Specialty Flooring Underlayments
Quality underlayment well matched to the installation can provide several
benefits that enhance a hardwood flooring installation. To that end, MP Global
Products developed two fiber paddings, Insulayment and QuietWalk, with special
characteristics that make them suitable for use under wood floors. Insulayment
acoustical underlayment is a high performing, sound suppressing product for
installation under glue down or nail down hardwood or engineered wood floors,
while Quiet- Walk is designed for use under floating wood and laminate flooring.
Both underlayments deliver multiple advantages. They smooth out little subfloor
imperfections so the finished floor lays as close to flat as possible. In
addition, QuietWalk boasts a “moisture management system” unlike any other
underlayment that will handle moderate amounts of moisture from either above or
below. In addition, both products quiet impact sound and floor-to-ceiling noise.
Insulayment glues onto a structurally solid concrete or wood subfloor, and wood
planks adhere directly to it. QuietWalk rolls out and tapes at the seams.
Both products take advantage of MP Global’s unique manufacturing process (used in all
its fiber padding products) which results in randomly air-laid filaments that
cushion the floor and absorb impact sound, enabling the underlayment to act as a
highly effective isolation barrier that dampens impact noise traveling from an
upper living area to a lower living area. They also maintain excellent
compression resistance for the life of the floor and disperse impact energy of
each footfall, lessening strain on knee and hip joints and improving overall
walking comfort. These two products are firm enough to resist crushing under the
weight of the floor, unlike lesser products that can flatten out over time,
especially in high-traffic areas. Moisture handling is excellent.
In addition to the vapor barrier film on the top-facing surface of QuietWalk, the randomly air
-laid filaments can wick subfloor or incidental perimeter moisture and disperse
it through the pad. Moderate amounts of moisture will eventually evaporate over
time, provided the source of water, such as a leak, is stopped. Insulayment and
QuietWalk are quality upgrades from basic products commonly referred to as “2 in
1” polyethylene or polystyrene products and have the added selling point of
costing less than froth foam, rubber or cork underlayment that shares similar
sound numbers.
Both products also have an environmental story. Insulayment is
third-party certified to contain 100% post industrial/pre-consumer fibers, while
QuietWalk is third-party certified to contain 95% post industrial/pre-consumer
fibers. Both are LEED compliant and can contribute to credits in the Materials
and Resources category. As well, each has passed California’s Section 1350 for
CHPS and Standard Office, the most rigorous emissions test widely recognized
around the country. Insulayment and QuietWalk are also approved
for use over radiant floors.