We do wear tennis shoes , flip flops or soft shoes in the house to cut down on the noise too. That helps....Bonnie

Thanks grayce! We do have ceramic in the bathrooms, back hallway , laundry room, craftroom, and PR also. I think hardwood being the rage is something I feel also ........like carpet isn't so popular anymore but it does have its good qualities also...like making rooms quieter. Sounds like you made great decisions based on what is best for your family. My DH has allergies so that was another reason for no carpet when we built but maybe someone will chime in with a no allergery carpet they know of. Thanks again for your help.......bonnie

bonn, since you've installed your flooring they have improved upon laminate in looks and sound. I suppose you've seen my Bruce Park Avene Makore, if not here's a photo. It's as thick as hard wood and we installed the best padding Armstrong makes, which is like a thick carpet padding. I can't record the level of noise for you, but I think it is most probably more quiet than the flooring you have. In some flooring stores they have displays set up that you can test the noise level of the flooring by tapping a golf ball on the flooring. When we bought our flooring we did this test and the difference in noise level just with a different padding, was amazing. Our floor doesn't have a clicking noise when you walk on it, more of a thud noise. If that makes any sense. LOL

{{gwi:1397853}}

We just replaced the last of our homes' carpets. Right above our living room is a big gameroom which now has some really nice engineered maple. I have to tell you that it makes no difference sound-wise whatsoever. Cats and kids still sound like elephants upstairs!

WRT hardness you can consult the hardness ratings for various woods that are available via a Google search, and also just test out the actual floors that you might be considering. We obtained many samples and tested them at home before deciding. Our tests included banging them with heels, denting with a butter knife or fingernail, and leaving them on the kitchen counter overnight with water, ketchup, wine, and salsa on them. Some survived beautifully and others did not. We finally settled on a prefinished oak by Bella Wood, although I was drooling over some of the more expensive options (exotic hardwoods and a particular bamboo we liked).

I would recommend that you read up on the Flooring forum...lots more info over there.

Thanks Brutuses,daisyadair, & learn as i go for your info & opinions on everything. Brutuses , your flooring is beautiful! I worked for an interiors store p/t & got the best they had to offer at the time. I know when our store closed permanently Shaw had another pad out for lamintate that was much much better than the one I had. So you are correct about the padding. My DH believes that in the big great room that has the 22ft ceiling, just about anything is going to make noise except for maybe carpeting. Daisyadair, you are right about kids....at Christmas my son & daughter acted like they were 10 again upstairs having playtime and it just echoed off the walls.....LOL!
Learn as i go.....thank you so much for the info on the flooring & the link.......will check it out & read up on the latest & greatest.....:) Bonnie

I'm reading this with interest - I grew up in a household w/11 people (9 children, 2 parents, DH & I now have 7 children between us & 2 grandchildren -

For some odd reason I am extermely sensitive to noise. We did an entire home renovation 2.5 yrs ago and I was adamant about noise buffering/lowering solutions to every application. Our home is plaster walls (which provide excellent sound deadening)& we lost the largest ceiling (LR) so I came up w/a soundproofing solution for the GC who applied the materials.

If you live in a home built after 1950 or so - and it is sheetrock - noise travels quite readily through sheetrocked walls, moreso through the joists the sheetrock is applied to. PVC pipe which replaced that nice fat old black pipe which was thicker & quieter.

If flooring is "floating" it is more likely to increase the noise in the house - A material used prior to flooring being installed is MLV (Mass loaded Vinyl) 1/8" thick comes in large roll like rolled flooring. I used that on the ceiling in my basement renovation, after applying mineral wool between the joists - then I applied an acoustical tile - I know it sounds overkill - but my dream is that will eventually be the home theatre. I'm shocked at the amt of $$$ people pour into systems, wiring, LCDS, audio without doing anything to improve the sound quality in the room.

Sorry to ramble on - My point really is to please do your research before deciding on anything or you will be throwing good $ down the drain.

What was your home like prior to the flooring? When was it built, how long have you lived there etc...

Below is link to an excellent site/Company (no I'm not affliated, they helped me though) with great detail on soundproofing - you can pick up the phone & get great advice

Good luck

Here is a link that might be useful: soundproofing

Thank Jejvtr for all the info - sounds like you know your stuff about noise ! :) My home was newly built so the flooring was installed at the time of building 2004. We have lived here 4 & a half years. We love the look & easy care of the laminate wood.......just some little things we don't like, noise being one in the 22 ft greatroom. We aren't planning to do anything right away so will have plenty of time to research. Thanks for the link!
bonnie

Bonniee,

One other thing to think about is your window coverings. Do you have alot of windows in that big 22 foot room? Drapery panels do wonders in absorbing noise. I think even with carpet your rooms will be noisy just beause of the height with the balcony. Of course wall to wall carpet will help, especially with foot traffic noise. Tapestries on the walls or large paintings will also help absorb some noise.

I think that is the common complaint of the large open high ceilinged floor plans - they are noisy. But they are also open, light filled and beautiful, so I guess there's a tradeoff with everything!

Hi Carol.......Thank you so much for your info! I do have heavy camel colored PB velveteen drapes over the doors. There are 2 french doors on both sides of the fp. We do have pictures up & need one more piece of furniture in the FR. Trapestries might be helpful :) , great idea! I want to buy a secretary or a grandfather clock for the wall coming out of the pantry. Here are some recent pics of the 22 ft ceiling room. Thanks again for being so sweet & trying to help me.......Bonnie