The Freudenberg Politex Group

Underfloor soundproofing

rot-proof
quick and easy to lay
recyclable
light
anti allergenic
dimensionally stable
compression resistant

Underfloor soundproofing

hable

CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM LAYERS: NEW CONSTRUCTION / RENOVATION

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Slab surface
Technical systems embedded in concrete
: polyester nonwoven laminated with a synthetic film
Finishing concrete
Finished floor

METHOD OF APPLICATION

thable

A.

B.

Lay the sheets with the film facing

upwards on the surface to be
covered

Remove the protection from the

adhesive stripe and secure the sheets
together by applying adhesive to
the tab of the second sheet

C.

D.

Lay the finishing concrete

Lay the ceramic, marble or parquet

flooring

HOW TO LAY THE SOUNDPROOFING MATERIAL CORRECTLY

must be turned up at least 10 cm at the walls; any surplus material may easily be removed
using a knife
or
a cutter.
Breathable
Breathable
Avoid laying the skirting board directly in contact with the flooring so as not to create a sound bridge between
the two elements. The gap between the skirting board and the flooring may be filled using an elastic sealant.
Do not lay the skirting board until the flooring has initially settled.
THANKS TO ITS FLEXIBILITY,
MAY EVEN BE LAID ON FINISHED SURFACES THAT ARE
NOT PERFECTLY SMOOTH OR UNIFORM.

Applications characteristics

The Freudenberg Politex Group

INTRODUCTION
The problem of noise pollution, particularly in urban developments, is receiving more and more attention.
The ultimate aim is to achieve an ever-increasingly higher level of quality to our living environment, based upon
the protection of each individuals personal health. It is well-known and scientifically proven however that noise
pollution is a drawback of technological progress and is the cause of increasingly frequent physical disorders.
In our homes we experience noise pollution deriving from flats next to ours or from sanitary fittings.
Noise is transmitted through the air as well as through structures, via partition walls as well as outside walls.
The research for solutions to control the propagation of noise has become an absolute necessity.
Specific noise regulatory standards have been issued in order to guarantee the construction of higher quality
homes, including effective soundproofing duly tested and certified.

FLOOR SOUNDPROOFING

Due to its intrinsic characteristics, the floor is a construction element which

in itself offers a good degree of airborne noise insulation, with an Rw of
between 47 and 53 dB; but, in case of direct impact on the flooring surface
(ie footsteps), the waves are transmitted with higher speed and cause a
significantly higher level of noise.
On the basis of the relationship between mass of elements and frequency of
noise, the sound insulating power of a building system increases when the
mass per unit area is increased.
Increasing the mass to obtain an improvement in soundproofing is not, of
course, an ideal solution because it is economically disadvantageous and
technologically impracticable (the flooring would be far too thick). A more
preferable solution is the construction of a floating floor, which breaks up the
continuity and compactness of the floor, in favour of a more elastic construction
system of the mass-spring-mass type, capable of absorbing vibrations.

To obtain a significant reduction of noise caused by footsteps, bumps and

percussions, it is necessary to lay an elastic material between the layers of
the slab. Breaking up the uniformity of the construction system, as indicated
Breathable
in the scheme,
vibrations are blocked at source.

Applications characteristics
EXPERIMENTAL MEASUREMENT OF FOOTSTEP NOISE:
LABORATORY AND FIELD TESTS
Laboratory measurements of the reduction of transmitted impact noise by floor coverings on a heavyweight standard
floor are defined by the UNI EN ISO 140-8 standard. This sets out the requirements for both the test environment
itself together with the equipment to be used in order to record the measurements.
In brief, the laboratory test is carried out using a soundproofed structure with a standard device that makes an
impact noise on the floor slab; a rotary microphone together with a frequency analyser are situated on the floor
below.
The data obtained and elaborated according to UNI EN ISO 717-2 standard are expressed in the footstep
noise insulation index ( Lnw), which indicates the difference of sound transmission values between a bare floor
and that of a floor with the soundproofing material laid between the bearing structure and the sub-base.
Field measurements of impact sound insulation of floors are carried out by applying the UNI EN ISO 140-7
standard.
It is therefore necessary, during the design phase, to allow for a measurement of the transmission of footstep
noise through a structure when being built, that is a calculation of the standard floor footstep noise index,
Lnw (see UNI EN ISO 12354-2)

The formula
Lnw =

Lnw0 -

Lnw + k

where:
Lnw0 is the noise transmission index for a bare floor
Lnw is the footstep noise reduction index
k (correction value due to lateral transmission) is assumed to k = 2 dB

may be used to make this kind of assessment in analytical form, so that sufficiently reliable reference data may
be obtained. It should however be underlined that the result of the tests on laid floors depends greatly on the
environment around the building site and the materials being used.

Breathable

Applications characteristics

The two examples given below refer to types of structures commonly used within the building industry:

Type A LAYER SRUCTURE: clay-block slab

The Freudenberg Politex Group

thickness (cm)
Finishing floor

Substrate

Lightweight-cellular concrete

10

Slab
Structural screed
Clay block

Lnw0= 81 dB

4
20

Type B LAYER SRUCTURE: reinforced concrete slab

thickness (cm)
Finishing floor
Substrate
Lightened-cellular concrete

1
5
10

Slab
Reinforced concrete

Lnw0= 74 dB

20

ble

When

is laid in between the construction, we can expect the following Lnw values.

LAYER STRUCTURE

300

Breathable
450

Type A

Type B

Lnw

26 dB

26 dB

Lnw

57 dB

50 dB

Lnw

32 dB

32 dB

Lnw

51 dB

44 dB

Technical datasheet
Breathable

U.o.M.
EN ISO 9073 - 1

Weight

Composition

Thickness

300

450

340

490

Polyester (PET)

250

400

250

400

Glue

10

10

10

10

Polyethylene (PE)

40

40

80

80

3,8

6,5

3,8

6,5

EN ISO 9073 - 2

g/m2

g/m2

mm

Acoustic properties
Noise reduction

EN ISO 140 - 8
EN ISO 717 - 2

Dynamic strength
Compression resistance

Lw 26

Lw 32

Lw 26

Lw 32

EN 29052 - 1

st = 46

st = 12

st = 26

st = 16

MN/m3

EN 1606

0,14

0,48

0,14

0,48

mm

LAYER STRUCTURE

1. sound absorbing polyester nonwoven

2. protective synthetic film
3. longitudinal jointing adhesive tape

Breathable

dB

Supply characteristics

U.o.M.
Weight

300

450

340

490

g/m2

Length

60

35

60

35

mt

120 + 10 (PE TAB)

Height
Surface

72

Diameter

42

72

cm
42

cm

60

Breathable

m2

Weight of roll

22

19

25

21

kg

Pallet (8 rolls)

576

336

576

336

m2

Supply: roll or pallet

for partition walls
300

U.o.M.

Weight

300

g/m2

Length

60

mt

Height

22

cm

Surface

13

m2

Diameter

60

cm

kg

Weight of roll

Feb. 2007 edition

SPECIFICATION ITEM
underflooring is made of nonwoven polyester coated on one side with a synthetic protective film.
The underflooring is supplied in rolls having an overlapping edge and contact adhesive sealing tape, to ensure
that the sheets can be overlapped quickly and correctly. The material must be accompanied with a suitable
certification, issued by an external laboratory and covering the following acoustic properties:
Thickness

Footstep noise insulation EN ISO 717-2; EN ISO 140-8

300

g/m2

3,8 mm

Lw= 26 dB

450

g/m2

6,5 mm

Lw= 32 dB

The Freudenberg Politex Group

www.freudenbergpolitex.com

Note

The Freudenberg Politex Group