Foot sound question: WPC vs SPC vs Marmoleum Click vs Waterproof Cork

last year

last modified: last year

I have read hundreds of reviews on this and other sites about the merits of these plank flooring products. I can’t seem to figure out which has the best foot “sound”—which is the least tappy/clicky when walking on it when properly installed? I will be putting it into a 24 x 50 ft room with a newly built OSB floor with a washer/dryer, but no pets or kids, just me walking on it. I want it to look AND sound great, not like the hollow Pergo sound. But it has to be floating, not glued, so perhaps there’s no avoiding that sound? I talked to a local rep and he said SPC would be louder because it's stone, but then I read the exact opposite online.

Thanks in advance for your real world advice!

EDIT: Thanks for comments so far. Note that I don't mind a sound as I walk on it--I usually wear running shoes and don't expect it to be silent--I have had wood, engineered wood and glued down Marmoleum and those were fine. I just don't want it to be fake/hollow/plastic sounding.

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Patricia Colwell Consulting
last year
last modified: last year
I have never had a clicking floor with either vinyl plank or laminate . The new vinyl plank has a click install but is floating with underlay attached to many. So probably for you the best choice. Coretec is a brand often mentioned here. I have really old vinyl plank in my walkout we installed dri core under it for a bit of warmth in the basement floor we have had ours for 13 yrs I love it
HU-180224990 thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting
Kate
last year
If you choose a floating floor, don’t skimp on the underlayment. We went with a heavy wool felt with a foil backing for extra insulation and it’s great.
HU-180224990 thanked Kate
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SJ McCarthy
last year
Three words:

Preparation, Preparation, Preparation!

Subfloor preparation is THE SINGLE most import thing you can PAY FOR. You need to pay $2-$4/sf for subfloor preparation (cost depends on the current flooring, the condition of the subfloor and the material of the subfloor). No I'm not kidding. The subfloor preparation SHOULD double the cost of the labour!!

Once the subfloor has been prepared within an INCH of its life, you can start the installation process. As soon as you have a perfect (or near perfect...cause nothing is perfect in the building industry) base, your flooring product will then have a FANTASTIC chance of being/feeling/sounding great.

Remember: footsteps START with the SURFACE the foot hits. That means CARPET is #1. Real cork is next at #2. A TRADITIONAL cork floating floor (not the 'water proof' cork you are thinking of - it has a layer of vinyl/PE on to of it) is the one with cork on the surface. Then at #3 you have Marmoleum....and then way down the list you have the vinyl products such as the WPC or the SPC.

Why are those two so low on the list? Because they have a HARD surface. Hard = noisy.

Imagine the noise of a stiletto hitting metal (very loud). Now imagine it hitting wood (noisy). Now laminate - still noisy. Now CARPET. Right. Not a sound. Hmmmmm. Soft SURFACE = low noise.

So work from the SOFTEST surface up until you hit the target. Carpet is out (because you didn't list it). That means TRADITIONAL cork floating floor is the first choice.

But the BIGGEST issue is going to be technical. The size of the room is TOO MUCH for all of the click floors (the WPC or SPC *might do it....but it is possible the size of the room is too big for a continuous install).

Yah. The 50 foot run is TOO LONG for a click system. Sigh. That means you need an in-field expansion gap (that means in the middle of the floor. You have a continuous space that is 1200sf (or so). Only the MOST IMPRESSIVE and most EXPENSIVE SPC products can handle a size that big. They can be installed in a single piece up to 1500sf.

So now the question becomes: do you INSIST on a single continuous floor? Then SPC is it. There is no other option. Done-like-dinner.
HU-180224990 thanked SJ McCarthy
Jj J
last year
S J provides good information that makes sense.
We have an inexpensive solution for our hardwoods. We remove our shoes at entry. Socks and slippers are quiet on any floor.
HU-180224990 thanked Jj J
Sue Guilford
9 months ago
My parents had solid cork tiles installed their house in 1952. The installation had to be redone because the underlayment was done improperly. We lived in Oregon (the wet part), we were four kids and my mother was a casual housekeeper. The floors still looked great when I sold the house after my dad died in 2005. They used paste wax and had an electric floor polisher, as I recall. I wish I could find the same quality now.

Foot sound question: WPC vs SPC vs Marmoleum Click vs Waterproof Cork

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Patricia Colwell Consulting

Kate

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