Acoustic flooring: which rating matters to whom, and how to choose the right floor

Solutions & Applications · Acoustics

Acoustic flooring addresses a specific problem: sound generated top it — footsteps, chairs, wheels and dropped objects. It does not quieten a reverberant room or stop voices travelling into the next office. Chosen for the right problem, it is the least expensive acoustic intervention in a building; chosen for the wrong problem, it costs money without delivering results.

Who is disturbed, and by what?

In practice, three different physical quantities are described as “acoustics”. All are measured in decibels, but none can substitute for another:

Size	What it describes	Where to find it
ΔLw — impact noise reduction	Sound produced top on the floor and reaching the storey below	At floor level — an acoustic layer, underlay or floating screed
Rw / Dn,f,w — sound insulation	Airborne sound passing through the structural element into an adjacent space	In masonry and along the plenum duct
αw / NRC — sound absorption	To what extent does the space itself ‘dampen’ sound — reverberation, speech intelligibility	On roofs and absorbent surfaces

Two ratings for the same floor

Acoustic flooring declares two different things, for two different people:

• ΔL_w to EN ISO 717-2: how much less impact noise reaches the room below. This is the rating for sound insulation between storeys.
• Walking noise class to NF S31-074: how noisy footsteps sound within the same space — Class A ≤ 65 dB, Class B ≤ 75 dB. This is the rating for corridors, classrooms and open-plan offices.

Flooring	ΔLw (downwards)	Walking noise within the room
TAPIFLEX EXCELLENCE 19dB	19 dB	Class A
TAPIFLEX EXCELLENCE GENIUS 70	19 dB	Class A
TAPIFLEX PLATINIUM 100	17 dB	Class A
iD SQUARE LOOSE-LAY	17 dB	Class A (≤ 65 dB)
VENETO ACOUSTIC CORK xf² 4.4 mm	15 dB	Class B (≤ 75 dB)
LINO LOOSE-LAY	14 dB	Class B (≤ 75 dB)
ACCZENT PLATINIUM 100	11 dB	Class B
ACCZENT EXCELLENCE COMPACT+	8 dB	Class B

The two ratings do not always move together: Veneto Acoustic Cork provides 15 dB downwards but Class B within the room, whereas iD Square achieves Class A at 17 dB. In classrooms, hospital corridors and open-plan offices, the class within the room is often the critical measure — rather than ΔL_w.

Acoustic flooring by installation method

Acoustic performance comes from an integrated foam or cork layer beneath the surface layer. Selection starts with how the floor will be installed:

Installation	Collection	ΔLw	Feature
Glue-down sheet flooring	TAPIFLEX EXCELLENCE 19dB	19 dB	Heterogeneous · 0.80 mm wear layer · Class 34
	TAPIFLEX PLATINIUM 100	17 dB	Heterogeneous · 1.02 mm wear layer
	iQ OPTIMA ACOUSTIC	16 dB	Homogeneous · 55 colours matching the compact version
	iQ GRANIT ACOUSTIC	15 dB	Homogeneous · 0.09 mm residual indentation
	VENETO ACOUSTIC CORK xf²	15 dB	Linoleum on cork · 4.4 mm
	ACCZENT PLATINIUM 100	11 dB	Compact · 0.04 mm residual indentation
Without adhesive (loose-lay)	TAPIFLEX EXCELLENCE GENIUS 70	19 dB	Sheet flooring · Genius Tape at joints
	iD SQUARE LOOSE-LAY	17 dB	LVT · same height as carpet tiles
	LINO LOOSE-LAY	14 dB	Linoleum on cork · over existing flooring
Click, floating installation	iD CLASSICS CLICK ULTIMATE 55–70	19 dB	Rigid · 6.5 mm · also over tiles
	iD NATURALS CLICK ULTIMATE 55	19 dB	Rigid · marble, terrazzo and wide planks
	RIGID HERRINGBONE	18 dB	SPC herringbone · waterproof · R10

Sports flooring is a separate category, with impact sound reduction of up to 21 dB — but it is selected primarily for shock absorption for the athlete.

The trade-off: decibels versus indentation

The acoustic performance of a floor derives from a soft layer. This same soft layer absorbs residual indentation under constant loads — furniture legs, shelves, heavy appliances — and makes it difficult for wheels to roll. It is not a fault; it is natural.

Flooring	ΔLw	Permanent record
TAPIFLEX PLATINIUM 100	17 dB	~0.10 mm
iQ OPTIMA ACOUSTIC	16 dB	0.10 mm
iQ GRANIT ACOUSTIC	15 dB	0.09 mm
ACCZENT PLATINIUM 100	11 dB	0.04 mm

All values are below the 0.20 mm limit. The practical solution is not to choose between acoustics and durability for the whole building, but to specify by room: Acczent Platinium and Tapiflex Platinium are available in matching designs — compact flooring in areas with wheeled equipment, acoustic flooring above rooms, with a consistent appearance. The same applies to iQ Optima and iQ Optima Acoustic.

Underlays: acoustics beneath the flooring

Where flooring has no integrated acoustic layer, performance comes from the underlay:

Substrate	For	ΔLw / function
Elafono	Vinyl, LVT, linoleum	Cork · 15 dB
Tarkomfort Premium	Vinyl, LVT	XPS · 18 dB
Tarkomfort SA	Vinyl, LVT	Self-adhesive · 15 dB
Tarkomousse	Wet areas	19 dB
Tarkofoam II	Wood and laminate, dry substrates	2 mm PE foam · ≥ 17 dB
Tarkoflex II	Wood and laminate over concrete	≥ 17 dB · vapour barrier Sd > 75 m

Pay attention to the method: the acoustic layer works only if the flooring above it is floating or installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s system. Flooring fully bonded directly to the slab transmits impact into the structure, however good a material installed elsewhere may be. The rating applies to the flooring-and-underlay combination declared by the manufacturer — not to any flooring placed over it.

When flooring is not enough: a floating screed

Some impact noise is too heavy for a layer just a few millimetres thick: dumbbells in gyms, catering kitchens, machinery and hotel rooms above event spaces. Here, the answer is to decouple the slab:

• ISOLFON ReRub: recycled rubber beneath a floating screed, using the “mass–spring” principle — active damping of vibration and impact noise, with perimeter isolation from the walls.
• ISOLFON ReCork: rubber and cork at 3 mm, without an additional screed, including over an existing floor covering — suitable for direct tile bonding where height is limited.

In every case, flatness is a prerequisite. Acoustic flooring over an uneven substrate loses contact locally, so the acoustic layer works unevenly. The CERESIT DA is applied 2–10 mm thick in a single layer, by pump over large areas, and withstands castor chairs from a thickness of 2 mm.

When the problem is not the floor

Sound insulation between rooms — masonry

For airborne sound, the key factors are the mass and structure of the partition. The KNAUF SILENTBOARD DFR 12.5 mm has a special higher-mass core at the same thickness as standard plasterboard, with a particular advantage in its performance at low frequencies — bass, machinery, the foundation of human speech.

Acoustic reverberation within the space — the ceiling

There is a second trade-off here: Sound absorption and sound insulation in a ceiling slab are inversely proportional. A highly porous tile absorbs sound extremely well, but allows it to pass into the plenum and from there into the adjacent room. A dense tile blocks transmission but reflects more sound.

Slab	Sound absorption	Sound insulation Dn,f,w
ADAGIO Acoustic+ 19 mm	αw 0.65 · NRC 0.70	39 dB
OWA Constellation	αw up to 0.80 — Category B	up to 35 dB
AMF THERMATEX Alpha Colour	αw 1.00 — Class A	—

Where no ceiling area is available, the WHISPER sound-absorbing panels made from polyethylene are installed as independent wall elements or as baffles.

Design series

1. Who is bothered and by what: the occupant of the same space, the neighbour next door or the one below. The answer determines the scale.
2. Which rating matters: ΔL_w for the storey below; walking noise class for the same room.
3. Severity of impact: footsteps and chairs can be addressed at floor level; dumbbells and machinery need a floating screed.
4. Installation method: glue-down, loose-lay or click — determined by the substrate and the available work window.
5. Checking offsets: indentation and rolling loads in areas with shelving and wheeled equipment.
6. Substrate flatness: without it, the acoustic layer does not perform evenly.
7. Documentation: values from the system data sheet for each combination.

Acoustic flooring · Glue-down

Acoustic flooring · Loose-lay and click

Underlays, floating screeds and levelling

Masonry & Acoustic Ceilings

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