Peter and his acoustic floor

Julie Leduc

Wednesday, 08 May 2019

Peter makes a living as a Real Estate Developer. He is currently working on a new building with a hybrid steel structure. The project is moving forward and he is confident that it will be completed in a timely manner. Peter has a knowledge base on impact noise insulation rating in building acoustics and has developed a "winning recipe" over time. One of his usual representatives in floor covering, however, mentioned that he now has the distribution of a new type of acoustic floor: LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile). According to the sales rep, this flooring has acoustic properties and confirms that the manufacturer has conducted acoustic tests and offers a very interesting performance. The cost of the suggested floor covering being low, Peter decides to trust his sales rep and to try this new type of acoustic floor covering. All is well until now ...

The project is delivered on time, Peter is delighted. The first occupants take possession of their new condos to quickly realize that their neighbors are very noisy. It's been two months since the first owners entered and Peter has already received dozens of noise complaints. He decides to retain the services of an acoustics engineer who conducts in situ tests. The acoustic expert confirms that his flooring system offers low acoustic rating. Peter will have to tear out the new floors and replace them with a more efficient system in terms of soundproofing.

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Situations like the one described above are very common in the market. Unfortunately, it is mostly difficult to separate the truth from a sometimes questionable marketing strategy. LVT floorings have a certain resilience, but this will mainly be used to ensure that the flooring does not undergo permanent deformation under stress (chair leg, furniture, etc.) and not to offer an acoustic performance. It is important to have expert advice before installing any type of flooring. In short, if you opt for a vinyl floor (planks and tiles), consider integrating an acoustic solution designed specifically for this type of flooring: for example, our AcoustiTECH LV membrane.