Jay Francis posted:This is an interesting discussion with good insights. I’m facing this carpet vs hardwood decision. Fortunately, we are having a new room built above the garage. In one of the responses it was mentioned that sound carries in the joists. This gave me the thought of sound proofing the joists. Has anyone tried this or do you have any thoughts on the possibility?
Thanks,
Jay
Having done some projects where sound proofing was a priority, I can offer some information.
First, if there is to be living space under the new room, sound deadening furring strips can be fastened to the underside of the wood joists. The drywall then gets screwed to these strips.
Second, sound deadening insulation should be used between the floor joists. We call it rotten cotton. It resembles fiberglass insulation but is much more rigid. It is available in varying thicknesses and widths. It comes in a bundle, in lengths of four feet. The newer rotten cotton is much more user friendly than the stuff we worked with years ago.
Third, before the new sub-floor is laid on top of the joists, neoprene can be fastened to the joists. Then the plywood sub-floor laid on top of the neoprene.
Some examples
