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Sound room flooring advice needed

I'm planning a remodel of my family room, which is on a concrete slab, currently covered with 50-year-old linoleum. I'll be installing engineered hardwood flooring.

What installation method is better for sonics, glue-down or floating? My main audio system resides in this space, doing double-duty as a 2.0 home theater. I listen to vinyl 90% of the time, so I'm also a bit concerned that floating could introduce footfall issues.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Bill
wrm57
wrm57 OP
1,041 posts
 
Great info, Zenblaster. After the Dricore is down, you're talking about floating the floor on top of it, right, not gluing? If floating, what kind of underlayment do you recommend between it and the flooring? I've considered cork, PE foam, and a product called Quiet Walk. What do you think?

Pops, I looked at your system page. Your floor is gorgeous. Looks to be birch, which is what I'm planning to use. Did you float it on top of the Dricore?
zenblaster
504 posts
 
The engineered flooring will come with a padding that you can lay right over the Dricore. Lock all the flooring together leaving a little short all the way around for expansion.
Do all your walls and ceilings first, right down to the finished paint.
Install finish floor.
Install base trim and shoe mould to cover the expansion gap.
Enjoy for years.
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guber1
2 posts
 
I used a floating cork floor in the basement. It sounds great and cork is very resistant to moisture.
peterayer
1,382 posts
 
I've seen 30 year old cork floors in expensive bathrooms and they look great and feel great on your feet, especially in the Winter. I wonder however if a full cork tile floor would over damp a room from an acoustical standpoint.
wrm57 OP
1,041 posts
 
Cork is something I've considered but I'm concerned it would be too soft. I brought in some samples; I can dent them with my thumbnail. I'm also wary of it fading in sunlight, of which my room gets a ton.

Acoustically, I doubt cork flooring would damp more than wall-to-wall carpeting atop a pad, which people seem to like in sound rooms.
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