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What to put beneath an area rug to absorb reflections?

dallasjustice

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I use three layers of wool padding underneath a rug. I've measured the difference using the ETC tab. It makes things a little better.

I think the best practice is to measure the frequency of the reflection first because it will vary from setup to setup. Once you know that, you can experiment with different thicknesses to see what works.
 

dallasjustice

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:DAnyone here brave enough to lay one of these flokati rugs down?
flokati rug.jpg
 

amirm

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I'm not sure what you a referring to here.
I was presenting computer simulation of velocity absorbers and one of the parameters is flow resistivity which differs with material. This is what he was asking about.
 

amirm

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:DAnyone here brave enough to lay one of these flokati rugs down?
Don't laugh but that is pretty close to what I have! Bought it from Costco under the label of "modern shag!" It actually looks decent and does a remarkable job acoustically given its height.
 

iridium

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??? How well do thick cotton throw rugs work [no solid backing] ???
If the square footage of each is small, you can throw one in the washing machine.

iridium.
 

stunta

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DonH56

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Standard felt (fabric) or standard foam would probably behave similarly to hair felt and be much cheaper (and easier to find). Be aware a standard felt pad is not non-slip so make sure the rug is anchored somehow (tacks, furniture, whatever) or get one with the non-slip backing (making sure it will not mar your floors -- rubber and some plastics will chemically interact with wood or vinyl to cause a permanent stain).
 

Thomas savage

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:DAnyone here brave enough to lay one of these flokati rugs down?
View attachment 2335
I used to use a large pelt made by mountain people, not sure of the beast it originated (maybe goat) from but I loved it.

Difficult to clean so it ended up in the loft:(
 

amirm

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I am not able to find any "hair felt" pads. Does anyone know if this or this would have a similar effect acoustically?
It might be. The key thing is that air has to be able to go through it. The more porous, the better. If you can get a sample, just try to breath through it and see if it is easy or hard.
 

sergeauckland

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Nice! I used to have a sheep skin rug made by polish mountain people, it was massive and spectacular but a bugger to clean.
I use much the same, but made in Devon. 3m diameter, over an oak floor glued to the floor slab. I've never found mine hard to clean, just run the vacuum cleaner over it once a week, but then I don't wear shoes in the house and we don't have kids or pets with muddy paws around. (The kids don't have muddy paws, just the pets)

S.
 

Thomas savage

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I use much the same, but made in Devon. 3m diameter, over an oak floor glued to the floor slab. I've never found mine hard to clean, just run the vacuum cleaner over it once a week, but then I don't wear shoes in the house and we don't have kids or pets with muddy paws around. (The kids don't have muddy paws, just the pets)

S.
Beer and curry were the major issues lol
 

SIY

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:DAnyone here brave enough to lay one of these flokati rugs down?

That looks remarkably like my dog, who provides absorption I can move from spot to spot, depending on my seating position.
mindy.JPG
 

Thomas savage

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That looks remarkably like my dog, who provides absorption I can move from spot to spot, depending on my seating position.View attachment 16769
That’s a distant preoccupied look of self contemplation full of melancholy ,, I now know it was the dog that really invented that fake cork all along.
 
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DonH56

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And here I was thinking dogs are actually woofers

Ouch, that's pretty ruff... :D

The problem with pets and family members as absorbers is that they can also become radiators.
 

SIY

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The problem with pets and family members as absorbers is that they can also become radiators.

She has a particular hatred for Farina chirps. When I run them, she starts howling and has to be put outside. Music doesn't bother her, but in my house recordings, when she hears my wife's voice, she runs to the speaker barking furiously. "LET HER OUT OF THERE, YOU BASTARD!!!!"
 
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