Everything you need to know about how carpet can help soundproof your home

When it comes to making your home cosy, you can’t beat a carpet. But did you know that in addition to comfort and a stylish finish, a carpet can also help with soundproofing your space? Sleep is so important for health and wellbeing, especially for the very young or elderly, and carpet is a great sound-absorbing solution if you live close to others. So, if you live in an apartment block, conversion flat or terraced house, have noisy neighbours or surround sounds you’d rather not hear, read on to find out everything you need to know about soundproofing floors.

Soundproofing carpet: sorting the myths from the facts

First things first, let’s chat some of the technical jargon: sound absorption uses damping materials to reduce noise from resonating and echoing in a room, while soundproofing is used to block sound inside a room or keep noise out, for example from a neighbouring flat or the other side of the wall in a terraced house. Carpets are excellent sound absorbers and can reduce the sound of footsteps by 25 to 34 decibels, so not quite tap-dancing territory but much better than bare floorboards!

Despite what you may have heard, you can’t use glue, eggboxes, paint, wallpaper, foam, pillows, or a large mattress pushed up against a wall to soundproof it – this is fake news. However, experts agree that laying a thick carpet can help to absorb some of the noise impacts in a room to reduce reverberation and echo.

What types of noise can carpet help to reduce?

Carpets are effective in reducing both impact noise – the sound of footsteps and movement, water pipes, electrical equipment and lifts in apartment blocks – and airborne noise from outside. Laying a carpet will reduce sound reverberation and absorb ten times more airborne noise than any other type of flooring.

Carpet underlay is another great way to fight unwanted noise – and much cheaper than having your home professionally sound-proofed. If you’re questioning ‘does acoustic underlay really work?’ the answer is yes, it does still work, but not as well. It makes sense to buy the best underlay for soundproofing you can afford.

Choosing the best underlay for soundproofing

Soundproof carpet underlay, which people also refer to as sound-absorbing carpet underlay, can really improve the performance of carpet in deadening noise in a room. There are several types available on the market, including PU (polyurethane) foam, crumb, sponge rubber, combination, and felt.

PU foam is the most popular soundproofing underlay, made from recycled foam off-cuts, available in a variety of thickness options and offering high comfort and performance, and it can also be recycled! Felt is another environmentally friendly option, made from recycled fibres including wool and synthetics to give it a firm finish with excellent thermal insulation to keep you cosy in your quiet den of tranquillity.

What sort of soundproofing carpet is best?

For the best results when soundproofing floors, keep the following in mind:

Carpet is an excellent sound absorber and can reduce the sound of footsteps by 25 to 34 decibels
Carpets are effective in reducing both impact and airborne noise
Carpet underlay can greatly improve the performance of carpet in deadening noise

So, when it comes to picking the best type of carpet for soundproofing, there is no wrong answer! All our carpets come in a variety of thicknesses, but you can bet that the thicker the carpet and its underlay, the better the soundproofing! Always opt for a carpet that will suit your space and your style, whether that’s a luxurious saxony carpet or a more traditional woven carpet.

If you’d like to take a look at the different types of soundproofing carpets available at Tapi, check out our loop pile carpets, or even our soft velvet carpets for a treat for your feet. You can book a home visit today for a Tapi flooring expert to come round and take a look at your space to determine what type of soundproof flooring is ideal for your home, and even get a full quote asap.