The best way to soundproof a floor
Before you start looking at the best ways to soundproof a floor, ask yourself what type of noise you want to combat. Where is the noise is coming from? Do you need to prevent the transmission of impact noise or airborne noise?
Impact noise is caused by the sound of foot traffic, banging doors and reverberating machines. The floor bears the brunt of these sounds, distorting and transmitting noise, which can disturb workers, guests or residents. Airborne noise is sound transmitted through the air – such as people chatting, instruments and TVs.
The next question you need to ask yourself is what type of floor are you soundproofing? The two most common floor construction types are timber and concrete floors. A concrete floor has a higher level of mass than timber floors and will block airborne sounds, however, impact sounds will transfer through to the room below. Both impact and airborne sound can be a problem for timber floorboards – making acoustic flooring an excellent choice.
Once you’ve decided what type of noise your combatting, and the type of floor that needs soundproofing, there are many acoustic flooring products that can help.
Best soundproof flooring products:
- Acoustic battens
Suitable for both timber and concrete floors, acoustic battens have a 10mm pre-bonded resilient layer, made up of open cell, recycled polyurethane. They are great for reducing the transmission of impact and airborne sound and maintain high compression strength.
When JCW 80T, 80C or 50C acoustic battens are installed as part of a complete sound reduction system, sound transmission will comply with Part E of building regulations.
- Acoustic cradle systems
Whether it be for a new build or refurbishment project, acoustic cradles massively reduce impact sound – preventing the sound of creaking floorboards, noisy machines or scraping furniture transferring into rooms below. Resistance to airborne sounds is dependent on concrete-sub floor mass and floating floors.
Cradles offer a quick and easy solution for levelling cambered floors, varying from 55mm to 300mm.
- Acoustic decking
If you’re looking to improve impact and airborne sound performance, you can’t go wrong with acoustic decking. Often used for new build projects, and the occasional refurbishment, it’s used to effectively reduce the transmission of sound between both concrete and timber floors – creating ideal living and working conditions.
JCW acoustic decks 19, 28 and 32 and Knauf Brio 18WF and 23WF comply with Robust Detail FFT-5 and can be used in E-FC-1, E-FC-2, E-FC-7, E-FS-1 and E-FS-2 separating floors.
- Cellecta Screedboard
Cellecta Screedboard is a single layer acoustic flooring treatment that’s just 28mm thick, constructed from 100% recycled materials.
For rooms where floor heights are an issue, Cellecta Screedboard 28 is the perfect solution. The dry screedboard is suitable for timber and concrete floors and compatible with most floor finishes, such as laminate, vinyl, carpet and ceramic tiles.
How to soundproof a floor
Instead of attempting to install soundproof flooring yourself, why not take advantage of the skill and expertise of an acoustic flooring specialist, such as JCW Acoustic Flooring? Leaving the installation to the JCW team will give you the peace of mind that the best acoustic floor is installed on time and to budget. They have earned a fantastic reputation for acoustic flooring over the last 15 years and provide nationwide installation services.
If you’d like to discuss your requirements in more detail, call 01204 387 029 or email enquiries@jcwgroup.co.uk.
