4 Best Flooring For Home Theater Rooms
With higher living standards comes the consumers’ ability to turn parts of their homes into home theaters. It would only be appropriate to have a flooring guide for the home theater design phase to guide you in creating your home theater.
The types that I like for the best flooring for your home theater are:
- Carpet tiles
- Rugs
- Home theater carpet
- Carpet rolls
This article will cover more information on the different types of home theater flooring. You’re welcome to keep reading for more helpful information that you can use to design your ideal home theater.
What is the best flooring for home theater?
Home theater flooring requires the same level of science and physics as the ceilings and the walls. They both have to have an element of soundproofing.
A good home theater will not allow any sound waves to reflect on any surface in the room. Recording studios are built in a manner that sound cannot escape from any point. Everything from the ceiling, the door, the walls, and the floors are entirely soundproof.
Home theaters would follow the same concept but on a less extreme level. Regardless, the floor would have to act as a soundproof layer. It’s similar to movie theaters but on a smaller scale as well.
What are the elements that make suitable flooring for home theaters?
Good flooring material for your home theater should have specific elements or properties that add to the allure of a movie theater. Let’s take a look at those properties:
- It should be comfortable.
- It should not allow sound to reflect or bounce off of it.
- It should come in a variety of colors. It has to fit different styles.
- It should be versatile. You need the flooring installation to be simple and easy. If you want to uninstall it, the same concept applies.
- Users can easily maintain the flooring.
- It can absorb sound waves.
These are some of the properties you want your flooring material to achieve while the home theater is in active usage. If it cannot satisfy the majority of these properties, it’s tricky whether or not to add it as part of your home theater flooring.
Which materials are the best for home theater flooring?
During the interior design planning phase, you decide what type of flooring you want for your home theater. You can either do it yourself or have a professional to guide you.
Here are the materials you are likely to come across during this phase:
1. Carpet Tiles
Carpet tiles are just carpets but in a tile format. You can easily stack them and install them tile by tile. Not only that but they have the same level of comfort as machine-made carpets, which isn’t so bad.
Hand-made carpets don’t typically come in a tile format, so it isn’t easy to compare something that might not exist. Carpet tiles are also great because they absorb the sound waves and, if installed correctly, will leave little to no room for the sound to escape.
Carpet tiles are also great because they can also fit into the golden ratio of home theaters.
What is the golden ratio?
The golden ratio is a set of ideal dimensions that allow for efficient regulation of sound throughout the room. For home theaters, the golden ratio is 1x 1.6 x 2.6. Check out my guide on the best home theater room dimensions.
During the design phase, using the golden ratio allows you to estimate the number of tiles you require for suitable flooring. Not only that, but you can also regulate other soundproofing elements.
2. Rugs
If you’re looking for a temporary home theater, rugs may be the answer to regulate sound effectively. Sometimes, you may want a movie night with your friends and family.
You can easily mimic the same effect as record studios, where the flooring absorbs the sound waves by putting rugs on the floor.
Rugs have the same advantages as carpet tiles, except that it’s on a smaller scale.
3. Home Theater Carpet
This carpet is a specialized type of flooring catered solely for creating home theaters. Most specialists will recommend this flooring because it’s the most used type of flooring in the industry.
Not only that, but they come in multiple colors and offer all the benefits that you require from your home theater flooring.
Experts highly recommend this type of flooring if you’re in the market.
4. Carpet Rolls
Carpet rolls are the lengthy version of carpet tiles. Instead of putting in tile by tile, they come as a complete roll that you install on your home theater. They also have similar benefits to carpet rolls, and they do absorb sound, which is the main reason for having flooring on your home theater.
In terms of color, there might not be a wide variety with carpet rolls but ensure that you check what they have to offer.
All of these flooring options provide all the necessary benefits for your home theater flooring. They have passed the skill test, and experts all heavily recommend them. Be sure to do further research and find a style, color, and design that suits your design palette.
Home Theater FAQs
Can you use vinyl flooring in your home theater?
Unfortunately, vinyl flooring cannot absorb sound waves and would make a terrible flooring choice for a home theater. It would be best if you stuck with carpet for your home theater.
What type of carpet should you use in home theaters?
Experts recommend nylon or wool carpets. They are comfortable options and will quickly absorb the sound waves. A thick rubber underlay will work wonders to help your theater be more soundproof. Consider your underlay choice, it can make a significant difference.
Can you install the carpet in your home theater?
As a DIY project, you can install carpet yourself. However, it would be best to trust a professional due to the complexity behind soundproofing. It won’t necessarily be easy for beginners.
Sources
1.Jabars Carpet Outlet, What is the Best Flooring for a Home Theater or Media Room? Jabaras Carpet Outlet, https://jabaras.com/blog/jabaras-carpet-outlet/flooring-for-a-home-theater-or-media-room/ Accessed August 7th, 2021.
2.Sydney Shields, 7 Things to Consider When Designing Your Home Theater, Flooring Inc, https://www.flooringinc.com/blog/designing-your-home-theater/ Accessed August 7th, 2021.
3.Danny Briere, Pat Hurley, Home Theater for Dummies, (New Jersey: Wiley Publishing, 2009) 410.
Jason is a home theater expert with over 10 years of experience in setting up home cinema rooms and systems. What started out as a hobby soon transformed him into an authority in the audio-visual field. He is passionate about providing readers with accurate and up-to-date information on the latest audiovisual technologies and their applications for home theaters. Read more about Jason.