"We care for the future of our environment we recycle"
"Our soundproofing product QT Sound Insulation is made of 100 % recycled rubber"
"The most tested sound control product in the industry ... over 200 tests results prove it"
Soundproofing Floors
Soundproofing materials for floors, walls and ceilings insulation we have all the acoustical soundproofing products that you need for any of your projects.
Why do you need soundproofing?
In today's new buildings development the apartments are sell as "Designer Ready" this means without floors, so the new Unit Owner need to get a contractor to install the floors and the soundproofing. The floor of your apartment it is a concrete slab (8" thick) with a sound absorption of 32 db. The Florida Building Code requires a soundproofing of IIC 50 so you need a product with a delta factor of 18 db to comply with the law. Qt Sound Insulation it's been design to help you with this sound reduction and it meet and exceed the Florida Building Code Requirements and can be use in buildings with or without drop-ceilings with outstanding results.
Florida Building Code:
Section 1207 Sound Transmission:
1207.3 Structure-borne sound. Floor/ceiling assemblies between dwelling units or between a dwelling unit and a public or service area within the structure shall have an impact insulation class (IIC) rating of not less than 50 (45 if field tested) when tested in accordance with ASTM E 492.
1. Airborne - Street traffic, voices, music
a. Measured by STC (Sound Transmission Class)
b. STC is controlled by the mass of the structure
c. STC rates the barrier’s (walls, windows, doors and floor-ceiling assemblies) ability to block voices and similar sounds – in most building codes the minimum acceptable STC rating is 50.
d. The higher the STC, the better the attenuation of airborne sound
2. Impact (structure-borne) – The sound resulting from vibrations (like footfall) being carried through a structure and radiating into a room
a. Measured by IIC (Impact Insulation Class)
b. IIC is improved by the use of a resilient underlayment
c. IIC rates a floor-ceiling assembly’s transference of impact noises – in most building codes the minimum acceptable IIC rating is 50
d. The higher the IIC, the better the floor-ceiling assembly will attenuate impact sound
3. What type of sound does Qt Sound Insulation, QTscu (formally Regupol-QT) control more efficiently?
a. Impact Sound
1. Why do I need Qt Sound Insulation?
a. QT Sound Insulation rebounded recycled rubber underlayment is needed under hard surface flooring to control the sound of footsteps from being radiated in the structure. If you don’t use it the people below will hear click-clack, thumping, and pitter-patter of feet. They’ll also hear silverware and dishes drop, and scraping of chair legs.
2. Where is QT used?
a. Mostly multi-family dwellings, where one family lives on top of another. Can also be used in office buildings with sensitive areas.
TYPES OF SOUND
GENERAL
3. Qt Sound Insulation (QTscu) is a patented product as of July 2005.
4. QTrbm patent pending, with patents filed in 2003.
5. Why does QT Sound Insulation, QTscu work so well?
a. Thickness. QT comes in many thicknesses depending on the floor-ceiling assembly to be fixed. The thicker the product, generally the better it will work.
b. It is resilient. QT is also offered in different stiffness's depending on the structure.
6. Why choose QT over other sound control products?
a. Engineered to provide the highest delta IIC rating improvement when tested with a tile floor covering as measured by ASTM1 E2179
b. Backed by over 145 independent laboratory and field tests in a variety of floor-ceiling assemblies
c. Made from resilient 100% recycled rubber
d. Provides the lowest system height that meets code in concrete slab construction
with no sound-rated ceiling
e. Can thin-set tile and stone directly to the product with a commercial rating per ASTM C627
f. Simple and fast installation; just roll and go
7. What guarantee do I have that it works?
a. We offer a Limited Lifetime Warranty. Please consult the warranty in the QT technical manual (EPG8010) for details.
8. How is the material sold? Sheets? Rolls? Is it a liquid?
a. QTrbm is available in 4’ wide rolls and 4 standard thicknesses 6mm, 10mm, 17mm and 25mm.
b. QT Sound Insulation, Qtscu is available in 4’ wide rolls and 2 standard thicknesses – 5mm and 10mm.
1. Wood joist or similar lightweight structures (typically not more than 5 stories)
a. Use Qtrbm (resilient base mat) - dimpled
b. Applied under gypsum or full weight concrete
2. 6” to 8” Concrete slabs (typically more than 5 stories)
a. Use QTscu, Qt Sound Insulation (sound control underlayment) - flat
b. Applied directly under hard surface flooring
STRUCTURAL
1 ASTM:American Society for Testing and Materials
3. How does it stand up under heavy loads?
a. Withstands up to 1450 psi, only 2% creep in the elastic modulus per decade.
4. Does QT operate as crack isolation?
Yes
a. QT isolates subfloor cracks up to ¼” from transferring through and cracking your tile or stone floor.
b. It has been rated for Light Commercial use by the TCA.
5. Can I install tile directly to Qtscu, QT Sound Insulation?
a. Yes. In fact, many types of floor covering can be laid directly on top. There is no reinforcement required since it is structurally stable.
6. What’s the bond strength like with thin-set?
a. We suggest using a polymer-modified thin-set mortar. It was tested and has a bond strength of three times that of cork.
7. How do I adhere QTscu, QT sound Insulation to the slab?
a. Use one of the many approved adhesives in our installation instructions.
8. What is the best adhesive?
a. Based on extensive testing, we believe E-Grip™ II provides superior bond strength.
9. What is the spread rate for E-Grip II using a 1/16” square notch trowel?
a. 750-1000SF/5 gallon pail
9. What about nail-down hardwood?
a. DRI recommends using an overlay to nail into, either wood sleepers or full coverage of plywood. The nails must not penetrate all the way through the QT or you risk transmitting the sound to the subfloor.
10. Can you put a floating floor over QT?
Yes
a. If floor floats, (not fixed/glued, floors usually fit together with a tongue and groove) then QT floats (e.g. Does not need to be fixed to the subfloor, only fixed at the joints with 3” duct tape)
b. If floor is fixed than QT has to be fixed
11. Can QT be used with a radiant floor heating system?
Yes
a. QT is not insulating. It will allow heat to pass through it.
b. R-value: measure of the insulator factor
1) QT (R-0.1) vs. 3 ½” fiberglass in walls (R-13)
c. Hydronic Tubes vs. Electric Cables
1) For hydronic tube heating, water is heated by a boiler or water heater and circulated through flexible tubes buried in the floor. Typically installed in the concrete (tubing is installed in the slab).
2) An electric system works the same way, but instead of tubes, electric heating elements warm the floor. Mats resemble electric blankets and consist of loops of cable embedded in a substrate, which is often a mesh fabric.
d. Electrical Mat installed under tile with QT
•tile/flooring
•thinset mortar
•electrical mat
•QT
•adhesive (E-Grip II)
•optional: rFoil (increases the heating rating efficiency and helps to radiate heat into room)
•optional: adhesive (E-Grip II)
•sub-floor
12. Is QTscu, QT Sound Insulation affected by moisture?
a. No. It is composed of rubber and is not cellular. It will not absorb water or cause failure where water is a concern, as will organic and cellular materials like cork.
13. How do we prevent the subfloor moisture from affecting the finished flooring?
a. In order to make the system waterproof we can attach an integral waterproof membrane to our product.
14. How and where do I install a waterproof membrane?
a. QTrbm and QTscu, QT sound Insulation are available with a premanufactured waterproof membrane (identified by a “W suffix).
15. Are liquid or plastic waterproof membranes better?
a. Both are good systems. Plastic membranes are more uniform in their applications because they are the same thickness throughout.
16. What do I do about the perimeter?
a. Use the perimeter isolation strip, item #QTPIS. You want to build a tub around the floor so that no hard surface (floor covering) touches any hard vertical surface (protrusion or wall). Refer to the installation instructions.
1. Why do certain sound control products “appear” to have higher STC ratings?
a. The reason for obtaining a higher STC rating is based primarily on the structure used and not on the underlayment.
1) e.g., STC is for airborne sound and is controlled mostly by mass. A 6” concrete slab has an STC of about 54. An 8” concrete slab has an STC of about 59. With QTscu, QT Sound Insulation the STC of an 8” concrete slab with no ceiling is STC 60.
WHAT ABOUT STC?
2. Can I control the IIC by increasing the STC performance?
a. No. Improving the assemblies’ transmission loss does not directly control impact noise.
**STC IS PRIMARILY DETERMINED BY THE MASS OF THE STRUCTURE, NOT BY THE UNDERLAYMENT.**
1. There are three different grades of performance
a. Grade III (meets code) – minimum STC 50/IIC 50
b. Grade II – 2-5 points > grade III
c. Grade I – 2-4 points > grade II
2. How do Field IIC tests compare with Laboratory IIC tests?
a. Field tests are only valid for that structure making them unreliable to predict results between buildings.
b. The most reliable tests are done in the laboratory. Ultimately, the engineers and soon the developers will only accept lab tests.
**ACCEPT ONLY LABORATORY TESTS DONE BY AN NVLAP CERTIFIED LABORATORY AS A COMPARISON.**
3. How is impact sound measured?
a. A tapping machine is placed on the floor to be tested and the noise generated from this process is then measured in the room below.
4. How do suspended ceilings affect ratings?
a. Test results on underlayment materials used in conjunction with suspended ceiling systems do not accurately reflect the true sound reduction values in IIC. The type of suspended ceiling system used during a testing procedure can increase STC and IIC results by up to 30 dB.
1) e.g., An underlayment that would test at 70 IIC in conjunction with a
suspended ceiling system may test at only 40 dB without the ceiling.
**WHEN COMPARING PRODUCTS ENSURE THAT THE TEST RESULTS ARE WITHOUT A SUSPENDED CEILING ASSEMBLY AND WERE TESTED IN A NVLAP CERTIFIED LABORATORY BY AN INDEPENDENT LABORATORY AND NOT IN THE FIELD.**
1. Can QTscu, QT Sound Insulation contribute to obtaining LEED® credits?
a. Yes! Please refer to QT and LEED brochure for more information (EPG8003-406).
PERFORMANCE AND TESTING
MISCELLANEOUS
2. What about off-gassing?
a. This product does not off-gas. It meets both the US EPA and State of Washington criteria for Indoor Air Quality, when tested as an exposed surface. QT has been used in many sensitive building environments. In practice, the QT is encapsulated by the finished floor covering after installation.
3. Can QTscu, QT Sound Insulation be used outdoors, for example on balconies?
a. Yes. It is water and temperature resistant and UV stable. QTscu, QT Sound Insulation may also be stored outside on a project due to its impervious nature.
b. It is not affected by water. It does not absorb water so it will not rot, or cause mold or mildew. It does not change dimension or shape when in the presence of water, as will organic materials like cork.
4. What is the fire performance of QTscu, QT Sound Insulation?
a. QTscu, QT Sound Insulation when tested in accordance with ASTM E84 between a plywood base and red oak flooring material has a Flame Spread Rating of 65 and a Smoke Developed Rating of 105-195. These results correspond to an NFPA Class 2 rating. This result is similar to carpet and pad.
