Noise pollution has been shown to negatively impact sleep, social productivity and overall health. Insulating your floor with an acoustic insulation floor is an easy and relatively inexpensive way to limit how much sound transfers through floors.
Airborne and impact sound waves must both be addressed effectively for effective soundproofing to be successful.
Reduces Impact Noise
Soundproof insulation is designed to effectively minimize both airborne and impact noise. Airborne noise includes TV shows, music or dialogue while impact noise includes footsteps or dropped objects. Our acoustic floor insulation products offer quick and simple installations with excellent airborne noise performance while simultaneously decreasing impact noise levels.
Impact Insulation Class (IIC) ratings serve as a useful measure of impact noise abatement in all our products. They show how effectively they attenuate impact noise.
Impact noises are more difficult to eliminate than airborne sounds and may still permeate rooms above them despite having been soundproofed. For best results, installing acoustic insulation during construction would prevent sound from penetrating ceilings and walls; retrofitting with timber joist insulation between timber joists will greatly reduce sound entering your room by creating a sealed chamber which provides better results than simply adding underfloor insulation over existing flooring surfaces.
Reduces Airborne Noise
Acoustic underlayments are an easy and cost-effective way to improve the acoustic insulation of most flooring materials, providing additional sound insulation by dampening vibrations from sound sources. Recycled felt underlayment is often preferred; although more costly than foam underlayment it delivers superior acoustic performance.
STC ratings of some acoustic insulation materials provide a measure of airborne noise reduction; these ratings indicate the material’s ability to reduce transmission of airborne noise like radios playing and people talking. STC doesn’t, however, reduce impact noise from things slamming against floors or high heels walking across floorboards.
For maximum impact noise reduction, acoustic insulation must be placed between timber joists. This will prevent sound bridges and drastically lower impact noise levels; simply cover this insulation with an acoustic floor finish such as carpet tiles or resin floors – an easier method than replacing floorboards altogether!
Reduces Vibration Noise
To soundproof a floor, the most effective approach is to install an acoustic insulation layer underneath new flooring. This fills any gaps and acts as a barrier between floorboards while simultaneously reducing impact noise such as footsteps or door slamming.
When something hits the floor it generates vibrations which travel quickly through flooring, joists, beams, and into rooms below – creating an unpleasant sound which can become an inconvenience in both home and commercial buildings alike. This type of noise pollution is especially problematic for residences.
Structurally isolating surfaces is the optimal way to stop vibration from moving between rooms, but this can be costly and time consuming in existing homes. Acoustic floor sound insulation solutions may provide an affordable, simpler and quicker alternative. Examples include Green Glue underlayment systems or raised plywood systems like WonderBoard or Durock which elevate flooring on sleeper boards to form dead air zones that reduce transmission of vibration and noise between floors significantly – while adding joist isolators will further increase this effect.
Reduces Noise Transfer
Structure-separating surfaces is one of the best ways to soundproofing, yet many homeowners do not find rebuilding floors and ceilings cost-effective or feasible. An easier and less disruptive solution is layering an acoustic barrier beneath flooring as a means of noise reduction.
Closed-cell foam underlayment is a cost-effective and straightforward option that works well with most flooring materials. Commonly known as a “sound barrier,” you’ll find this product sold under brands such as SimpleSolutions Soundbloc. Other possibilities for underlayment are recycled felt underlayment and concrete underlayment, both offering higher densities than plywood that help eliminate vibrations more effectively.
Acoustic insulation not only helps reduce airborne and impact noise levels, but can also block vibrations between rooms – stopping sounds from migrating upstairs or downstairs and is especially helpful in apartments where noise issues are common. Layered underlayment systems that combine both acoustic underlayment and flooring solutions have proven even more successful in keeping noise at bay than straight plywood alone.