Q: One visitor asked, "I have recently purchased a condo in a building that is around 100 years old. Under the old carpet are planks of wood that over the years have become uneven and also, I believe, let a lot of unnecessary sound come through from below. I would like to have my floors redone so there will no more uneven floor and sound proof a little in the process. What do you suggest here?"

A: There are 2 products I know of that are used to buffer sound regarding wood floors. Cork is one. There is also a synthetic product, for which I have a brochure in my truck. It is a bit more expensive than cork. However, I don't see this doing you any good, since this material is glued to the subfloor, prior to installing the finished wood floor! I doubt you would want to pull up your floor, just to install a sound resisting product.