Custom wooden floor or ready made laminate for HT room?

[m.a.sara]

Hi,

My under construction HT room is 20x13.5 in size. For the wooden flooring please let me know which of below option is acoustically good.

1. Buy readymade laminate flooring (I have Krono in mind. its about 90 Rs/sqft). It comes in 8mm thickness with underlying foam layer of 2mm thick. Overall 10mm thick. Pros here is look n finish will be good (size of each plank is 7.5inches by 24inches)

2. My carpenter said he can put a 12mm ply and on top of that any laminate of 1mm. Total 13 in thickness. size of each plant will be larger than option 1.

is option 2 better than 1 since its thicker? or foam is better than plywood?.

Other than this I may go for very little acoustic treatment (only back side absorption panel)

rg,
saravanan

 

[GeorgeO]

Sarvanan

I suggest you avoid wood and go for carpet-it's cheaper and will also not reflect the sound.

 

[Shivam]

Go for the first option and get a center carpet.

 

[neo9999]

Hi Saravanan,

Exactly what is your intent of adding the flooring, acoustics or aesthetics? If its aesthetics then fine. Else for acoustics, any plank will reflect sound and not absorb. So even if you have foam underneath, unless you have holes drilled in your ply, which I presume wont happen, then only you can achieve some level of absorption.

Foam is def a better option than plywood for acoustics, but you need to install acoustic foam material, not ordinary foam.

Best option is to have a wall to wall carpet with atleast 0.5" to 1" thickness, on the floor. This will even look bit aesthetic depending what type of carpet you select.

 

[santhosh]

Don't try to get them made using veneer and plywood as the top layer of veneer is not thick enough and will wear off very soon and look bad. You can try real wood but it can get expensive unless you use pinewood.

Like others have mentioned, wooden floor is reflective. So Option 1 with a carpet at first reflection points of your room should work well.


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[m.a.sara]

Hi Saravanan,

Exactly what is your intent of adding the flooring, acoustics or aesthetics? .

For maintenance reason I am averse to carpet. Since tiles reflect more compared to wood, I chose wood. so you can say its bit of aesthetics plus acoustics.

Are there any carpets that can be cleaned as easy as tiles/wooden floor when something slips on it (liquid, food)? I highly doubt...

 

[m.a.sara]

Go for the first option and get a center carpet.

Yes, this looks like best option for me. While choosing the carpet which material is non reflective? fiber based carpets?

 

[Shivam]

Yes, this looks like best option for me. While choosing the carpet which material is non reflective? fiber based carpets?

For no reflection or absorption, you'll need carpets many feet 'thick' to be effective in lower frequency range. What you need is a carpet that diffuses well. Any carpet with average thickness works well for this purpose. Go for something that goes well with your room decor and is within your budget. Irregular or not too smooth surface is desirable.

 

[Radni14]

Hi,

My under construction HT room is 20x13.5 in size. For the wooden flooring please let me know which of below option is acoustically good.

1. Buy readymade laminate flooring (I have Krono in mind. its about 90 Rs/sqft). It comes in 8mm thickness with underlying foam layer of 2mm thick. Overall 10mm thick. Pros here is look n finish will be good (size of each plank is 7.5inches by 24inches)

2. My carpenter said he can put a 12mm ply and on top of that any laminate of 1mm. Total 13 in thickness. size of each plant will be larger than option 1.

is option 2 better than 1 since its thicker? or foam is better than plywood?.

Other than this I may go for very little acoustic treatment (only back side absorption panel)

rg,
saravanan

I may suggest , 12 mm plywood as base and on top of it 6-10 mm wooden planks or strips which will be nailed to the base ply using headless nails.
The top surface of the wooden strips to be treated with little oil and water only : No varnish or laquar or malamine polish. That way it will keep pores of the wood open to absorb sound.
You can add woolen or cotton rug in the centre of the room .
However this option may be little more costly than your option 1 or 2.