ᐅ Laminate flooring apparently installed without any underlayment or insulation
Created on: 12 Oct 2024 16:53
B
BiedronkaB
Biedronka12 Oct 2024 16:53Hi,
I moved into a new house in 2017 as the owner. It’s a new house because the previous owner had a fire that destroyed everything except the foundation. The former owners were accommodated in a hotel during the reconstruction.
Shortly after completion, they sold the house to me. The attic was used by the previous owner as a child’s bedroom (young boy, 7 years old). According to my neighbors, during the reconstruction they didn’t really pay attention to how the house was rebuilt, as they apparently already planned to sell it.
The fact is that I now use the attic as my office. Below it is the bedroom. You can hear every step and footfall. I suspect the company that did the reconstruction (the costs were covered by insurance due to the fire) tried to keep the costs as low as possible and did not install any insulation in the attic floor beneath the laminate.
My question is about the fact that my office furniture, like a corner desk, had to be unpacked and assembled up here because it wouldn’t have fit if fully assembled.
It’s the same with all the other furniture.
My question now is how to minimize the footstep noise? I’ve already thought about putting a carpet over it. However, I would have to slide the furniture around during installation because dismantling and removing everything from the room is really not an option due to the amount of work. Also, I have various light strips (govee) attached to the office furniture that are glued on and would all have to be removed.
Does anyone have any ideas on how I could reduce the footstep noise?
- Would laying some kind of underlay on top of the laminate and then a carpet help, or would that not make much difference?
At the moment, it’s not livable because no one can sleep in the bedroom if someone is in the office.
I hope I don’t necessarily have to clear the room, remove the laminate, and install insulation underneath. Maybe there is a way or method to insulate on top of the laminate.
I’ve googled a bit but haven’t really found anything, and by the way, that’s how I found this forum.
Looking forward to your help and thanks in advance.
Best regards
I moved into a new house in 2017 as the owner. It’s a new house because the previous owner had a fire that destroyed everything except the foundation. The former owners were accommodated in a hotel during the reconstruction.
Shortly after completion, they sold the house to me. The attic was used by the previous owner as a child’s bedroom (young boy, 7 years old). According to my neighbors, during the reconstruction they didn’t really pay attention to how the house was rebuilt, as they apparently already planned to sell it.
The fact is that I now use the attic as my office. Below it is the bedroom. You can hear every step and footfall. I suspect the company that did the reconstruction (the costs were covered by insurance due to the fire) tried to keep the costs as low as possible and did not install any insulation in the attic floor beneath the laminate.
My question is about the fact that my office furniture, like a corner desk, had to be unpacked and assembled up here because it wouldn’t have fit if fully assembled.
It’s the same with all the other furniture.
My question now is how to minimize the footstep noise? I’ve already thought about putting a carpet over it. However, I would have to slide the furniture around during installation because dismantling and removing everything from the room is really not an option due to the amount of work. Also, I have various light strips (govee) attached to the office furniture that are glued on and would all have to be removed.
Does anyone have any ideas on how I could reduce the footstep noise?
- Would laying some kind of underlay on top of the laminate and then a carpet help, or would that not make much difference?
At the moment, it’s not livable because no one can sleep in the bedroom if someone is in the office.
I hope I don’t necessarily have to clear the room, remove the laminate, and install insulation underneath. Maybe there is a way or method to insulate on top of the laminate.
I’ve googled a bit but haven’t really found anything, and by the way, that’s how I found this forum.
Looking forward to your help and thanks in advance.
Best regards
N
nordanney12 Oct 2024 21:27Option 1: Remove everything and start fresh
Option 2: Put carpet over it
Beforehand, simply check if there is something underneath the laminate and if the problem originates elsewhere.
Option 2: Put carpet over it
Beforehand, simply check if there is something underneath the laminate and if the problem originates elsewhere.
Hello questioner,
Based on your description, there is indeed a problem here.
According to the technical standards, the impact sound insulation requirements for owner-occupied single-family homes are not as demanding as those for multi-family buildings.
Additionally, the building you describe appears to have a wooden ceiling structure, meaning it is not a concrete ceiling.
With wooden ceilings, impact sound insulation of a floor— which must be considered together with airborne and room acoustics — is inherently challenging because wooden constructions respond differently and/or transmit sound more than solid ceilings.
Therefore, using soft underlays (such as textile coverings) only provides a minimal improvement in impact sound insulation, in my opinion.
A textile floor covering might seem like a feasible option, but mainly for technically inexperienced non-professionals or homeowners hoping for a low-budget solution.
From my professional experience, I am aware of many special solutions; however, in this case, I do not see any recommendable approach that meets your expectations in terms of lasting effectiveness.
For a wooden ceiling, the only truly effective method is to completely remove the floor down to the subfloor (blind floor), then rebuild using impact sound insulation boards made of mineral wool, topped with a second installation layer of sufficiently thick gypsum fiberboards or wood-based panels.
Simply laying a textile covering over a laminate floor, especially just to avoid removing string lights, is far from practical and motivated only by the desire for an acoustic improvement with minimal time and cost investment — a wish that is unlikely to be fulfilled.
-------------------
Sorry if this answer may seem blunt or frustrating: KlaRa
Based on your description, there is indeed a problem here.
According to the technical standards, the impact sound insulation requirements for owner-occupied single-family homes are not as demanding as those for multi-family buildings.
Additionally, the building you describe appears to have a wooden ceiling structure, meaning it is not a concrete ceiling.
With wooden ceilings, impact sound insulation of a floor— which must be considered together with airborne and room acoustics — is inherently challenging because wooden constructions respond differently and/or transmit sound more than solid ceilings.
Therefore, using soft underlays (such as textile coverings) only provides a minimal improvement in impact sound insulation, in my opinion.
A textile floor covering might seem like a feasible option, but mainly for technically inexperienced non-professionals or homeowners hoping for a low-budget solution.
From my professional experience, I am aware of many special solutions; however, in this case, I do not see any recommendable approach that meets your expectations in terms of lasting effectiveness.
For a wooden ceiling, the only truly effective method is to completely remove the floor down to the subfloor (blind floor), then rebuild using impact sound insulation boards made of mineral wool, topped with a second installation layer of sufficiently thick gypsum fiberboards or wood-based panels.
Simply laying a textile covering over a laminate floor, especially just to avoid removing string lights, is far from practical and motivated only by the desire for an acoustic improvement with minimal time and cost investment — a wish that is unlikely to be fulfilled.
-------------------
Sorry if this answer may seem blunt or frustrating: KlaRa
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