Underlays

Will carpet and underlay help block out some noise from baby room?

Babys room is over the kitchen, where my dad watches the tv(loudly)!! I was wondering if I put underlay and carpet down on floor of babys room would this help block out some of the noise from kitchen below?

Public Comments

1. Of course it would
2. yes carpet will help absorb the sound the thicker the better.
3. The real answer to your question lies in how sound travels, air being a cheap and inexpensive barrier of sound. Other gases even provide better sound resistance like helium for example. The less dense the material the better barrier of sound it makes. Carpeting is porous thus contains lot's of air. Any porous materials, including Styrofoam, sponges, "carpeting and underlay", even toast :), whatever is porous in nature will absorb the sound. One excellent way of stopping the sound in your floor is to put batt insulation, keep it fluffy don't squish it. It's also porous and very thick. Of course that is something that often needs to be done during construction if you do not have open access to the walls or flooring due to drywall or floor decking. When purchasing your underlay inquire about "Acoustic Underlay", yes there's a special kind which minimizes thickness but excels in sound control.
4. yes it will. If loud occasional cheers on tv wake your child, try haveing some continious white noise in the bedroom at bed time m like a fan on low. it helps mask louder noises.
5. Yes it will. Put down newspaper, then put down hardboard then underlay then the carpet. This will not only dull the noise but also make the room a lot warmer.
6. Underlays vary significantly in sound absorption (measured in "db" decibels). If buying a carpet underlay go for a 9mm thick foam underlay or rubber crumb with 35 db resistance or more if you can afford it. The higher the db resistance of the underlay the higher the cost normally. The best underlay for sound absorption is a dense underlay.