Noise Reduction Laminate Underlay
Most of us have walked on a laminate floating floor and commented
on the rather annoying clicking sound that tends to emanate
from the traffic. Traditional foam underlay will help to somewhat
reduce this noise, but more sophisticated sound control underlayments
like Quiet Walk™, Silent Walk™ or SilentStep™
will be much more effective.
Do NOT purchase "No
Underlayment Laminate Floor" that has a pre-applied
underlay attached to the back side of the floor, if you intend
to use a noise reduction product. Doubling up of the foam
will cause tongue breakage and lead to floor separatation.
In the condominium construction sector, the building code
actually specifies a required level of noise reduction underlay
that must be used to guarantee reduced noise transmission
between floor levels. Laboratories have come up with a testing
and measuring procedure that helps builders know if they have
achieved the necessary level of sound control and complied
with these building code standards. STC and IIC are two of
the measuring sticks.
Sound transmission Class (STC):
is used as a single number indicator to rate how well materials
block airborne sound. Testing procedures used traditional
household and office noise in the frequencies most common
with TV's, radios, office equipment and the human voice, as
the basis of the test.
A STC rating of 30 suggests that this material and installation
will block an average of 30dB of noise from transmitting to
the floor below, but this is only a generalization as a product
can be very effective in noise control over the range of frequencies
as suggested above, and yet be next to useless in stopping
low frequency thumping of your son's stereo. Thus if you are
serious about noise attenuation your installation must factor
in onsite specifics associated with the range of frequencies
expected.
Impact insulation Class (IIC):
Impact sound transmission tests are carried out using a standard
tapping machine that uses 5 steel-faced hammers that strike
the floor being tested. The tapping machine is placed in several
positions on the floor and the impact sound pressure levels
are measured in the room below in the frequency range 100
to 3150 Hz. This is a way to study how movement from daily
foot traffic will transmit noise to the room below.
As with STC, the building code is specific in the minimum
acceptable IIC rating that a nose reduction laminate underlay
must attain for multilevel construction.
In the family home this is a matter of choice whether it
makes sense to spend extra dollars to achieve a higher level
of sound proofing. Historically the industry has used acoustical
rubber underlay or cork underlayment as rather expensive answers
to the problem, but in latter years the industry has created
a line of more traditional foam underlays that achieve competitive
STC and IIC rating without such steep cost increases.
Some would suggest it is a bit of overkill, but we each have
our own priorities and budgets and with prices dropping for
such products it may now make sense for some clients in the
residential marketplace.
Here's a table I've put together showing the most common
sound control underlayments available on the market that might
be considered by the discerning client for residential applications.
Table
of Noise Reduction Laminate Underlay Ratings
More Information:
Noise
Reduction Underlay Ratings
Midwest
Padding: Quiet Walk®
Pergo
Soundbloc® & Softseal Combo® Foam Floor Underlayment
Wilsonart
2-in-1 Floor Underlayment
NRC
Lab for Noise Transmission Testing
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Stairs
