Silent floors refer to flooring systems designed to minimize noise transmission and vibrations, creating a quieter and more comfortable indoor environment. These flooring solutions are commonly used to reduce impact noise, footfall noise, and airborne noise between floors or rooms.

Main types of silent floors

Underlayment Systems

Underlayment materials, such as cork, rubber, foam, or felt, are installed beneath flooring materials (e.g. hardwood, laminate, vinyl, carpet) to absorb impact and airborne noise and reduce sound transmission between floors.

Floating Floors

Floating floor systems consist of flooring materials installed over a cushioned underlayment or resilient layer without direct attachment to the subfloor. This construction technique reduces sound transmission and minimises vibrations caused by foot traffic or movement.

Acoustic Subfloor Systems

Acoustic subfloor systems incorporate specialised materials, such as resilient channels, sound-deadening mats, or isolation pads, between the subfloor and flooring materials to decouple the floor assembly and reduce noise transmission.

Soundproofing Membranes

Soundproofing membranes or underlayment's are thin, flexible materials installed directly beneath flooring materials to dampen impact noise and block sound transmission between floors.

Structural Modifications

Structural modifications, such as adding additional layers of gypsum board or insulation between floor joists, can improve sound insulation and reduce noise transmission.

Main advantages of silent floors

Noise Reduction

Silent floors significantly reduce impact noise, footfall noise, and airborne noise transmission between floors or rooms.

Improved Acoustics

Silent floors contribute to improved acoustics within a building by reducing reverberation, echoes, and noise disturbances.

Energy Efficiency

Some silent floor systems incorporate thermal insulation properties, enhancing energy efficiency by reducing heat loss and improving thermal comfort in buildings.

Disadvantages of silent floors

Flooring Material

The choice of flooring material can affect the effectiveness of silent floors in reducing noise transmission.

Building Structure

The effectiveness of silent floors may be influenced by the building's structural design, including floor joist spacing, subfloor material, and construction methods.

Building Codes and Regulations

Compliance with building codes and regulations governing sound insulation and noise control is important when designing and installing silent floors.