Hi all, finally decided on a carpet for the bedroom from Abbingdon (Pure Elegance) a thick (about 16 - 18mm), dense PP one which ticks all the boxes but complicates the choice of underlay. I have standard gripper rods (I think they can accommodate 8 to 10mm underlay). Since the carpet is soft, should I choose a firm underlay like cloud9 Caviar in 9mm? Or should I choose the softest (with better TOG and Sound insulation): Plushwalk 10mm or 8mm? Any ideas and suggestions? TOG rating doesn't matter too much, the room is always warm upstairs. The sound insulation is actually important to dampen the chipboard flooring that makes some noises here and there. Ideally, an underlay that can also be used on stairs and landing, as I will have leftover after doing the bedroom. Let me know if there is any other underlay I could order
Hey there! Since sound insulation is a priority for you, I'd suggest looking into Springbond. It has a higher dB reduction than Acoustilay and is eco-friendly too. If you're set on using either Cloud9 Caviar or Plushwalk, I'd say go for the Plushwalk 10mm it's softer and provides better sound insulation. Plus, it should still work well with your grippers, even though it's on the thicker side. For stairs and landings, though, a firmer underlay like Cloud9 might hold up better for wear. Hope that helps!
The underlay won’t do what you’re asking of it in regards to noise, if the chipboard is creaking or making noise you need to sort out the chipboard, carpet underlay “noise insulation” doesn’t mean anything without frequency graphs and knowing what frequencies are an issue in the room, as a general rule of thumb higher frequencies need thinner materials and lower ones require up to metre thick materials to absorb, plus you need to isolate that area with an air gap because the vibrations will cause noise. My advice is sort out the subfloor and use Tredaire ambience throughout it’s dense enough for heavier use but not so dense to feel solid underfoot unless you plan spending a lot of money on acoustic treatment. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thanks all, I have ordered the Plushwalk 10mm earlier this week, @tarkett85 i did not see your message in time, I think I’d have preferred that tredaire as it would have worked well for stairs and landing too. The difference in density is 105 vs 145, all other aspects (TOG and dB) are better for plushwalk. Should I stick with my decision or put another order in and refuse delivery for plushwalk? I wanted to do the subfloor but it’s made of chipboard and I don’t get a guarantee on the work, meaning that the squeaking could come back. Also, I have painted skirting boards and as far as I can see, the boards are running under the skirting, it’s possible that the chipboard was laid before building the partition walls. Should I still give it a try for my sanity? Out of a 7 sqm area, about 3sqm are squeaking (just at the entrance)
