Many organizations overlook noise control when planning out a commercial renovation or new build project. While this is often unintentional, choosing to prioritize acoustic (or noise control) flooring solutions benefits brands in every industry. The key is partnering with a commercial flooring dealer that understands which materials work best when it comes to preserving the integrity of quiet, private, or personal spaces.
Read on to learn how our designers use acoustic flooring to maintain healthy sound levels in nearly all commercial spaces.
How Acoustic Flooring Insulates Noise Levels
A floor’s noise control properties all vary on the material in which it’s made. Sound and flooring is measured in two different ways:
- Airborne Noise Reduction: A floor covering ability to absorb airborne sounds is noted as a Noise Reduction Coefficient. (NRC). This is the sound within a room.
- Structure-Borne Noise Reduction: A material’s ability to reduce impact sound into the space below is noted as the Impact Insulation Class (ICC) rating. This is the sound between floors.
When narrowing down your floor material selection, make sure to talk to your dealer and go over any underlying details that could hinder final results. We’ve seen plenty of businesses move forward with the cheapest option instead of flooring that meets their needs in terms of sound repression. It doesn’t end well. Years (sometimes months) later, these businesses replace the flooring with stronger acoustic properties they should have gone with from the beginning.
Knowing what flooring is best for your industry and ultimately, your business, can prompt more questions than answers. It all comes down to the space in which the flooring will be installed and how that space will be utilized long term.
Noise Control Solutions For Your Industry
A hospital room would have much higher noise control requirements than a high school cafeteria. King specializes in creating commercial spaces that use acoustic flooring to meet noise control needs based on a room’s specific purpose.
Apartments & Condos
Those seeking noise control solutions for multifamily living communities, like apartment buildings and condos, are constantly tasked with finding cost-efficient materials that are neutral in appearance. As hundreds of new apartment complexes break ground around the Columbus Greater Area, remember there are infinite acoustic flooring options for every budget and function, including gyms, laundry centers, hallways, and, of course, living spaces.
Hospitals & Medical Offices
Did you know the World Health Organization recommends that noise levels in patient rooms not exceed 30 decibels (dB)8? Loud sounds can disrupt sleeping schedules and impede on a recovery experience for those receiving medical care. Not to mention the distraction it causes doctors, nurses, and so on. As if this weren’t enough, hospitals can actually be denied reimbursements for serious hospital-acquired conditions as a result of lack of noise control. This isn’t a risk any facility should take. When reviewing the acoustics properties of the floors and surfaces in your own healthcare facility, be sure to consult the experts on the right materials to include in your new build or renovation.
Learning Environments
Today’s schools are tasked with offering a variety of learning environments from recreational to collaborative and individual study. A common challenge we see in the education field is finding a way to promote discussion and collaboration without polluting the rest of the building with excessive noise and distractions. When Columbus State came to us with this similar problem, they needed acoustic flooring options for their Culinary Arts Program in Mitchell’s Hall. The building housed industrial teaching kitchens on the second floor with classrooms underneath. We used Regupol underlayment under LVT planks to help alleviate the sound transmission of the footfall noise of the second floor kitchens to the classrooms below.
As a result, lessons both in the classroom and in the kitchen area can successfully be carried out without disrupting the other learning environment.
Offices & Corporate Buildings
Be it coworkers catching up from a long weekend, phones constantly ringing, or trying not to eavesdrop on water cooler conversations, corporate offices can be a hard place to get focus work done. Incorporating acoustic flooring benefits employees and private offices across your entire building. Your team will see the effort you’re putting into refining their work environment to make it an inclusive setting for everyone. King is all too familiar with designing designated spaces for quiet thinking and collective brainstorming alike. You’d be surprised at how much of a difference noise control methods like acoustic flooring really makes when it comes to achieving healthier production levels.
Use Acoustic Flooring To Soundproof Your Commercial Space
Nearly all construction and renovation projects are more successful when acoustics are kept top of mind. It’s important to understand that the cheapest commercial flooring isn’t always the best choice when considering a return on investment and long-term success. No matter if you’re exploring options for a single office or multiple floors, King Business Interiors has worked alongside hundreds of brands in finding flooring solutions that contribute to maintaining healthy noise levels. Browse our portfolio to see past projects or talk to us to get a quote for your upcoming project!
