Soft flooring is great for making your home or commercial space feel cozy, and some form of it can work in practically every room of the house. Soft flooring isn’t just soft to the touch, though—it can also help soften noises and improve the acoustics in any space.
Soft Flooring and Its Effect on Interior Acoustics
Types of Soft Flooring
Soft flooring comes in many forms, and carpet isn’t the only thing that’s considered soft in the flooring industry. Carpeting does come to mind first when you think of soft flooring, though, and for good reason. Carpet can be made from natural or artificial fibers, and it can be installed in large sheets or as individual soft floor tiles. Carpet works well in bedrooms and living rooms, but it also functions well in commercial settings like offices or retail spaces. While carpeting doesn’t fit everyone’s modern aesthetic vision, its comfort cannot be outdone by any other type of flooring. Carpeting can provide warmth to a space, both in temperature and vibes. Carpeting comes in many colors and patterns, and different types of piling can give you even more customization when planning your interior design.
Soft vinyl flooring is another big contender for the best soft flooring, mostly due to its affordability and resilience. While vinyl flooring isn’t nearly as soft as carpet, it’s still quite comfortable. Vinyl is made of plastic, and as a result, it’s springy and easy to walk on. Vinyl has some benefits over carpet, its biggest perk being that it’s waterproof. Vinyl floors are durable and resistant to scratching and other damage, making them ideal for places with high foot traffic, too.
Rubber and cork flooring are two other common types of soft flooring. Rubber and cork are both sustainable natural resources that can be recycled and provide a good level of comfort. Rubber is durable and can work in commercial or home gyms, kitchens, and garages. Cork flooring can be great in a bedroom or playroom since it’s durable and very cushioned.
Impact of Soft Flooring on Acoustics
Now that you’re familiar with some of the more popular types of soft flooring on the market, it’s time to explore how this flooring helps with interior acoustics. Let’s take a look at some of the best types of flooring for acoustics.
Ever stood in an empty room and heard every single footfall and sound echo back at you? This uncomfortable feeling can be mitigated at the ground level with soft flooring. Soft flooring functions as a dampener for sound by absorbing sound waves, rather than bouncing them around. Hard floors like hardwood or laminate flooring don’t absorb noise; instead, they reflect it off the walls and ceiling. This can make conversation or even quiet work maddening in a large, mostly empty space.
So, what type of flooring is best for acoustics? It’s a pretty simple answer, really: carpet is the best choice for interior acoustics simply because it’s so soft. Not only are carpets themselves soft, but the padding beneath them is also soft. This effectively muffles sound, preventing it from transmitting to floors below or bouncing back around the room. Many large offices choose carpeting for this reason. Without carpet, these bustling spaces would be a maddening echo chamber where every conversation and keyboard click carries too far. If you’re worried about sound in your home or commercial space, carpet is simply the best option. While other soft flooring choices work in a similar way, none of them come close to what carpeting can offer in terms of noise dampening.
Soften the Sound
If you’re trying to manage echoes in a space, whether it’s a commercial sound studio or your home office, consider the impact of good soft flooring. If you’re ready to explore your options, reach out to the local Nashville flooring company that understands acoustics: Ozburn-Hessey.
