Sound-proof wood floors

July 9, 2009 12:02 PM

Is there an inexpensive way to soundproof apartment floors? I have cats who love to run back and forth through the apartment at top speed. They actually sound like horses to my ears. The younger cats (2) are around 8 lbs and very active. The older cats (2) are around 15 and 20 lbs.

I get worried that my downstairs neighbors are going to kill me or at least report me to management. I'm not supposed to have cats.

I recently got the opportunity to move to another, larger apartment in the same building. Even though my current downstairs neighbors never complained I want to take as many precautions as possible.

posted by mokeydraws to home & garden (11 comments total)

Very thick, very heavy carpeting is your best bet. Invest heavily in very plush cushiony rugs.
posted by Tomorrowful at 12:04 PM on July 9

You may have to consider confining the cats to one room, especially at night. (That's when my cats seem to do the Thundering Herd thing most often.)

If I were you, I'd try to see what I can find out about the new neighbor. Maybe they would be sympathetic, and you don't have to do anything at all. You could start by bringing over cookies or something and introducing yourself as the new tenant upstairs, and see what kind of vibe you get.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 12:29 PM on July 9 [1 favorite]

Thickly padded carpeting vs wood floors.
posted by JJ86 at 12:39 PM on July 9

Cats need to exercise; instead of confining them, consider the larger apartment or lots of rugs.
posted by heather-b at 12:54 PM on July 9

knitted cat booties
posted by Jason and Laszlo at 12:58 PM on July 9 [2 favorites]

Jason and Laszlo - I don't think my cats would appreciate this. And it probably would help with sound absorbtion. I do know how to knit, and I do have tons of yarn. They seem to like the little mice that I knit for them.

Adding to my list of ways to demoralize a cat.....
posted by mokeydraws at 1:09 PM on July 9

It probably wouldn't help is what I meant to say.
posted by mokeydraws at 1:11 PM on July 9

Cats do need exercise, but my cats are also confined to one room just at night, because people need sleep, too.

Just get a cat toy and spend some time playing before they go to bed at night. (For reference, all three of my cats, including the 4-yr old that does NOT play with anything else, adore cat teasers like this one.)

Thick carpets help, also a climbing tree or cat fort of some kind gives them a comfy place to hang out and reduces the running around constantly to only running around occasionally.
posted by misha at 1:40 PM on July 9

You'd be surprised, but your downstairs neighbor may not hear it at all. What's loud to you may not be heard at all below you. There's a really easy way to find out.

Oh, and if you don't trim your cats' nails, think about it; it cuts down on the noise on hardwood floors.
posted by jabberjaw at 1:54 PM on July 9

You could try the novel approach of getting an apartment that actually allows cats.
posted by torquemaniac at 2:15 PM on July 9

I have little of use to add, other than I wish you were my neighbor when I had to endure a cat chasing ping pong balls up and down the wooden hallway on the other side of my bedroom wall from 3-7 am every morning. Carpets, rugs, duct tape on the cat, gouging my ears out, I was up for anything.

A cheap solution is carpet remnants. See your local carpet showroom for more.
posted by Ookseer at 11:49 PM on July 9