MDF as a floor layer

B

bbundy96

New member
I am building my studio on the second floor of my house in a room that is above the family room and kitchen. In the rafters below the floor, R-30 was put in. I was wondering: would putting 3/8" MDF on top of the subfloor aid in keeping out unwanted noise from the downstairs. Or does some here have a better suggestion?

thanx

jim

p.s.
i will be post pictures when done. :)
 
It would be better to float the MDF off the existing floor on 2" x 1"s on rubber or the like and with insulation in the 1" airspace. That would isolate the whole studio better.

cheers
john
 
MDF is great for speaker cabinets, but not a good idea for flooring - especially if you float it as John suggests. Fiberboard has poor properties with respect to water and moisture and eventually your floor WILL get wet. Fiberboard also tends to creep, so it might become very uneven over time if it's floating.

Stick with plywood. And floating is definitely the best.

A variation (not quite as effective) on John's method is to tongue-and-groove plywood sheets over dense carpet padding. You can find plywood sheets with tongue-and-groove edges or you can do it yourself with a router. This will help keep the seams even over the soft substrate.

barefoot
 
In OZ we have a fibreboard product that is waterproof - we call it red tongue (as opposed to yellow tongue that isn't waterproof). Like the plywood barefoot mentioned it is grooved.

cheers
John
 
John Sayers said:
In OZ we have a fibreboard product that is waterproof - we call it red tongue (as opposed to yellow tongue that isn't waterproof). Like the plywood barefoot mentioned it is grooved.

cheers
John
Click to expand...

I would also recommend (if you own a router) is edging the flooring with a tongue and groove bit, then glue together with a quality carpenter's glue. This helps cut down on vibrations as the glue makes the entire surface one large piece. Also, this seals air gaps between the flooring if its a raised floor thus allowing a little extra sub frequency control.
 
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