Cutting Down Noise with Wood Floors

Q: We are going through major construction, and one thing is doing the stairs, I love wood floors but I’m worried about the noise going up and down, what can we do to cut the noise down by 1/2 at least, it will also be in the hall ways up-stairs.
Thanks
Heidi
A: At first this will be heavily dependent on what type of floor you are looking to install. In the case of a floor which can be installed floating, such as an engineered floor, this becomes a matter of using a good underlayment for the upstairs areas of your home. Your best bet here being 6mm cork if you want a longer lasting floor.
In the case of stairs or solid hardwoods however, you can not use an underlayment. I had a quick chat with Tad A., iFLOOR.com’s Director of Installation, and he stressed that a majority of a home’s noise comes from the construction process of the home. Very rarely are the materials used delivered in a kiln dry state. Most homes are erected with the roof off, meaning that rain and the environment will get to the internals of your home. Although the lumber used is treated, this exposure still causes the squeaks and creaks we are all used to in homes.
Your best bet to prevent this noise is to install sound deadening insulation underneath the subfloor between the joists and between the stringers under your stairs. This is your best bet to reduce the amount of noise transferred to those below the floor.
A tip to reduce noise in the upper level of your would be to find portions of your subfloor with make noise when walked on, then use some flooring screws to anchor those pieces down to the flooring joists better, which will reduce some of the noise.