I bought a condo in a triplex where I have all of the 2nd floor. Most rooms are on hardwood, while the rest is on laminate with a serious height difference of an inch and a half (hardwood being highest). This being a shared structure, beneath it all is a solid layer of maybe 6 inches of concrete.
I'm renovating a room and intend to level it with the rest and set it on hardwood. I've read other questions about hardwood in basements, but would the considerations need to be similar for a 2nd story floor? Would I need something like DRIcore?
And what about sound? What special considerations do I need to take, if any, to ensure I isolate my neighbour below against sound from walking around on hardwood? (I can make that a separate question if this gets too complex to answer).
SUPPLEMENTAL:
The hardwood is already bought. Oak, non-engineered, 3/4" thick.
Best Answer
I'd go with either a layer of cork or polyiso rigid foam. Then a floating floor on top. A nearby residential tower actually requires the cork underlay. The rigid foam will work just as well at lower cost.
The float floor can be two layers of ply staggered and screwed to each other, or a engineered hardwood product.
See also the "Sound Isolation Store" for great technical details.