We are in the process of doing some work in our upstairs (putting in new carpeting and new tile in the bathrooms). Our second floor has never been very sound proof and as we are doing this work we would like to rectify that. Could we add another layer of 3/4 inch plywood and screw that down, or is there another product that would be better for our sound problem? Our next question concerns what we found when we pulled up the carpeting in our hallway upstairs. Due to uneven floor the orginal builder put in tarpaper to apparently make the floor level. We wanted to put hardwood in this hall but due to this situation can we do this or should we just use carpeting again?
Answer:
Adding the plywood will not do a whole lot to stop sound transmission and may very well squeak enough to make it worse. The tarpaper should have nothing to do with your decision as to whether you use carpet or hardwood. I would though, remove it no matter which you go with.
