Acoustic Underlay for Airborne Noise Reduction

There is a common misconception concerning acoustic underlays and what is required of them.  Most people want an acoustic underlay to reduce airborne noise such as speech and music being heard through a floor.  So when they go to buy a new carpet, they also ask for a sound absorbing underlay from the carpet supplier.  The carpet supplier will then usually offer an underlay that has been acoustically tested and has a test result of say, 34dB that sounds fantastic.  But what the supplier and customer do not realise is that some underlays sourced from carpet suppliers have only been tested for impact noise reduction and the 34dB does not mean it will reduce noise through a floor by that amount.  What it really means is that it will only reduce impact noise such as footfalls and the lower the test figure, the more efficient the product is at reducing that type of noise.  Usually it will have no effect at all at reducing the airborne noise which is what the customer is really looking for.  To do that, heavy materials have to be installed.  Lead for instance, due to its high mass is an excellent sound blocking material but obviously impractical and far too expensive to fit onto a floor.  Instead, an acoustic underlay specially designed using mineral loaded sound barrier mat and sound absorbing foam with the foam sandwiched between two layers of the barrier mat will give the best results.  This product is used in place of the normal underlays talked about earlier and no additional underlay is required.  The product to look for is QuietFloor Plus which is marginally thicker than the best underlays at 15mm thick.  Because this product is heavy, it cannot be supplied in the usual rolls but in easy to handle panels 1200 x 600mm.  QuietFloor Plus will improve the sound insulation of most floors by an average of 5dB which is more than 50% of the original noise nuisance.  It is easy to install and is supplied with full installation instructions.  There is nothing better than QuietFloor Plus for use as an acoustic underlay that will reduce both impact noise and the more important airborne noise and can be so easily installed.  For more information on this product go to the product page on the domestic web site of Sound Service (Oxford) Ltd. via this link QuietFloor Plus or alternatively, give Sound Service a call on 01993 704981