Many owners of residential and commercial spaces think about the effects of noise and the impact on their tenants.  For flooring professionals, bringing up the importance of noise reduction early in the process can help give your clients greater service and care, especially in multi-level buildings. It is important to know that many projects have a minimum Impact Insulation Class (IIC) and Sound Transmission Class (STC)  rating specified by an architect or sound engineer. Some adhesives have excellent sound ratings and some manufacturers do not offer sound ratings with their products. Since wood floors are known to carry sound throughout a room, it’s important to give your customers options that can reduce noise between floors.

Types of Noise

There are two types of noise that travel throughout homes and public spaces:

• Airborne noise is sound that is transmitted through the air. Common examples of airborne noise are sounds from TVs, people talking and outside noises.
• Impact noise is  when something makes a sound when it hits a physical object or structure. Common examples of impact noise are feet walking on a floor, dropped objects and scampering pets.

 

Reducing impact noise from floors is the main purpose of many types of floor underlayment, adhesives and other compounds that can help dampen impact noise by providing an absorbing layer between the wood planks and the subfloor.

 

IIC and STC Noise Ratings

Building materials that can affect noise reduction are rated with IIC and STC number ratings, referring to impact noise and airborne noise, respectively. The Universal Building Code (UBC) recommends materials to have an IIC/STC rating of 50, meaning that the materials have the capacity to dampen 50 decibels of noise, the loudness of a normal conversation.

 

Professional soundproofing materials can have high IIC/STC ratings, but the need for such specialized materials will vary from customer to customer. For those looking to reduce noise between floors, Bona® Adhesives offer an affordable option as they do not require a “double stick” installation with costly rubber or cork mats. Bona Adhesives can meet or exceed the required sound rating by gluing the floor directly to the substrate with the proper trowel and spread rate. Learn more about proper trowel selection for moisture control.

 

Benefits of Adhesive to Reduce Floor Impact Noise

With the three main wood floor installation methods (floating, glue or nails), the best option for reducing noise is the glue-down method. Gluing the floor in place will reduce floor movement and create less sound. With the use of Bona Adhesives, the floor and subfloor work better together to limit vibrations and dampen sounds.

Bona Silane Adhesives

For a premium installation experience with the added benefit of noise reduction, use Bona silane adhesives. Bona Adhesives are tested in accordance with the IIC standard using the measurement procedure American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) E492-09. The IIC/STC ratings for Bona silane adhesives exceed UBC recommendations. Bona R851® Adhesive has a rating of IIC 71 and STC 65 and Bona® R859 Adhesive has a rating of IIC 70 and STC 65.

Along with the noise reduction attributes, professionals enjoy a wide range of benefits when using Bona silane adhesives that make installations easier:

 

• Excellent moisture protection as high as 18 lbs and 95% RH
• Easy to clean and won’t etch the finish
• Excellent green grab keeps flooring in place
• Rapid shear strength allows foot traffic in one day
• Easy to apply with no arm fatigue
• Compatible with radiant heat systems
• GREENGUARD GOLD Certified for indoor air quality
• Zero VOCs

 

Get the most out of your floor installations when you use the Bona Adhesive System. We have other floor coatings, machines and abrasives that are designed to meet the demands of professional flooring contractors.