Selecting acoustic flooring materials is an important design consideration for most buildings. Whether at home or work and regardless of industry, every interior requires noise reduction and enhanced sound quality.

Specifiers of flooring solutions are seeking effective sound treatments and selecting acoustic flooring can enhance the spatial experience. The current trend for hard flooring such as laminates and timbers in open plan offices and residences lends itself to greater consideration of superior underlays with acoustic ratings. Hence the arrival of the high-performance acoustic underlay, FloorMuffler, which provides exceptional in-room acoustics and reduces noise transfer to rooms below. It is the latest in the stable of underlays offered by Woodland Lifestyle and is specifically designed to exceed requirements for sound mitigation in the NZ Building Code.

When noise is travelling within a building, it will be either absorbed, reflected, or transmitted by the walls, ceiling and flooring. The goal of sound treatment is twofold: To prevent transmission of sound from room to room and floor to floor and to reduce background noise to enhance the quality of speech or music within rooms.

While acoustic ceiling and wall treatments protect against transmission of sound from room to room, acoustic flooring is effective at preventing the transmission of sound from an upper to a lower floor. Together with ceiling and wall coverings, the acoustic flooring system will help create a desirable environment for the building’s application.

FloorMuffler can be used for residential and commercial applications and teamed with laminate, LVT, engineered and solid hardwood flooring. It punches above its weight in relation to the Building Code G6 Clause relating to Airborne and Impact Sound. The clause aims to protect from excess noise between household units with two performance requirements — an STC (Sound Transmission class) of 55 relating to sound travelling through walls, floors and ceilings and an IIC (Impact Insulation Class) of 55 for the impact sound of footsteps and furniture movement. FloorMuffler has an STC of up to 73 dB and an IIC of up to 74 dB, well above the minimum acceptable levels for sound mitigation.

The Delta IIC rating is how much a product adds to a flooring assembly in terms of isolating impact noise. This rating is the best way to compare products against each other. FloorMuffler achieves an exceptional Delta IIC rating of 25dB.

The closed cell cross linked polypropylene foam underlay also has superior moisture protection with an inbuilt moisture barrier. It adds R value to chilly floors and is suitable for use with most underfloor heating options.*

Using a premium underlay like FloorMuffler can also mitigate minor subfloor imperfections providing comfort underfoot and its compression strength protects the integrity of the flooring system.

FloorMuffler can be installed with floating, nail down or double glue down flooring installations and its flexibility and superior performance specs make it a top contender for sound mitigation solutions in builds. A lifetime warranty applies in most installations.

*Check the installation requirements of your underfloor heating system prior to installing FloorMuffler.