In today’s world of constant activity and noise, everyone can use some peace and quiet. You brew some tea, sit down in your parlour, and take a deep breath, only to hear the footsteps and music of your family members upstairs.
You can literally feel your stress levels rising as you join the overwhelming number of UK adults who feel overwhelmed and unable to cope. Your heart starts pounding, and you just want a quiet place.
You don’t have to resort to earplugs to find your peace and quiet. You can do something about these annoying sounds. A soundproof carpet underlay will muffle sounds adequately, so you can create that peaceful atmosphere once again and enjoy your steaming cup of tea.
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about soundproofing a room with acoustic carpet underlay.
What is Soundproofing?
Sound consists of waves of vibrations that travel through all forms of matter to a degree. Our eardrums sense the waves, and our brains interpret the waves.
Soundproofing, though, is the attempt to reduce sound travel from one location to another. People have attempted to soundproof areas for centuries, with each method having different levels of effectiveness.
When you soundproof a room, you need to consider the following factors:
- Materials: what materials make up the walls, doors, and floor?
- Distance: what is the distance between you and the room you want to soundproof?
- Loudness: how loud is the noise you want to drown out?
All of these factors will help you decide how much soundproofing material you will need. For example, if you’re trying to drown out a low-frequency sound, you won’t have to spend as much money on soundproofing as you would when slowing down a high-frequency sound.
How to Soundproof a Room
You can use a variety of materials to reduce sounds in a room. For example, you could install acoustic panels or wooden panels on the walls to absorb the sounds in the room. You can use anti-vibration pads or vibration isolators to absorb the vibration of the sound.
These methods work well for soundproofing the area in general, but they do not address the sounds that come through the floor. A soundproof carpet underlay will protect your floor and help soundproof a room at the same time.
You could place a foam or sponge layer under your carpet as a sound barrier. These porous materials will reduce your sound and protect your carpet at the same time. To do the job, though, you need a barrier made specifically to go under your carpet.
Types of Sound Dampening
To reduce sound well, you need to understand the two types of sound reduction: airborne noise reduction and impact noise reduction.
Airborne noise reduction attempts to reduce noise that travels through the air. This includes sounds like voices from speech, sounds from a device, animal noises, and vehicle sounds.
Underlay will reduce but not stop airborne noises. To completely stop an airborne noise, you need a solid material. But that solid material would make your carpet uncomfortably hard.
On the other hand, underlay, a softer material, will reduce airborne noises to a degree and greatly reduce impact noises. Engineers designed soundproof carpet underlay specifically for the noises that impact causes.
When you install an acoustic carpet underlay, you can hope for greatly reduced sounds from walking, jumping, running, and dropping objects. This means you won’t hear your upstairs neighbours’ every footstep. Foam and sponge work especially well to block out impact noises.
Where You Need Soundproofing
Because soundproofing costs more than basic underlay, you need to determine the rooms that truly need this specialized treatment. For example, you do not need to soundproof your ground floor. After all, what’s under that floor that needs protecting?
You should still put a carpet pad under your carpet on the ground floor. The carpet pad will make the flooring more comfortable and will protect the floor and carpet. But you can use a basic carpet pad in this case.
The first floor of your home also does not necessarily need soundproofing in each room. Consider the location and purpose of the rooms surrounding each room in your home. Then make your decision on which rooms need soundproofing.
Bathroom
If you find hearing bathroom noises in other parts of the house disturbing, then soundproof your bathroom. In contrast, if you do not want others hearing you in the bathroom, then soundproof the room.
Bedroom
People tend to soundproof their bedrooms more than any other room in their homes. The bedroom acts as a place of respite where you can relax and unwind.
The soundproof underlay will protect others from hearing you in your bedroom, and it will help protect you from hearing others outside the room. So pay close attention the next time you try to take a break in your bedroom. Do you hear people around your room?
If there is a floor above or below your bedroom, install an acoustic carpet underlay.
Office
Your office is your place of work and concentration. Hearing people talk, laugh, and walk around your office can pose a serious distraction to your progress. You could always put in earplugs or listen to music, but even that can distract you from progress.
Soundproof underlay can help minimize audio distractions. It will block out foot traffic and make your office the place of concentration that you need to do your job.
Extra Benefits of Soundproof Carpet Underlay
Soundproofing underlay does more than create a barrier for unwanted noise. It also protects your flooring. Your carpet will last longer when you have that extra cushion between it and the floor.
Underlay also helps insulate your home. It will contribute to lower energy bills because it prevents heat from escaping.
Soundproofing Your Room Today
When you invest in soundproof carpet underlay, you invest in a little piece of heaven. You will have rooms where you can rest and destress when the day is done. You also provide more harmony for your home as you have a nice, quiet room where you can rejuvenate.
If you’re interested in soundproofing underlay, contact us today. We have an extensive amount of underlay for different floor surfaces. We offer several brands and styles of underlay as well as other flooring solutions.
