Help! I'm the neighbour from hell.

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So I've just moved into a new house, stupidly put laminate floor everywhere.. the noise is ridiculous. I'm literally telling the kids off for walk/breathing/anything.. they sound like elephants everytime they move. It's the frontroom that's the worst. I have one rug that doesn't seem to make to much difference. Im so worried about upsetting the neighbours. I have serious mum guilt and absolutely hating the house. I have 0 money left to buy carpets or do much. But Any advice?

I have so many bigger issues & theres so much worse happening in the world but for some reason this noise situation is really getting to me.

Helpppppppp!

Where are the neighbours - if it's s terraced, voices seen to carry much more than footsteps

The main problem with laminate or floorboards is in flats

Oh bless you, have you joined local free cycle sites my local one you kindly ask if people are giving away bits and go and collect could be people have some rugs/carpet spares etc.

Depending on the build spec / quality it may not be the problem you think it is 🤞

Implement a no shoes inside policy. Buy some slippers for everyone and if you can, get some rugs cheaply from Wilkos or somewhere similar. It probably sounds louder to you than it is. If you stand outside your house in the pavement, can you hear this “thundering”?

Is it honestly that noisy op? Have you asked the neighbours. No way would I be telling my children off for acting normally in their own house. I thought you were in a top floor flat at first

Get some massive rugs. We got a large deep pile one from B&Q for £15 (on sale obviously)

@Treebark so me shouting stop jumping is probably worse than the banging? We're end terraced.

@Birch101 I'm going to get some bigger rugs, hopefully when we get bits on the walls shelves/pictures might help too?

Ask the neighbours what they can hear and what time of day, and use that to prioritise rugs in which rooms. Maybe the neighbours will have spare rugs you can borrow while you save up. Or maybe they say it’s fine they can’t hear anything and you can stop worrying.

@Peoplemakemedespair I'm not normally nervous/on edge or worried easily but the noise is really bad.. I feel awful telling the kids off, I feel awful we've spent so much money and time on a house I now just want to leave. I feel so dramatic and stupid that noise is getting to me so much lol

Get the kids to wear fluffy socks.

I wouldn't take anyone's used carpers/rugs...bedbugs 😭

I can get some thicker/larger rugs (klarna?) And some of them softsole slippers for the kids.. anything else that can help? Before I look completely nuts sticking egg boxes to my walls lol

That doesn’t make you a neighbour from hell. Laminate floor is a problem if you are the upstairs neighbour in a flat, not a house.

Shouting / screaming is another thing.

Big fluffy rugs from ikea will be the best thing for this

Curtains, blankets/ throws, fabric or canvas wall art, other soft furnishings. Anything soft will help absorb the sound. Look on Facebook market place for rugs or try the range/ B&M.

Maybe you've just been spending too much time on MN. Have you got any other symptoms?
Ignoring the doorbell ?
Eating massive salads ?
Can you see your children's ribs ?

I would get everyone to leave their shoes at the door. Walking in socks it will be quieter and the bonus is you won't have to do as much cleaning. We live in a 12 year old, 3 storey mid terrace and have engineered wood floors everywhere except the stairs and landings. We often chat to the neighbours, and they say they never hear us and we rarely hear them unless windows are open. But we don't wear shoes in the house. Ikea do really cheap cotton machine washable rugs, we got some small ones for bedrooms recently for £4 each and they're great.

My neighbours both sides have hard flirting. I don’t hear them. One side has laminate floors I don’t hear a thing the other side has tiles. I only hear their chair scraping on the tile sometimes and raised voices as the wife can be a bit shouty. Stop worrying you’re fine. No shoe policy, socks or slippers and be as mindful of noise as you normally would be having neighbours and you’ll be fine

You said "new house" in your original post. I don't see how any neighbours would hear unless they have football boots or tap shoes on.

I think it is a good idea to get everyone to wear slippers. Last year my attached neighbours put laminate down and I must admit I noticed a change in the level of sound, I think carpet does muffle sounds.
I myself inherited laminate when I moved in, in the Winter I find it really cold underfoot, I think downstairs it has been put down over concrete flooring.
I bought the largest rug I could find for the living area which covers most of the floor and have various rugs throughout the house. Tbh rugs don't come cheap either, but good luck in your new home and I am sure the sound traveling is not as bad as you think.

We used to live in an end terrace. We had solid wood floors and our neighbours had laminate. Both of us had young children that used to run about and stomp about all the time. This was never a noise problem, we couldn’t hear much at all.

@EnjoyingTheSilence hope your not my neighbour with your username lol the kids make kids noises, happy laughing, playing not standing screaming, me swearing/shouting noise lol but they run and the banging just sounds like elephants in the house.

Thanks everyone its making me feel a little less stressed and hopefully some of it is just me being paranoid that we sound like antisocial horrible neighbours.

Yes shouting at them to stop jumping probably will carry quite a lot 😂
Unless they're upstairs jumping? I have a teen DD who enjoys seemingly galloping around her room upstairs and I try to "call breezily" upstairs to stop her (rather than screeching like a banshee which is my first instinct). It doesn't work in any case because inevitably she's wearing headphones and couldn't hear me if I was using a megaphone.

@KezzaMucklowe ahaha maybe your right 😂worried my neighbour is as judgy as some of the threads on here.

No massive salads (probably should)
I love a good chat with the
Jesus people/postman/anyone that knock at my door.. so still answering that. Lol
I'll get back to you about the ribs lol

If my neighbour asked me if it was a problem before I'd raised it, it would make me immediately warm to them and I'd be glad to put up with a bit of noise, knowing ultimately I have a considerate and thoughtful neighbour doing their best!

My neighbours both sides have hard flirting. I don’t hear them.

Is their flooring a problem though?