Contract Floors July 08

of different ﬁ nal ﬂ oor
ﬁ nishes to be directly applied,
including ceramic ﬂ oor tiles.
‘In contrast, as timber is less dense than
concrete, timber ﬂ oors will generally require
greater acoustic insulation to control impact
sound. A number of more ﬂ exible acoustic
When control-
underlay products are available to improve
ling impact and air-
the acoustic performance of timber ﬂ oors, for
borne sound for Part E com-
example Regupol 3912. With a relatively soft
pliance, acoustic underlay systems
PUR foam composition, Regupol 3912 is ideal for
provide a cost-effective solution. During
timber based constructions.
the selection of an acoustic underlay material,
‘An additional consideration with regard to
the ﬁ nal ﬂ oor ﬁ nish is generally the key consid-
timber subﬂ oors, is whether to specify a rela-
noise and impact sound insulation. It delivers
eration, but the compatibility of the product and
tively thin material such as Regupol 3912, or an
superior heavy mass stability and enhanced
the subﬂ oor should also be addressed.
overlay material which provides both isolation,
stay-put performance – making it ideal for
Paul Absolon, technical director, CMS Acous-
ﬂ exibility and mass. Overlays are installed in
contract installations.
tic Solutions, provided advice on choosing an
the same manner as an acoustic underlay, but
QA has put ﬂ esh on the bones of its promise
acoustic underlay and the compatibility issues of
its composite construction generally delivers
to Contractors “to put more proﬁ t in your
which to be aware:
superior airborne sound performance.
pocket” by giving cashbacks of £5,000 to every
‘To ensure Part E compliance, best practice
‘While an acoustic underlay is a single roll
contractor company that buys more than 90K m
2

is to consider the choice of acoustic solutions
of material available in varying thicknesses, a
of QA underlays this year.
at the design stage, as the selection of all
typical overlay might consist of a two or three
And then – Quick Therm – another QA crea-
materials can then be made to optimise sound
layer laminate combining an acoustic foam and
tive solution for the fast-growing underﬂ oor
insulation. Designed to attenuate impact sound,
an acoustic mass barrier.
heating market. Launched earlier this year,
acoustic underlays are installed directly on top
‘Impact sound solutions should always be
Quick Therm is an advanced technology, high
of the subﬂ oors with the ﬁ nal ﬂ oor ﬁ nish laid on
selected carefully, taking into account not just
density poly-foam underlay for wood and
top. A number of acoustic underlay systems are
the required acoustic performance and the ﬁ nal
laminate ﬂ oors.
available on the market which deliver a wide
ﬂ oor ﬁ nish, but all aspects of the ﬂ oor construc-
This unique perforated red underlay has been
range of performance levels.
tion.
specially developed to offer maximum heat
‘Certain acoustic underlay materials provide
‘This is particularly important when an
transfer for use in conjunction with underﬂ oor
an effective impact sound solution with any
acoustic underlay system is speciﬁ ed. Where
heating systems – offering an extremely low
type of subﬂ oor, whereas others only achieve
possible, to ensure Part E compliance and to
0.35 tog value. Quick Therm provides excel-
maximum acoustic performance when applied
avoid remedial work, developers should request
lent walking noise reduction and impact sound
to a speciﬁ c subﬂ oor construction.
independent test results for the performance of
insulation while delivering exceptional long term
‘For example, subﬂ oors constructed of
acoustic underlay materials with each type of
load-bearing capacity – making it ideal for use
concrete have sufﬁ cient mass to allow a stiffer
subﬂ oor.’
in rooms with high trafﬁ c.
acoustic underlay product to be used to control
Karndean’s Versilay is also a ﬂ oor
No wonder QA Products has acquired a
impact sound. As such, acoustic underlays com-
preparation system with acoustic and thermal
reputation for developing pathﬁ nder brands and
prising a mixture of PUR foam and cork granules
insulation properties. The free-ﬂ oating system
trailblazing ideas in what has hitherto been a
are more suited to this application.
consists of two layers: a four-mm MDF top
quiet backwater of the ﬂ ooring trade.
‘These acoustic materials also permit a range
board and a three-mm base board with alum
74 ContractFloors Issue VII 2008
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