth considering one of these underlays give you and your neighbours some peace.
Another form of noise often encountered with wood and laminate flooring is squeaking or creaking. This type of noise can be caused by several things but is usually related to an uneven subfloor or expansion and contraction of your flooring after installation. Both of these cases could be prevented through better preparation before the floor is fitted (always follow the manufacturer guidelines). If you’re simply looking for a quick fix, try sprinkling talcum powder around the edge of the offending board. The powder will penetrate the join, reduce the friction between the boards and may quieten the squeak.
For a more permanent solution you will need to find the cause of the original problem and address that. This could mean lifting your floor and preparing the subfloor to the correct guidelines, or cutting the flooring back if it pinches against any fixed points on the surrounding wall, therefore re-installing the expansion gap. Real wood and laminate flooring has a reputation for being noisy, and it is certainly noisier than carpet, but with the correct preparation and a little investment you can enjoy having a beautiful floor that won’t drive you or your neighbours up the wall.
