How to Soundproof a Floor: 11 Floor Soundproofing Ideas to Try

Are you struggling with noises transmitting between floors? Do you want soundproof floors in your house? If so, how do you soundproof a floor?

I’ve been there. In fact, there was one time when I was so infuriated by my house that I cried. 

We hosted a dinner party a few years ago. It was nothing fancy, just a handful of friends and us. As we were having a lovely chat (and food, of course) in the dining room, the kids went to play upstairs. 

And then, it started. 

We could hear their every word, every giggle, and fighting over who should be playing with this or that toy. The sound of every dropped Lego brick or another toy resonated downstairs. Their running around sounded like a drum festival to us.

Of course, the kids weren’t doing anything wrong. But because of the way the house was built, the sound carried downstairs to where we were. It was a cacophony, and at some point, we could hardly hear each other. 

I know I had to do something. Dinner parties like this would not happen again. 

So I did. I researched how to soundproof the floor and reduce the noise of bleeding downstairs. 

I share what I’ve learned below. But let’s start by clearing something up.

Can you soundproof a floor?

Short answer: yes. 

(And before you ask, no ” but ” is coming.)

You can soundproof a floor and reduce the different types of noises that typically bleed through – foot noise, moving things around, and even conversations. Full stop. 

Before you dive into this soundproofing project excitedly, though, we must discuss how the noise gets to the rooms below. The reason for that is simple: once you know how the noise gets in, you’ll be able to know how to stop it in its tracks. 

Your biggest challenge with floor soundproofing

Two words – foot noise. 

Occasionally, airborne sounds – conversations, music, TV, etc. – do not travel to the room below through the floor. 

They do when moving the opposite way, though. People upstairs often hear your conversations below; some of that sound reaches them through the floor. 

However, when hearing noises downstairs, most airborne noise gets downstairs through other pathways. Airborne sound can reach you from upstairs through open doors, etc. You may think they hear a conversation through the floor, but if you listen carefully, you’ll notice that the sound bounces off walls and other structures and enters the room through the door or windows. 

The situation is quite different with foot noise and other impact noises. 

The sound of moving furniture upstairs, the clang of dropping something on the floor, or the noise of dropping something heavy on the floor all bleed from the room upstairs because the floor structure turns those sounds into vibrations and passes the energy to the room underneath.

It works like this:

Notice how the point where the dropped ball hits the floor. See how its vibrations stem in all directions and travel through the floor’s structure. Now, some of this sound will reflect in the room where the noise is coming from. But observe something interesting on this graph:

Most of the vibrations travel elsewhere!

And most of it ends up in the environment below the noise source. 

What does that tell us about soundproofing a floor? 

For one, the physics of sound transmission through the floor tells us that noise pollution can be reduced. And also, to do it, we need to block those vibrations from reaching us. 

Luckily, there is a process for that. 

How to soundproof a floor – a 3-step process

A quick note before we dive into the process.

What I’m describing in this section aren’t the actual steps to soundproof a floor. Usually, you have to do far more than just three things to block or absorb those noises from above. 

This section covers the stages of the process. I like to think of those as objectives you need to achieve with different floor soundproofing methods to block sound from coming through existing floors. 

So, without any further ado, here is what you need to do to soundproof a floor properly.

Objective 1. Separation

Look again at the visual showing how sound travels through the floor. Notice that the tight connection between the upstairs and downstairs allows sound vibration to travel through. 

The first objective of a floor soundproofing project is to sever that connection. There are several ways to do this. You can raise the floor surface upstairs and create something like a floating floor or lower the ceiling below. The objective is to have at least one surface disconnected from the structure of the building.

NOTE – In this case, separation doesn’t mean detachment. As you’ll see shortly, adding underlays or mass-loaded vinyl below the carpet or floorboards will help you achieve that separation, even though, technically, all surfaces will lie on top of each other.

Of course, you can also soundproof by adding another layer to the floor (or ceiling, for that matter) and creating an actual separation. This is often the most effective method, but it’s also the most costly and ridiculously time-consuming. 

Why is achieving this separation so important? That separation will cause the noise vibration to die rather than continue. Again, refer to the visual above. The sound travels only on joists and beams, not the air. That is the nature of impact sounds, and the best way to stop them is to remove a means for the vibration to travel. 

Objective 2. Reducing the vibration with floor treatment 

Next, you need to reduce the level of vibration at the source. 

It sounds very technical, but it’s quite a simple concept. By placing elements that can either absorb the sound or stop it in its tracks, you reduce the vibration entering the building’s structure. 

I’ll show you several methods to do this shortly. But in general, completing this step involves laying out some soundproofing underlayment. In some cases, the underlayment can also raise the flooring surface (but again, that depends on the soundproofing materials and method you’ll use—more on this shortly).

Objective 3. Blocking means for the airborne sound to pass through

Now, I know that I called impact noise your biggest challenge. But that doesn’t mean that some airborne sounds can’t get through. Cracks, even tiny ones on the floor or around the walls, can transmit sound vibration to the environment below.   

Luckily, as you’ll see shortly, preventing that isn’t that difficult, and many soundproofing materials can help you block sounds from passing through. 

So, how do you do it all? 

What to do to soundproof a floor: 11 methods

Disclaimer: Most of the advice I’m going to give you below relates to achieving the second objective I described above. Naturally, raising a floor or lowering the ceiling requires a different approach and is most likely a bigger project. You might need to consult your builder about achieving that objective. 

That said, some of the floor soundproofing methods below will also help you achieve that separation. It might not be as effective as raising the floor, but it might be enough. 

So, in no particular order, here are the best methods to soundproof a floor

#1. Lay out interlocking floor mats

I admit it; those puzzle-style, interlocking floor mats don’t look spectacular. They are not something you’d use in a bedroom. But they’re perfect if you’re soundproofing the floor in a kid’s room, an upstairs gym, or a similar room you use casually. 

You see, interlocking mats absorb impact, which sounds crazy!

Interlocking mats are usually made of rubber material. You’ve probably noticed that although they are sturdy surfaces to walk on, they also feel much softer than hardwood floors. 

That’s also one reason they are laid out in gyms and sports halls. These mats can protect you and minimize the impact when you fall. 

For the same reason, they can also help you soundproof a floor. Their rubber structure will absorb and reduce the amount of vibration generated by impact—footsteps, running, thumping, etc. 

That, coupled with a combination of tile colours that you can get them in and even different designs, makes interlocking floor mats perfect for soundproofing kids’ rooms, gyms, and any other room where you might not be bothered by their design but need to reduce the impact noise on the floor significantly. 

Check out these amazing interlocking mats

#2. Use thick rugs or carpets to reduce sound vibrations

This is by far the easiest way to soundproof a floor. Thick and soft carpets can soften the sound of your footsteps and reduce the vibrations reaching the floor. 

These carpets will separate the sound source (your feet!) and the floor. Now, they won’t eliminate the vibration. However, by softening the impact of your footsteps, they will reduce the amount of vibration that hits the floor and transmits further through its structure. 

Carpets were also one of the methods I used to reduce the noise from kids playing upstairs. You see, at the time of that dinner party, we just had panel flooring laid out. This means 100% of the impact noise vibration entered the floor structure. 

I laid out carpets in some rooms and used colourful rubber interlocking floor mats (like these) in my kids’ room. The difference was noticeable. Far less impact noise was bleeding downstairs. 

TIP: If you don’t have carpet in the upstairs room already and are considering getting one, go for something tightly woven. Such carpet will absorb more vibration and prevent it from resonating with the floor structure. 

#3. Put a rug underlay under the carpet

You know that carpets can soften impact sounds and reduce the amount of vibration resonating through the floor surface. We’ve discussed how, in many cases, a thick, tightly woven carpet might even be enough to reduce the noise from the rooms upstairs. 

But you can strengthen that effect by placing a rug underlay under the carpet. 

By spending just a little extra, you can get a soundproofing carpet underlay that will significantly improve the carpet’s ability to absorb and deaden footsteps and other impact noises. As the name suggests, the underlay goes under your carpet, creating another barrier for the impact of sound vibrations. 

When choosing the underlay, you have several options. You can use PU (Polyurethane) foam, crumb, sponge rubber, or even a combination of all those materials. 

However, PU foam offers the biggest benefits for soundproofing a floor. It is made from recycled foam offcuts and looks like this. 

You can get it in a roll to roll out under the carpet or in sheets. Many recording studios use those underlays to deaden sound and add an extra layer of soundproofing to floors, walls, and ceilings!

Check out soundproofing carpet underlays on Amazon

#4. Use rubber mats instead of carpet underlay

One disadvantage of a carpet underlay is that it can be quite thick. The thicker the underlay, the stronger its soundproofing capabilities.

Of course, it might be too thick in the room. Luckily, another option is a rubber mat, which you can use instead of a carpet underlay. 

Putting a rubber mat under the carpet will generate a similar result to the underlay. It will absorb some of the sounds of footsteps and other impact noises by adding mass to the floor (in a similar way as the mass-loaded vinyl would—more on this floor soundproofing material in just a second).

But the rubber mat itself is much thinner and will be less noticeable. 

Another benefit of using a rubber mat is that it makes the carpet slip less or less. Most rubber mats are non-slip and will prevent the carpet from moving and sliding on the floor. 

TIP: To create a super thick separation from the floor, use a rubber mat and an underlay under the carpet.

Recommended product:

Lazy Dog Warehouse Neoprene Sponge Foam Rubber Sheet Rolls

#5. Add soundproof underlayment under laminate or another flooring

This is an option for you if you don’t want to roll out carpet upstairs and prefer the look of laminate or hardwood flooring. The premise of this method is similar to what we just discussed above when talking about rubber mats and carpet underlays—to create a seal that will block impact sound vibrations from reaching the floor’s structure. 

In this case, however, you place that seal under the flooring. 

Products like FloorMuffler go directly onto floorboards. They absorb vibrations and prevent them from resonating further into the floor structure. Moreover, these products often also act as a vapour barrier, preventing moisture from penetrating the floor.

There’s one thing to remember here: Laminate or hardwood floors will generate a substantial amount of vibrations. There is nothing that would soften the impact, after all. Your feet will hit the floor directly.

#6. Use cork tiles above or below the floorboards

Now, this is a more invasive method but one that can deliver incredible results. 

Cork is a natural sound dampener. The material has excellent sound absorption properties, which can prevent sound vibrations from travelling through its surface and reduce the noise that can reach you downstairs. 

Cork also has sound reduction properties, which, much like carpet underlays, can reduce the amount of vibration entering the floor structure. 

In fact, some sources say that using a cork floating floor and cork underlay, coupled with the floor’s natural structure, can reduce noise to up to 99db—the level generated by factory machinery.

Cork usually comes in square tiles that you lay down on the floorboards. However, you can also get hexagonal tiles that could look nice without any other layer of flooring on top of them. 

One word of warning: if you want to use cork tiles, they aren’t fully waterproof. So, it’s always a good idea to use them as an underlayer rather than a final layer of flooring. 

Check out cork tiles on Amazon

#7. Add mass-loaded vinyl under the carpet or the floor

Mass-loaded vinyl (MLV) is a super heavy material made of vinyl impregnated with metal particles to increase its mass. It’s one of the most popular and effective soundproofing materials, and you can use it to soundproof a floor and block the sound coming through the wall. 

You can use MLV as a carpet underlay. No one will see it after all, and the added mass of MLV will provide even more vibrations from getting into the floor structure. 

You can also use it as a floor underlayment and put it under your flooring. In either case, it will work in the exact same way, stopping most of the impact vibrations from spreading.

#8. Insulate the space between floor joists

Joists are the floor equivalent of studs in walls. They support the upstairs flooring and the ceiling below. 

But often, that’s it. There is nothing else around those joists. 

Now, most of the sound vibration will travel on the joists. If you remember, the very first objective in soundproofing a floor was to disconnect those joists from either the floor above or the ceiling so that the vibration would collapse. 

But you also need to insulate that hollow space between the floor and the ceiling. Otherwise, it will only amplify the noise, like an acoustic guitar’s body. 

This video explains the principles of acoustics in the guitar’s body, but similar rules apply to that hollow space on your floor.

The simplest way to eliminate that problem is by filling the space with dense acoustic insulation. It looks like this, and you can cut it to the width of the space between your joists. 

#9. Add joists isolators

If you’re adding the acoustic insulation foam between the joists, then I recommend you add isolators on top of them. These strips of rubber glue onto joists and separate them from the subfloor above. Their job is simple – to eliminate the vibration of the subfloor from reaching a joist. Because if the vibration never gets there, there is nothing for the joist to transmit further down the structure. 

#10. Use the Green Glue and Plywood technique

Green Glue is probably the most well-known soundproofing material. There is a good reason for that. Not only is it versatile, but it’s also effective. 

You can use Green Glue to fill in any cracks and prevent airborne sounds from entering. You can also add it between two hard surfaces, like your floorboards and cork tiles, for example, to further strengthen the structure’s soundproofing capabilities. 

Or you could attach a layer of plywood, which is ideal to lay down on the floor and provide sound-dampening capabilities to your floor. 

How does Green Glue help soundproof a floor? 

When we talk about Green Glue, we often focus on using it to soundproof a wall. But in this case, the vibration of the plywood when you walk on it (note – your plywood can be covered with a carpet or any other flooring material) will heat the Green Glue. This, in turn, will convert that sound vibration into thermal energy, deadening it in the process. 

Green Glue is super easy to handle and apply. You just need a caulking gun and enough Green Glue to cover the surface, and you’re good to go. 

Remember that you’ll need a substantial amount of the compound to cover the floor, so order it accordingly. 

#11. Add a new layer of flooring

There are several scenarios in which you might want to add a new layer of flooring to the existing floor. 

First of all, it’s one of the best ways to achieve the separation we discussed above. 

Also, adding a new layer of flooring might help increase the overall thickness (or mass) of the floor and improve its soundproofing qualities. The logic behind this is that the thicker the surface sound vibration needs to pass, the less of those vibrations will get through.

But this method has drawbacks, too. For example, if your floor is hollow, with only joists, adding a new layer of flooring won’t change much. Like the acoustic guitar we covered earlier, your empty floor will still resonate. 

In that case, you should first fill in the hollow area with acoustic insulation and then add a flooring layer. 

Your options include laying out a new layer of laminate or tiles or adding a layer of corkboard, which has a natural sound-dampening quality.

Also, research experts recommend adding a new laminate layer or another flooring. For example, most experts always recommend tearing the existing floor down to the subfloor and adding new layers from there. The reason is that you can address any other soundproofing issues by opening the floor right to the subfloor. One of them is filling the floor with acoustic insulations. You can also add the joist isolators we discussed earlier, fix some moving joists to reduce squeaks, etc.

One last thing – Here’s what to do if you live in a rented apartment and need to soundproof a floor

So far, I’ve been showing you how to soundproof a floor in a house since that’s where I had the noise issue. But I know that many of my readers live in apartments and often rent their accommodation. 

I admit it; this makes it more challenging to implement some of the floor soundproofing ideas I’ve shared.

Not impossible, though. 

In fact, at least several of the methods I listed for soundproofing a floor will also work in a rented apartment. 

Just think about it—you can probably lift the carpet and install an underlay or a rubber carpet mat. 

You can also roll out thick carpets. I don’t think the landlord would have anything against that since the carpet will not require amending the floor’s structure in any way. 

You should also be able to lay down mass-loaded vinyl. However, since it needs to be glued to the floor, ideally with a Green Glue compound, you might need permission from the apartment’s owner.

Best of luck with your floor soundproofing project!