The best impact sound insulation for parquet, vinyl flooring and laminate

1. What to expect from good impact sound insulation?
2. Recommended impact sound insulations
2.1. for laminate and parquet without underfloor heating
2.1.1 HARO insulation underlay wood fiber insulation board Öko-Line
2.1.2 Ewifoam underlay Silenza Robust Aquastop Smart.
2.2. for laminate and parquet with underfloor heating
2.2.1 Acoustic insulation underlay Wineo soundPROTECT Profi
2.2.2 Acoustic insulation underlay Ewifoam Universol Professional
2.3. for floating installation of vinyl underlay
2.3.1 Wineo insulation mat silentPremium
2.4. for click vinyl floors
2.4.1 Acoustic insulation underlay Wineo silentCOMFORT
3. The various materials for impact sound insulation
3.1. PU = Polyurethane
3.2. PE = Polyethylene
3.3. XPS/EPS = Polystyrene
3.4. Wood fiber boards

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1. What to expect from good impact sound insulation?

A good impact sound insulation should:

• Reduce impact noise, also known as airborne noise. This noise is generated within the room itself through foot traffic and by devices placed on the floor, such as a washing machine. The reduction of impact noise is measured in percentage.
• Minimize footstep sound. Footstep sound is the noise transmitted through the floor to other floors and adjacent rooms. The reduction in footstep sound is measured in decibels (dB).
• Compensate for minor unevenness in the subfloor. Leveling out specific irregularities in the subfloor provides a solid base for the flooring material.
• Support heat flow when there is underfloor heating. In this case, the heat should be able to enter the room without obstruction. This requires a low thermal resistance, expressed in m²K/W.
• Additional insulation against cold for floors without underfloor heating, especially if the room is located above an unheated basement. In this case, a high thermal resistance is needed to retain heat within the room and prevent it from escaping through the floor.
• The underlay should ideally be heavy in weight because soundproofing mats absorb more sound when they are heavier.

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2. Recommended Impact Sound Insulations

In the following, we will introduce you to the best impact sound insulations for various applications. To find the optimal flooring underlay, you need to consider a few things beforehand.

• What type of flooring are you dealing with? The ideal impact sound insulation for laminate or parquet is different from the best impact sound insulation for vinyl. This is because parquet and laminate are rigid flooring materials, but vinyl is not.
• Will the flooring be installed as a floating floor or glued down? This question has a significant impact on the generation of airborne noise and footstep sound. The most sound is generated with a floating installation of a rigid flooring material.
• Is there underfloor heating or not? Accordingly, an underlay with an appropriate thermal resistance should be selected.
• Do you plan to install the flooring on a mineral subfloor (concrete, screed)? In that case, you will also need a vapor barrier unless it is already integrated into the flooring underlay.

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2.1. The Best Impact Sound Insulation for Parquet and Laminate without Underfloor Heating

Here, I'd like to introduce two products to you: the HARO Insulation Underlay Wood Fiber Insulation Board Öko-Line and the Ewifoam Underlay Silenza Robust Aquastop Smart.

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2.1.1 HARO Insulation Underlay Wood Fiber Insulation Board Öko-Line

Even with a weight of 1.5 kg/m², this flooring underlay achieves an impact sound reduction of 19 dB. The thickness of 5 mm allows for leveling of irregularities up to a size of 3 mm. Due to its density of 250 kg/m³, these underlay mats are also suitable for heavily frequented areas. The installation of these insulation mats is very simple and quick. The relatively high thermal resistance of 0.11 m²K/W ensures good heat insulation. On mineral floors, an additional PE film must be laid as a vapor barrier, also known as a moisture barrier or vapor retarder. Since this underlay does not have an integrated moisture barrier, it is suitable for installation on wooden floors.

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2.1.2 Ewifoam Underlay Silenza Robust Aquastop Smart

These EPS insulation mats even have better values than the underlay mats described above. Unlike those, this impact sound insulation for laminate and parquet is not made solely from natural materials. The 5 mm thick insulation mats provide a 10% reduction in impact noise and a 20 dB reduction in footstep sound. Additionally, these underlay mats can compensate for irregularities up to a size of 4 mm. The significant thermal resistance of 0.18 m²K/W ensures excellent thermal insulation. This underlay includes an integrated vapor barrier, so it is only suitable for mineral substrates.

 

2.2. The Best Laminate Impact Sound Insulation and Parquet Impact Sound Insulation with Underfloor Heating

When there is underfloor heating, the laminate impact sound insulation or the parquet impact sound insulation must have the lowest possible thermal resistance to allow as much of the heat to pass through the underlay for parquet or laminate. We recommend two products from different manufacturers.

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2.2.1 Acoustic Insulation Underlay Wineo soundPROTECT Profi

This underlay for parquet and laminate boasts excellent values in terms of laminate impact sound insulation and parquet impact sound insulation. The value is 20 dB. This underlay for parquet and laminate also has a high improvement in impact sound transmission, namely 31%. The thermal resistance of this laminate impact sound insulation and parquet impact sound insulation is only 0.01 m²K/W. Since this parquet and laminate impact sound insulation does not have an integrated moisture barrier, it is ideal for use on wooden floors because wood needs to breathe. If this laminate impact sound insulation or parquet impact sound insulation is to be installed on a mineral substrate, an additional PE film must be laid as a vapor barrier. This laminate impact sound insulation or parquet impact sound insulation has a thickness of 3.2 mm and weighs 3.2 kg/m².

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2.2.2 Acoustic Insulation Underlay Ewifoam Universol Professional

This underlay for parquet and laminate by the brand Ewifoam has the same excellent values as the one described above by the brand Wineo.

Both companies' insulation mats are delivered as practical roll goods. The Ewifoam product, like the Wineo product, needs to be supplemented with a PE film as a vapor barrier when installed on mineral substrates.

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2.3. Impact Sound Insulation for Vinyl with Floating Installation of Vinyl Underlay

For vinyl flooring, there is a distinction between adhesive vinyl and click vinyl. As the names suggest, adhesive vinyl is glued down with a special vinyl underlay, while click vinyl flooring is installed floating on the impact sound insulation for vinyl. When it comes to impact sound insulation for vinyl, one must also consider the installation in a room with underfloor heating or room heating, as well as the installation on wooden floors or mineral substrates.

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2.3.1 Wineo Insulation Mat silentPremium

This vinyl impact sound insulation is installed floating under adhesive vinyl. Since vinyl floors are not as loud as parquet or laminate, the impact sound insulation for vinyl does not need to be as substantial. This vinyl impact sound insulation has a 6% reduction in impact noise and a 16 dB reduction in footstep sound. With a thermal resistance of 0.01 m²K/W, this underlay is suitable for use in rooms with underfloor heating. These mats come with an integrated adhesive under a protective film, so no additional adhesive is required for installation.

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2.4 Vinyl Impact Sound Insulation for Click Vinyl Floors

2.4.1 Acoustic Insulation Underlay Wineo silentCOMFORT

 

This vinyl impact sound insulation achieves a sound reduction value of 11 dB.

The 1.5 mm thick vinyl impact sound insulation has a thermal resistance of 0.01 m²K/W and is therefore excellent for use with underfloor heating.

 

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3. The Various Materials for Impact Sound Insulation

Acoustic insulation mats are primarily made from materials such as PE, PU, XPS/EPS, and wood fibers. When choosing insulation mats, you should focus more on their properties rather than just the price. When it comes to impact sound insulation, cutting corners is not advisable.

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3.1. PE = Polyethylene

Polyethylene is a foam material used for manufacturing impact sound insulations for laminate and parquet. It provides good impact and footstep sound reductions but is only suitable to a certain extent for use with underfloor heating.

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3.2. PU = Polyurethane

Polyurethane has very low thermal resistance and is therefore ideal for use on heated floors.

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3.3. XPS/EPS

XPS stands for Polystyrene, and EPS stands for Expanded Polystyrene, also known as Styrofoam. Styrofoam provides excellent insulation but can be easily compressed, especially under heavy furniture. XPS is harder and less prone to compression, but it provides slightly less insulation. These materials are suitable for use under rigid floor coverings like laminate and parquet.

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3.4. Wood Fiber Boards

These insulation mats are made from wood remnants. They are a sustainable, pure natural product. Wood fiber insulation boards have very high thermal resistance. This makes them ideal for simultaneous acoustic and thermal insulation but unsuitable for heated floors.