There is a wealth of great looking flooring materials out there, but not nearly as many products that can make them sound as good as they look. The most commonly used product is a soundproofing floor underlay, but there are other options like soundproofing floor mat, insulation, and acoustic foam tile products. Here is an overview of each category of materials.

• Acoustic Underlayment – Special materials that lay over a concrete or plywood subfloor, cushioning the flooring and reducing the effects of airborne and impact noise
• Sound Deadening Vinyl – Also known as Mass Loaded Vinyl, this is a thin but heavy vinyl sheet that excels at dampening noise, especially in floors, machinery, and vehicles.
• Sound Absorbing Floor Insulation – This would be acoustic insulation that gets stuffed between floor joists, immediately below the subfloor. It can also be installed from the ceiling in the floor below.
• Acoustic Floor Tiles – These are special floor tiles that help reduce echo and reverberation in rooms with hard surfaces and floors.
• Sound Absorbing Carpet Padding – Carpets with a cheap pad don’t perform as well as a carpet with a thicker, more dense, noise absorbent padding.