Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Dec 13, 2020 9:07 am Building a 2 story concrete suspended slab, concrete steps. Ground floor is going to be polished concrete and tiles in wet areas. Can't agree on upstairs flooring with the wife. Upstairs will be for our 12 and 9 year old boys. Steps land into a living room then have the bedrooms, small hall and bathroom. I know the suspended slab should be quieter but still think carpeting the steps, living and bedrooms is the way to go, to help stop the noise of soon to be teenage boys stomping around. Wife wants tiles for steps and living, then carpet for bedrooms. Not having lived in a 2 story before we don't have any experience to go off. Will carpet or tiling make a difference for noise through the suspended slab? I also think having polished concrete downstairs leading into tiling upstairs leading into carpet will look a bit stupid. Thoughts and advise from those that have built 2 story much appreciated! Re: Upstairs flooring advice 2Dec 13, 2020 9:56 am Hey, Carpet upstairs All day I say! I cant stand cold tiles, floorboards in an area I want to be soft and comfy especially in the mornings and nights. But it is personal preference on your taste. I dont like the idea of polished concrete, then tiles then carpet I dont think that flow will look good at all. Just my 1 cent Re: Upstairs flooring advice 3Dec 14, 2020 6:48 am You are going to have a noisy house if all your floor surfaces are hard. I've been in a couple of both single and double storey houses that had polished concrete or tiles upstairs and down and coupled with the masonry walls, they were very noisy. Just walking around with three adults talking even with all the furnishings like curtains, floor rugs etc and there was a distinct echo. I can't imagine what a house like that with kids running around would be like especially if a few of their friends come over as well. And yes, the tiles or polished slab upstairs will transfer a lot of the impact sound down to the lower level. Much better to have softer floor coverings like carpet upstairs and even on the stairs. Stewie Re: Upstairs flooring advice 5Dec 14, 2020 4:02 pm Engineered timber with caulk underlay will resolve most of the issues. Plus I would specifically invest into 13 mm soundcheck gyprock for ceilings if you ask me (go for 2 layers if you can afford it). Carpets are literally accumulators of dust mites I have a home gym at home. It weights 150KG including the weight stack. I'm a big boy, around 150KG myself. I was thinking about moving it up stairs to the second… 0 6301 Versaloc is a mortarless besser block system that still needs a properly engineered footing. If you just do a 400x200 footing it will fail in time. At 17m long you need it… 1 17528 1000000% definitely add insulation. I have in my home and it makes a big difference minimising sound transfer. Insulation is pretty cheap and definitely worth it 2 6191 |