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Guy at the supply house changed my mind about cork underlayment
I always thought cork underlayment was just extra cost for no real benefit, but last Tuesday a 20 year installer showed me how it reduces sound transfer by like 15 decibels in his own house. He had a decibel meter and everything to prove it. Anyone else ever been shown hard numbers like that on a product they were doubting?
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the_nina4mo ago
That decibel meter thing is pretty convincing but just a heads up, cork underlayment doesn't actually cut sound by a flat 15 decibels across the board. It's more like 5 to 10 decibels for footstep noise and maybe up to 12 for air noise depending on the thickness and the floor above. The numbers he showed probably came from a specific test setup in his house which isn't the same as every install. Still, cork is way better than nothing for sound if you're trying to keep downstairs quiet.
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amyb544mo ago
Joke's on me though, I tried using cork underlayment in my own place and ended up with a floor that squeaks louder than my old door hinges lol. Still better than nothing for the downstairs neighbor who hates my late night vacuuming habit. Got to take those decibel meter readings with a grain of salt, just like my DIY skills.
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