How to Install Carpet Padding for Soundproofing

Installing a carpet pad helps to dampen sound.

Noise in your home can disrupt your concentration, contribute to stress, affect your sleep and even harm your health. Reducing noise levels can improve sleep and quality of life, according to Georgia Tech University's website. When you install carpet padding for soundproofing, you create a more relaxing environment. The carpet padding absorbs vibration and dampens sound, helping to cut down on sound traveling downstairs and to adjacent rooms. Carpet padding not only makes footsteps quieter, but it also helps absorb other noises within the room.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Carpet padding, such as a heavy rubber or recycled pad
• Utility knife
• Heavy-duty cardboard, such as a flattened shipping box

Instructions

1. Measure the room for the carpet padding. Take the measurements twice to make sure they're correct. Write the measurements down.

2. Unroll the carpet padding on a hard surface or use a piece of cardboard underneath the padding as a firm surface for cutting. The cardboard also helps to prevent damage to the underlying surface.

3. Trim the carpet pad to the correct size with a utility knife. Take your time and make long straight cuts. Draw lines on the pad for the dimensions you want if you're unaccustomed to making freehand cuts. For example, if the pad is 10 feet wide and your room is 9 feet wide, use a tape measure and draw a line 1 foot from the edge of the pad, then cut along the line.

4. Position the pad in the room so it lays flat with its edges against the walls.

5. Lay the carpet over the pad carefully. Lift the edges to make sure there's no bunching and that the pad still reaches the walls all the way around. This prevents having to take up the carpet to straighten a wrinkle in the pad.

Tips & Warnings

• Installing a recycled fiberboard insulation product increases the sound-absorbing ability of the floor -- and improves insulation in your home, according to Tim Carter of the website Ask the Builder. Soundproofing improves the acoustics of the room. Adding thick drapes, upholstered chairs, heavy wall hangings and other textiles to a room helps absorb sound and prevent echoing.

• Choose hypoallergenic rug padding to reduce the risk of health reactions to rug padding material.

References

• Georgia Tech Research Institute: Quiet on the Hall: Researchers Search for Ways to Reduce Noise and Improve Sleep in Nursing Homes
• Ask the Builder: Carpet Pads Insulating Underlayment

Resources

• National Park Service: Environmentally Responsible Carpet Choices