Floors

Solid rubber is the most effective underlayment for reducing floor impact/footfall noise. The required thickness depends on your performance goals, subfloor type, and the ceiling’s resilience below. For more details, see Maximizing Rubber Underlayment Performance.

Another option for both wood and concrete floors is the STC Acoustic Sleeper, which decouples the floor. While it requires a small floor build-up, its overall thickness is similar to rubber underlayment once the added mass in wood structures is considered.

In wood structures, adding layers of mass with a damping compound between them helps block both airborne and impact noise. If the ceiling below is resilient or the framing is spaced 24" on center, the damping compound’s effectiveness increases significantly.

Lightweight wood structures can benefit from adding TotalMass Barrier MLV, mainly because it doesn’t resonate like typical building materials. While it adds some mass, the primary improvement is in airborne noise isolation. MLV won’t improve footfall noise control, since it doesn’t compress or deflect.