Laying Chamber-less timber floor over concrete for aesthetic

Hi - I recently posted here regarding construction of a floating timber floor, which received a very cold reception. I now realise that no one wants to touch it - and I understand why. However, there must be someone else who, like, wants a timber surface under them, for looks, feel and sound reflection to a point, without actually floating a floor on bearers & joists & creating resonant chambers? Surely there is a simple way to pin a tongue & groove flooring down onto concrete without chambers in a way that has minimal impact on sound? Its seems 90% of studios I see have timber floors - if they aren't floating floors, what are they? Obviously there is the option of a veneer floor, but they are not hardy enough in my opinion... I'd really like some help with this, as I'm getting nowhere with forums, talking to builders, suppliers etc etc...hours n hours... What other information do I need to post? Thanks! Rob

Hi Rob, That was basically my first design plan. A beautiful hardwood laminate over a concrete base. Had nothing to do with the sound ... it was for looks AND a way to cover. After the 6th store, I found a place that had this beautiful laminate laid out for show. It was placed over their concrete floor in the showroom. I do the walk on concrete ... then start walking on the laminate. Oh ... it felt so much better under the sneakers ... The bad part ... I was playing the worlds largest Marimba ... with every step :shock: Back and forth I went. There was no way I could walk on this without hearing this resonance :roll: I ended up buying this rubberized laminate flooring [like a fiber floor]. It's about a 1/4" thick. When you see it, it looks like a hardwood floor. It is very quiet to walk on. My chair doesn't make noise when I roll, and it's easy on the knees when I have to crawl around. Vacuuming is a breeze. Oh, and the cost was like 1/5 what a hardwood goes for. For me ... best move I made. Maybe there is some type of damping material that could go between the base and the wood floor ... but I never found any that worked. just my 1/2 cent.

Hi, thanks for your feedback... Sounds like we're on the same page... Would you mind posting a link to the priduct you ended up with? Then I'll if I can find something similar here in Australia!?

Hey Robbie :D there's a product I'm looking at and researching at the moment which is a Bamboo laminate. 14mm thick boards, click lock, solid bamboo and pre-finished. Goes down on concrete floors with a 2mm underlay and vapour barrier. I' ve seen it down at a property up in lyonville up the road. I've got a couple of samples here at the studio, so you can have a squizz when you're down this way. check out 'UB trading Pty Ltd' on facebook or google 'click-lock strandwoven bamboo' and you'll get some info for sure. hope that helps amigo.

Hmmm Trentham Vic? Sounds suspiciously familar!!

Actually...bamboo. I think this is what one of the builders was trying to tell me about today... He was very impressed with it...will check it out!

RJHollins wrote:

Maybe there is some type of damping material that could go between the base and the wood floor ... but I never found any that worked.

Did any of the timber laminates you tried have a 2mm underlay or something similar like this bamboo i'm talking about RJ? I'd be interested to hear you're experience as I think this is the product i'll be going with in my build. The flooring I've walked on doesn't apppear to have any noticable noise or resonance.

yep, you got me on the location Robbie :wink: if you've got time when you're down we could probably cruise up to Lyonville and check out this floor so you can see it down. It appears to be super-tough and very easy to install.

This stuff Dr Vella? http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/laverton ... 1002451071

spot on Robbie. I'm not sure if that's the actual 'supplier' of the floor i've seen, but it is the product. I can get in touch with the guys who's floor it is and get a confirmation on supplier, but I believe it's made under licence from a swedish(?) company called Valainge, Vallerst, Val-something :lol:

Yeh its the same company, but on gumtree. The builder I spoke to today said his client bought it at that other place starting with a big 'B' ... ehem....I'll quiz him again tomorrow, but it looks like a goer...you may just have made my day. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =1&theater

the builder who put me on to it was very impressed as well, and he's a very, very, very hard man to impress :shock:

Tops!

stevev wrote:

RJHollins wrote:

Maybe there is some type of damping material that could go between the base and the wood floor ... but I never found any that worked.

Did any of the timber laminates you tried have a 2mm underlay or something similar like this bamboo i'm talking about RJ? I'd be interested to hear you're experience as I think this is the product i'll be going with in my build. The flooring I've walked on doesn't apppear to have any noticable noise or resonance.

Hi stevev, the hardwood laminate flooring I considered, did have a built-on damping material. It did soften the 'sound' when compared to direct wood on concrete. Even still, there was a resonance. I ended up [happily] with a fiber flooring from ARMSTRONG. They use this type of flooring in gym workout rooms I'm told. It comes on a 12ft wide roll to whatever length. I'll see if I can track a link. We have a 'Home Depot' here in the States.