How to Soundproof a Floor in an Apartment – 10 Best Ways to Soundproof a Floor

by Jennifer Porterfield | Last Updated: March 29, 2021

Are you looking to Soundproof your floor in your apartment then you’re in the right place. I’ve been getting requests to write an article on How to Soundproof a Floor in an Apartment for a while and have provided soundproofing advice for floors to friends a bunch of times. I hesitated a little bit in writing because soundproofing floor in an apartment can get quite involved.

When I first soundproofed the floor in my studio I did a lot of research and experimentation. The “easy” ways to soundproof the floor did nothing, but with a bit of effort you can get some seriously good results. So I summarized the 10 best ways to soundproof a floor in an apartment without too much hassle.

Table of Contents

• How to Soundproof a Floor in an Apartment – 10 Best Ways
  • 10 Best Ways to Soundproof a Floor in an Apartment
  • 1. DIY 1 (Do It Yourself): Carpet Padding
  • 2. DIY 2 (Do It Yourself ): Interlocking Floor Mats
  • 3. DIY 3 (Do It Yourself): Acoustic Floor Underlayment
  • 4. Place Some Thick Carpets on the Floor
  • 5. Install Mass Loaded Vinyl (Soundproof Material) on the Floor
  • 6. Place Rubber Floor Mats
  • 7. Apply Soundproofing Green Glue Compound on the floor
  • 8. If Possible Soundproof the floor from Below (If New Apartments)
  • 9. Place Furniture Strategically to Dampen the Sound
  • 10. Place Thick Rugs with Underlay
• Wrapping UP!

How to Soundproof a Floor in an Apartment – 10 Best Ways

10 Best Ways to Soundproof a Floor in an Apartment

1. DIY 1: Carpet Padding
2. DIY 2: Interlocking Floor Mats
3. DIY 3: Acoustic Floor Underlayment
4. Place Some Thick Carpets on the floor.
5. Install Mass Loaded Vinyl (Soundproof Material) on the Floor.
6. Place Rubber Floor Mats
7. Apply Soundproofing Green Glue on the floor
8. If Possible Soundproof the floor from Below (If New Apartments)
9. Place Furniture Strategically to Dampen the Sound
10. Place Thick Rugs with Underlay

It’s worth saying at this stage that soundproofing apartment walls using noise reducing curtains could be a quicker and easier overall solution to reducing noise in your apartment. However, if like many people, you have downstairs neighbors who are noisy – you’ll be wanting to implement 1 of these 10 ways to soundproof your floor.

1. DIY 1 (Do It Yourself): Carpet Padding

Carpet Padding is one of my favorite DIY techniques to soundproof a floor. When I was experimenting with this technique the results were astonishing. Let me tell you what Carpet Padding is.

Carpet Padding is where you add a big, thicker rug pad under the existing carpet where the rug pad acts as an additional layer and stopping sound waves to pass through it. I hope you understood if not then think the carpet padding as a helmet and floor is the head. When you are riding your bicycle and when you met an accident then that helmet would protect your head. The same analogy with this one too. Either I made you understand or confused you more. I hope you understood.

If you are asking for a recommendation for a Carpet Padding then I would recommend this Mohawk Home Dual Surface Carpet Padding (Amazon Link).

How to Install Carpet Padding?

1. Buy Mohawk Carpet Padding from Amazon (The best one that I found and recommend)
2. Measure and Cut the Carpet Padding according to the carpet that you have.
3. Place the Carpet Padding on the floor first and install it with Glue or Nail or Staples (Your Preference).
4. Now place the carpet on top of the Carpet Padding. You are done now.

Or, watch this video on How to Install Carpet Padding on the floor.

2. DIY 2 (Do It Yourself ): Interlocking Floor Mats

This DIY technique is the easiest method to soundproof your apartment floor. Do you remember playing Jigsaw then this is exactly the same thing.

Have you seen Puzzle type mats on the floors in Elementary school’s classroom or Kid’s nursery then that is what we are going to be using here not the kid’s version though. Here we will be using the BalanceFrom Puzzle EVA Foam Mat. Just buy some of these from Amazon and place them on your floor with the correct tiles and interlock them. Do it and fill up the whole floor with it. Make sure you cover the whole surface of the floor for this method to work.

This is super easy to do and you will also have some fun doing so.

Watch this video on How to Install Interlocking Floor Mats?

3. DIY 3 (Do It Yourself): Acoustic Floor Underlayment

The third method is a DIY (Do It Yourself) called Acoustic Floor Underlayment. Underlayment is a layer of insulation beneath the carpet or a rug and the floor. This underlayment acts as a sound deadening barrier and stops sound signals to pass through the floor.

The underlayment is I suggest you use is Floorlot Flooring Underlayment, This underlayment is made with the vapor barrier which is 3mm thick which will stop any type of sound signals to pass.

To Install Acoustic Floor Underlayment, unroll the underlayment material on the floor, apply it to the whole surface, and install it with Nail or Screws. Cut off the remaining materials at the edge of the floor.

4. Place Some Thick Carpets on the Floor

Placing some carpets on the floor with act as a barrier for sound to pass through. I am sure you have already laid some carpets on your floor for sure. But when getting carpets you would only look for designs or colors of the carpet but not the thickness or how dense the carpet is.

So firstly, get a carpet which is super thick, heavy and very dense. Because this type of carpet will prevent impact noise or airborne noise and you will save a lot of money by not implementing a lot of other floor soundproofing methods.

So when you go for Carpet shopping ask the guy for a Thick and Heavy Carpets.

5. Install Mass Loaded Vinyl (Soundproof Material) on the Floor

If you are a regular user in this blog then you know how much I love Mass Loaded Vinyl or MLV. It’s an amazing soundproofing material hand’s down.

Mass Loaded Vinyl is a super high dense and high mass material that would act or create a sound barrier on the floor and also known to absorb the sound signals.

One of my favorite methods to implement Mass Loaded Vinyl on the soundproofing floor is Placing the Mass Loaded Vinyl on the floor, then the Floor Underlayment which I explain on the DIY method and then the carpet. This is a three-layer sound barrier and for sure would soundproof the floor like crazy and no sound will pass through it.

The Best Mass Loaded Vinyl that I would recommend this Soundsulate Mass Loaded Vinyl, Hand’s down the best I have used. I have used Mass Loaded Vinyl from around 20+ brands and this one is my all-time favorite.

So to implement this method you need:

• Soundsulate Mass Loaded Vinyl (Amazon Link)
• Floor Underlayment (Amazon Link)
• A Heavy and Thick Carpet

6. Place Rubber Floor Mats

If the carpet method or the Mass Loaded Vinyl didn’t work then implement this. There is a sound that could penetrate three layers or even a very well know soundproofing material.

You can place these rubber floor mats underneath the carpets to soundproof the floor. These rubber mats that I am suggesting are very dense and heavy also thick. They are made up of wollen material which is super dense and there are no pores in them so very highly soundproof.

I will suggest this Rubber-Cal Soundproof/Rubber Floor Mat get this job done.  This Rubber-Cal Floor Mats are made up of recycled rubber which is super density. This Rubber-Cal floor mats are known for shock-absorption and also soundproofing.

Just place them underneath them the carpet in the room or for the double layer you can place a Mass Loaded Vinyl on the floor and on top that the Rubber Floor Mat and then the carpet. This is super soundproofing on the floor. If you have a washing machine or dryer which is more vibration prone then you need to place anti-vibration mats to completely soundproof the floor.

7. Apply Soundproofing Green Glue Compound on the floor

I am sure you think it’s bizarre to apply glue on the floor, but trust me it’s not because here we are using a Green Glue which is a soundproofing material.

The Green Glue is made up of a chemical compound that contains a polymeric formula that is soundproofing. Green Glue Compound is a scientific laboratory tested. Let me tell you How it works? When a sound passes through the green glue compound the sound signals are converted into heat waves. How awesome is that?

Just apply the Green Glue Compound on the floor and then let it dry and then put a carpet on it. That’s it. It’s a very simple method.

8. If Possible Soundproof the floor from Below (If New Apartments)

This is an optional method but you gotta do what you gotta do. If none of the methods are working then this is what you have to do.

You need to soundproof the floor from below because that will add another layer that will add another barrier to stop the sound. You can add another soundproof material such as Noise Reduction Blankets, or Green Glue Compound.

9. Place Furniture Strategically to Dampen the Sound

This is an easy method to soundproof your floor. Place the furniture smartly and strategically. Furniture is a dense material so that would naturally dampen the sound waves. You need to experiment with multiple combinations and positions on the floor.

There are many combinations so don’t give up. Keep trying till you find the perfect combination.

10. Place Thick Rugs with Underlay

This is exactly the same as the carpet method. But it’s perfect. If your apartment has hardwood floors then a rug is mandatory for it.

Just throw a nice and thick rug on the floor which will act as a sound dampener or a barrier.  You can also get a padded rug which will be more efficient too.

Wrapping UP!

Soundproofing an apartment floor can be an intimidating task to undertake. However, after reading this article and learning the 10 Best Ways to Soundproof a Floor in an Apartment I hope it gives you a bit better perspective on just how simple it can actually be.

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