There is a misguided belief that wooden floors are cold and noisy. This idea stems from the fact that original wood floorboards in older badly insulated houses were in fact cold and draughty. However this was in the days of cellars, coal fires, gapping floorboards and solid walls.

These days you will find that wood flooring can be warm, quiet and resilient to walk on. Flooring now comes with tightly fitting tongues and grooves that do not shrink and gap. Engineered and solid wood flooring now comes tongued and grooved on all four sides of the board that make a surface that is impenetrable to draughts In the case of a solid wood floor laid directly onto joists, the 20mm thickness of tightly fitting solid oak will give far more insulation than pine.

The noise generated by the sound of foot traffic over a wood floor is greatly reduced by correct installation methods. Using a sound reducing underlay will also give good benefits and make the floor far easier to live with.

The difference in sound of a wood floor compared to a laminate floor is also a factor in deciding on a quiet floor. Laminate flooring is backed with an HDF (high density fibre board) a very stable but hard material that will exaggerate the taps of steps rather than absorb them. Real wood flooring on the other hand more readily absorbs the tapping of footsteps. The reason being that wood flooring has more natural sound insulation and when installed properly the sound is minimal.

When installing an engineered board the standard installation method is to float the floor by laying it on top of the structural sub-floor. This creates a gap between the two floors so it needs something in between to soak up the noise. This is where the underlay is used. The underlays range from a basic 1.5mm foam which can soak up. Higher up the scale are the high-density sound deadening wood floor underlays which have been proven to give high acoustic properties and Keep the noise down to an acceptable level. These underlays can reduce the sound going through the floor down to 22db, which is extremely good. Generally the price dictates the quality of the underlay and the more expensive, the higher specification.

Remember, the better underlays reduce noise levels the most. However always use an underlay that is specifically made for wood flooring. Carpet underlay for instance will be too springy for wood flooring, making the joints weaken

Wood Floor Underlay Types

Underlay Boards

These are usually about 1.20m x 0.80m and are loose laid over the floor with staggered joints in the opposite direction to the intended direction of the new wood flooring. Try to avoid the fibreboards that are made from recycled cardboard and paper. Although cheap to buy, these tend to be extremely absorbent, so a small amount of moisture will soon cause a big problem. The polystyrene or closed cell polypropylene boards such as Depron or Strata will provide better leveling, thermal and sound reducing properties as well as being waterproof.

Sound Deadening Underlay

These are between 4mm and 6mm thickness in a roll width of about 1.20m, these underlays will be extremely effective at reducing the amount of noise that travels through the floor making them ideally suited if you are installing in an apartment building. Cush-n-Wood made by Ball & Young is a good high specification product that is relatively inexpensive. Also look at Unisound underlay, or Transit Sound underlay manufactured by Unilin who make the Quick-Step ‘Uniclic’ laminate flooring.

Synthetic Foam Underlays

These are relatively cost effective to buy and fast to fit. They provide limited smoothing properties and they are therefore ineffective at reducing noise over an uneven floor. They are usually available in rolls of 15 sq mtrs – 11.5m x 1.2m or 15m x 1m. If used in conjunction with an underlay board, they are effective in reducing sound bouncing up from the floor. Good makes to look for are Barrier Plus, Treadmate, Alevoit.

Adhesive Underlay

These can be effective on a good flat sub-floor although are a little harder to install. They can be simply fitted over the sub-floor without attachment. The wood then adheres to the sticky upper side of the underlay. This can be a good method of installing a solid wood floor in apartment building. This is because no nails are used which can transfer the noise through the sub-floor. The most widely available types of adhesive underlays are Elastion, Envoy, Alustrong.

To summarise, for the best sound deadening underlay for a floating floor, get an underlay that is rated 20db or higher. For the best insulating underlay for a floating floor, try and get a thermal resistance of 0.073m2 K/W, or higher.

Flooring is a very important aspect in the designing of a house. It can change the entire look of your home and you can create the effect that you desire solely by changing the flooring of your home.

What many people tend to forget is that flooring is dependent on where your house is situated. This is because climactic factors play a definitive role in determining the suitability of different floors. If your house is by the seaside, then you should most probably go for tiles as they help in taking away some of the heat and providing a pleasant and cool feel to the house. On the other hand, if you are staying in a hill station or cold place, then wooden flooring is ideal as it brings about a cozy and warm feel to the house.

Apart from the location, another factor you need to consider is the monetary angle. If you have a restricted budget, you have relatively lesser choices in choosing flooring. This need not disappoint you. There are so many options available both in retail stores and online that you will not have to settle for an inferior quality flooring to accommodate your budget. You also need to remember that opting for very low quality stuff will have more negative consequences in the long run in terms of maintenance. A small amount of research will help you here.

You also need to do some study on whether the flooring matches the furniture and overall look of your house. Depending on your personality type, you can select the color of your flooring. If you are the vibrant types, then you can go for colorful or bold flooring. If you are the introspective person, then something more sober and elegant might suit you better. If you cannot make up your mind about this, then it is better to take the help of an interior designer.

All in all, it would be advisable to ponder over the points mentioned above before choosing on the flooring of your house. There will be cases when you have to disregard the sensible course and follow the desires of your heart. For example, if you have a passion for wooden flooring then it makes sense to go for it, irrespective of where you stay. All you need to do in this scenario is to pay more attention to the maintenance of the flooring.

Generally, people have a preference for wooden flooring. The only detriments here are the cost and amount of maintenance required. If the wooden look is what you aspire, then you could also consider laminate flooring like Brazilian walnut hardwood flooring or bamboo flooring. Both these flooring are becoming increasing popular and they provide a great look without being too costly. You could also opt for ceramic, marble, linoleum or other tiles based on your style preference. All you need to be sure about is that you get good quality and a good price.