Soundproofing a wood or tile floor

I have been getting a lot of requests lately to write an article on soundproofing a wood or tile floor in an upper apartment or condo unit. The solutions are pretty simple if you're installing wall-to-wall carpeting, but things get a little more complicated when you're dealing with hardwoods, ceramic or vinyl flooring. To begin with, when a manufacturers STC (Sound Transmission Class) claims appear to be too high always read the fine print. Generally they mean that you can only reach this high STC value in conjunction with a myriad of other products that must to be added to your floor or ceiling assembly. For example, if you're looking at ?"cork as a floor underlayment and the manufacturer claims that it will give you 55-57 STC, keep in mind that this value will only be attained with at least 3 inches of gypcrete (light weight concrete) poured overtop of the existing sub-floor and most likely the addition of a couple of layers of cement board (Hardy or Wonder board) will be needed as well. All of the STC values of these products are additive and so the manufacturer makes his claim hoping you won't read the fine print.

Even though these values are additive, there is always the law of diminishing returns to contend with, so you still may not reach your STC goal even though it says you do on paper. Many times the call out for a floor or ceiling assembly is such that ceiling below must be floated on sound clips and furring channels or resilient channels in order to obtain the 55-57 STC values that some manufacturers claim to get from their product. Basically, no soundproofing product on it's own will give you a 55-57 STC value. If you find one that does, please let me know and I'll get it on the website immediately. There are no magic formulas. What it boils down to is simply this, very few products on the market today can give you an STC value greater than 32 to 35 STC on their own, and thus these high STC claims are very misleading to say the least.

I had a customer who told me that a 1/8" cork mat would give him an STC rating of 55- 57 when laid beneath carpet and pad. I smiled and had him show me the cut sheet (spec. sheet) for the cork. The sheet called for the addition of a poured gypcrete sub floor and numerous other items that I can't recall off hand, that were needed in order to meet the 55-57 STC. Needless to say, he was shocked. Its back to that old adage, if it sounds too good to be true, it is! That being said, the absolute best way to soundproof an upstairs unit from a lower one is by floating the ceiling in the lower unit using sound clips and furring channel (hat channel).

This is the most common method used by contractors who have done any type soundproofing in their careers. This method, though more economical than the sound clips system is only about ? as effective and is generally installed improperly even by the most competent of contractors. The difference in cost for the sound clips and furring channels is well worth it to effectively soundproof a ceiling from impact or airborne noise from above. Now there are other materials that can be placed over the sub floor above that will help stop impact noise as well as block most airborne noise from below or above. One is called American Impact Pro and the other is American Impact Standard. These recycled rubber products that are specifically designed to be installed underneath hardwood and tile floors. They will also work well under carpet and padded floors.

When dealing with a hardwood floor, you can also use a product called America's Best, which is a mass loaded vinyl that is bonded to a layer of ?" closed cell foam mat. This material will provide a certain amount of floor resilience that's prevents much of the impact noise from traveling downward, however the only way this system will work properly is if the wood planks are at least 6' in length, it is also preferred that planks be interlocking on the sides. Mass loaded vinyl with foam backing is a resilient product and will allow the new hardwood floor to actually flex when walked on. This resilience adds to the footfall protection to the ceiling below. Long planked wood floors are the only hard surfaced floors that will work with America's Best vinyl. Other floors such as vinyl or ceramic tile or Pergo floor systems will not work with this product as these surfaces will have a tendency to separate or crack.

Finally, if your condo or co-op association board has a call out for IIC (impact isolation coefficient) then you will need to call a professional to discuss the procedures you'll need to follow in order to meet that particular IIC call out. Impact isolation is a whole other chapter in the Soundproofing Bible and will have to wait until next time! Thanks for reading and learning about soundproofing a wood or tile floor.

To learn more about Soundproofing and soundproofing materials visit our site http://www.soundproofingamerica.com/

To order Mass Loaded Vinyl see our site http://www.soundproofingamerica.com/mass-loaded-vinyl.asp

You can read more articles on soundproofing on our blog http://massloadedvinyl.blogspot.com/

Building Waterproofing - Keep Your Structure And Investment Safe From Water Damage

The concept of waterproofing or protecting buildings against the damaging action of water derives from the need to avoid water and humidity related elements that act negatively upon constructions. This negative effect can present itself in several ways, creating health problems, structure deterioration, facility damage and others. Not to mention, that repairing a building damaged by water can be very expensive!

Permeability most frequent causes are: porous or flawed material, badly sealed splices, crack existence, building defects and inadequate surface pendant.

However, we can find different kinds of humidity: the one that gets in from the outside (because of rain, different kind of water infiltrations, ground humidity or underground water), building's own humidity (permanent or because of the construction) and the one produced gradually by the building (because of its service as well as due to condensation and water leaks).

Basic conditions for waterproofing involve the surface's fitness for treatment and its cleanness. Building waterproofing can be done in a surface with/without the presence of water and with/without previous treatment.

Building Waterproofing Systems

Based on water's origin and effects on buildings and concrete, waterproofing systems have been classified:

- Surface waterproofing: done with coating plates, bituminous emulsions, vinyl pastes, resins and sealants.

- Integral waterproofing: integrated to the mass of concrete, affecting its permeability.

- Hydrophanous waterproofing: integrated to the mixing water or used as curing systems, allow the improvement of concrete's characteristics such as workability, compression resistance, decrease of reinforcement steel corrosion, decrease of fissures and cracks, and extended durability.

Kinds of Waterproofing

- Rigid waterproofing is meant to seal filtrations, make waterproof concrete structures or waterproof coatings. Treatments for rigid waterproofing generally are: concrete and cement integral additives, and cement, epoxic, plastic, or metallic coatings.

- Flexible Waterproofing is intended for structures affected by temperature changes and water settlements. This kind of waterproofing is a protection capable of absorbing movements without suffering damages that could allow water access. Flexible treatments are membranes, hot asphalts, cold asphalts (based in water or solvent), polymer emulsions, vinyl emulsions, and acrylic emulsions.

To fit your particular needs, you will probably need to use one or a combination of the above kinds and systems of building waterproofing. The best way to go is to ask an expert in your area to help you find the best solution for your building.

Something is for sure, if you take good care of waterproofing your building you will keep your structure and investment safe from water!

The information for this article was kindly provided by Sika Mexicana, company part of Sika Group, world renowned manufacturer of specialty chemicals for construction and industry. For more information visit http://www.sika.com.mx

Roofing Contractor

 

A contractor is essentially someone who consents to complete a task for a charge or a specialist in the building business, whose job requires hiring workers to construct a ‘paid for’ assignment. Even though a contractor's foremost concern is hiring capable subcontractors, at times he may also carry out some of the construction work by himself. These principles remain the same in reference to a roofing contractor.

Most roofing contractors are highly experienced personnel. Working in such a specific industry over time enables them to learn nuances of the trade and carve a niche for themselves. Most roofing contractors have knowledge and experience of varied roofing materials. This enables them to undertake varied roofing projects over vast terrains.

Roofing is a very important aspect of ones home, which makes it all the more essential for a homeowner to find the right contractor. Roofs are exposed to the elements at all times, which makes regular maintenance a compulsion. Roofing contractors may be called upon to do minor repair work or re-roofing. Clients must always remember that re-roofing is a very profitable venture for contractors, since it involves replacing an entire roof. In order to avoid this, a contractor should be called upon as soon as a minor flaw or condition is detected.

In most cases houses change many hands, making it difficult to locate the original roofing contractor. In such situations a new contractor who is hired should be allowed to study the project and make decisions.

While selecting a roofing contractor, one should select a specialist in order to be certain of quality work. Another effective practice is to work with recommendations from friends and family. Homeowners need to realize the importance of maintaining a roof since even the smallest leak can cause significant damage. Hiring the right roofing contractor at the appropriate time goes a long way in preserving ones home for years to come.

Roofing provides detailed information on Roofing, Metal Roofing, Roofing Contractor, Roofing Material and more. Roofing is affiliated with Asphalt Shingles.