The Importance of Acoustic Flooring
Sound management is a key design consideration to enhance sound quality and reduce noise disturbance when it comes to commercial and residential buildings. And all this is only successful when you select the right material for acoustic flooring. Any noise made within a building is either reflected, absorbed, or transmitted by the floors, ceilings, and walls. The objective of sound treatment with acoustic flooring and acoustic wall insulation is to reduce the background noise and prevent transmission of sound from lower to upper flower. Together with your wall covering and ceilings, your acoustic flooring system such as an acoustic insulation slab helps create an energy-efficient environment for residents and the building’s application.
Things You Need To Keep In Mind Before Selecting Acoustic Flooring Material
#1 Airborne Sound
Airborne sound stems for speakers, music systems, people, noisy neighbours, and traffic. Airborne sound can easily transmit through the flooring and into other parts of your rooms.
An acoustic material’s ability to prevent the transmission of airborne sound is measured with sound transmission class (STC). The sound transmission class rating measures the room’s ability to absorb the airborne noise and is measured across 125 Hz to 5000 Hz.
#2 Impact Sound
Impact sound can be witnessed from foot traffic on floors to vibrating machinery in the kitchen and other parts of the house. The sound energy which is generated from the impact sound is easily transmitted through the structure of the building disturbing guests, other residents and distorted noise.
Acoustic floor insulation is designed in a way to prevent unwanted sound transmission from floor to floor. A flooring material’s ability to prevent the transmission of impact noise is calculated by ICC (impact insulation class). The higher the flooring’s ICC, the more impact sound insulation it will provide. Carpet pads, sound-insulating underlayment, and floating floors can greatly improve its ICC rating.
5 Materials You Can use For Effective Acoustic Flooring
You will bump into many types of acoustic flooring depending on the age, size, and type of your building. It is important to compare the flooring materials that best fits your needs. One needs to consider many factors beyond acoustic to select the flooring material for your building. Acoustic flooring material is not one-size-fits-all. There are many materials that better prevent sound transmission than others. Let’s look at some of the best acoustic floor insulation:
#1 Soundproof Underlay
Floor underlayments with soundproof underlay is a great way to reduce sound transmission that can naturally occur between hardwoods and floors. You will find many types of soundproof floor underlayment but felt underlayment is the most popular option for various kinds of floors such as hardwood, engineered wood, and laminate floors. They are usually made from fibres that are treated and compressed with heat to form dense sound-absorbing material. Soundproof underlay is ideal for engineered floors or wood in both commercial and residential areas. It is cost-effective, easy to install, effective and hard-wearing at absorbing moisture and sound.
#2 Soundproof Floor Mats
Soundproof insulation floor mats is another interesting option to contain vibration and impact sound leading to structural airborne noise. It is a known fact that many machines and appliances create a lot of noise and vibration. The soundproof floor mat helps kill annoying vibrations and sound. These floor mats are known to reduce noise and eliminate vibration and therefore can be installed inside and beneath appliances and machinery as well as to soundproof cars.
Soundproof floor mats also offer a level of acoustic absorption within the room or on a surface to reduce unwanted resonance and enhance audio performance. It is an effective and simple soundproofing solution when the source of the sound is from appliances or machines. Soundproof is ideally used with other soundproofing methods for best results.
#3 Wood Plastic Composite (WPC) flooring
WPC are composite materials made of wood flour/wood fibre and thermoplastics. People in the flooring industry have started referring to WPC as a type of floor that has a structure of top vinyl veneer with a rigid core that can be made without any wood fibre. WPC is waterproof, durable, and easy to maintain and provides great acoustic benefits. It easily mitigates the impact noises like high foot traffic between floors. Its acoustic flooring benefits largely come from its backing layer which provides great sound insulation as well as protects against mildew and mould.
#4 Rubber Flooring
Commercial rubber flooring is popular for its sound-absorbing qualities. It has known to be a great choice for gyms, hospitals, schools and is being used more in commercial buildings and homes because it provides durable acoustic flooring material. They are available in many different designs and colours to fit the decor of any place. Rubber floors can withstand the high volume of foot traffic. Their natural elasticity is what makes them resilient and can absorb any impact. They provide more cushion than any other flooring material which reduces injuries and improves comfort for the long run.
#5 Vinyl Tiles
Vinyl tiles that come installed with a sound-insulating underlayment work as a great resilient option for sound treatment. It is becoming popular in residential places due to its durability, versatility, and low maintenance costs. If your household expects a high amount of moisture regularly, then vinyl flooring is the way to go. It comes with a click-lock system and is easy to install and remove. With DIY installation, you get a great design and value for money.
Wrapping Up
If you are looking for the best acoustic rockwool insulation for your home, office, or gym, it is important to go through some of the widely popular products. Tips for soundproof insulation will vary depending on the needs. With almost every other acoustic material, you will get sound absorption properties.
The materials and service provider you will select will make the difference because one acoustic flooring material will never fit the needs of all. And the acoustic material’s quality should never be the only factor when selecting the flooring for your home. Check out Rockwool acoustic insulation which happens to provide thermal and fire-resistant properties coupled with great sound absorption ability. The Rockwool Flexi slab is just of many cost-effective and innovative products you will get from this popular manufacturer. It is always advisable to ask for the assistance of professionals when you run out of options to choose the material for your building-specific needs.
