Quiet Walk Flooring Underlayment

Quiet Walk® underlayment is the "hallmark" product, produced by Midwest Padding, a leading american producer of flooring underlays.

It's Quiet Walk, flooring underlayment not only smoothes out small sub floor imperfections, but also quiets impact sound and floor to ceiling noise transmission. It reduces sound that would typically migrate into the room below.

In laboratory tests it has been shown to have noise reduction characteristics consistent with traditional acoustical rubber underlay and cork, but at a significantly better price point.

Typical Price: .32-.45$/sq.ft

As a side benifits the fiber content provides an "R" value of .5, offering a warmer installation particularly on below grade applications.

They have incorporate an EPA registered anti-microbial compound in QuietWalk® to control mold or bacteria on the treated product and a vapour barrier for a 2 in 1 application... although its downside is that it is necessary to fully tape the seams to create a continuous vapour imperious barrier.

The competing Solid Walk LT - 2 in 1 underlay (Solid Sound Flooring-Pak Lite Inc) is nice, because for a few extra pennies it has an overlapping polyethylene film with a peal and stick seam to elimate the cost and labour of secondary taping.

Midwest Padding does produce a number of more economical padding, but with much less sound reduction capabilities. Its traditional foam underlayment is called Polyfoam, and is much in line both in price and characteristic to most others on the market.

DuoFoam is its 2 in 1 line that has a laminated Polyfoam & Polyethethylene film to provide both cushioning and a built in vapour barrier in one product. Like the Solid Walk, it is nice because it has an overextending band of plastic film to allow vapour barrier lapping and a peel and stick strip to hold it in place.

 

More Information:
Pergo Soundbloc® & Softseal Combo® Foam Floor Underlayment
Wilsonart 2-in-1 Floor Underlayment

MP Global: Mfg site for underlay padding