With the increasing number of people living in condominiums, the need for superior sound control underlayment has become more prevalent than ever.
An absence of this has caused frustration and anger among residents, management and condo boards. This is especially true after the pandemic, which has seen a dramatic increase in noise complaints with a large part of the population still working remotely from home.
Condo managers and board members can use some assistance from qualified professionals when it comes to improving their renovation condo rules. Having the necessary knowledge about building materials and a property’s floor/ ceiling assembly type will help for approving the right acoustic underlayment.
Equally, if not more important, corporations should remain skeptical about the claims made by various companies when it comes to their acoustic test ratings. Perhaps dive a little deeper when that sample and spec sheet lands on the desk from an eager homeowner looking for a speedy approval. At this stage, it’s not enough to simply approve an acoustic underlayment based on the single sticker value alone, most commonly recognized as an IIC or FIIC value, for example: IIC or FIIC 73.
If the indicated IIC or FIIC rating is over 70, proceed with caution. “F” stands for field tested, opposed to a laboratory test. Both tests follow ASTM
It’s at this critical point when property management can demonstrate due diligence in order to protect its reputation and the integrity of the building it represents. Doing so can help prevent a corporation from getting into legal trouble, but mainly avoiding a poor reputation and ensuring a better quality of living for all residents.
“Property managers could chime in on their opinions about acoustic underlays however they most often do not have the professional expertise to conclusively opine on whether an acoustical underlay sample is satisfactory and compliant with a corporation’s governing documents,” says Natalia Polis, a condominium lawyer at Lash Condo Law. “Just as owners are not flooring professionals, neither are managers. We would strongly recommend against managers making unilateral, on-the-spot decisions like these. Liability lays if the manager signed-off on the acoustic underlay and ultimately the underlay is unsatisfactory.”
Decision-makers should ask two questions
How was the acoustic underlayment tested?
The first and most common sign that a property manager or condo board might have a problem with an acoustic underlayment is its packaging or literature, which doesn’t show the building assembly that was subjected to the testing. This is typically the result of the company’s strategy to hide the true IIC or FIIC rating. A sound test report should include a detailed description of the floor and ceiling assembly that it uses. Without this, the results are meaningless.
Moving onward, the material’s composition is also important for downstream problems. As the product ages, will it harden, crush, or absorb?
What is the product made of?
The new out-performer of all anti-vibration and acoustic underlayments is rubber. Its superior sound control properties and strength make it ideal for mitigating impact and vibration.
One of the premium factors why rubber is the premiere choice when it comes to impact and vibration absorption is its high shear modulus. This allows it to handle immense amounts of stress and prevent deformation. Besides its high shear modulus, rubber also has various other characteristics that make it an ideal material for vibration damping. These include its ability to absorb and store energy.
Whether installing engineered hardwood, laminate, luxury vinyl plank or tiled floors, rubber is an ideal material. Unlike other types of flooring, rubber can’t be crushed out. This material can endure the constant loads and still recover completely once the load is removed. A good acoustic underlay should be able to endure the effects of the environment it’s exposed to.
The future of acoustic underlayment
Speaking about the environment and the future of acoustic underlayments in Canada, the product’s environmental impact and health considerations will no doubt play a major role.
“If a product has been GREENGUARD Certified, it has been tested and scientifically proven to have low chemical emissions,” says Scott Steady, product manager for indoor air quality at UL. “In other words, it’s guaranteed to give off only low levels of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs.”
Residential condominium buildings completed in 1998 have a median unit size of 979 square feet, while those finished in 2022 are notably smaller, with a median unit size of 596 square feet.
As of Q2, 2022, the average selling price of a condo in the Greater Toronto Area was $769,999, according to Toronto Regional Real Estate Board. Owners likely don’t want to uproot their lives because poor quality construction materials are causing noise complaints.
The truth is, on average, rubber acoustic underlays cost $1.29 per square foot, which amounts to about $774 in a 600 square foot condo. The question is, is it too much or unreasonable for condo boards to enforce stricter acoustic underlayment rules, which help uphold the integrity and peaceful enjoyment of living for everyone in the building for $774? Especially when these products remain under the floor for an average of 10-15 years or $51 per year. What is for certain is the current status quo is not working.
Steven Vasconcelos is the principal of The Floor Studio Inc. and an accredited NWFA Wood Floor Inspector who specializes in wood flooring and acoustical membranes. steve@thefloorstudio.ca, 416-533-2855.
