Maximum sound insulation, minimum build-up heights

There are over 1,600 vacant offices in our country, which are excellent candidates for conversion into housing. And vacant store premises are also ideally suited for this, provided a number of structural conditions are met. For example, with regard to noise. To reduce impact sound in floating screeds, Fonofloor B.V. has been supplying high-quality acoustic insulation membranes for twenty years. "With our products, we can achieve sound insulation up to LnT,A ≤ 49 dB," explains Martin van den Bersselaar, Manager at Fonofloor B.V. "The products are extremely thin (up to 9 mm), robust, vapor-tight and easy to install. Moreover, they meet all relevant requirements, such as the Building Code."

"With our products, we start from the mass-spring-mass principle, in which a 'springy' insulation layer is applied between the structural floor and sand cement or anhydrite screed that absorbs sound waves and vibrations," Van den Bersselaar says. "All our products are composed of a (largely recycled) bituminous layer and a springy underside of polyester non-woven. The products are delivered in rolls and can easily be rolled out over the existing structural floor." If desired, underfloor heating can also be installed on top of the insulation layer. "Here we recommend using our Fonofix click rail, which can be glued directly to the insulation layer. This cleverly eliminates penetrations of the insulation layer - which negate the insulating properties."

Simple solution for impact sound insulation

The products of Fonofloor B.V. are excellent for new construction projects, but also excel in renovation and transformation projects in which contractors often have to deal with limitations in construction heights. "Different noise requirements apply in office and retail buildings than in residential spaces," Van den Bersselaar knows. "Therefore, during conversion, all residential separating floors must be acoustically upgraded. For example, to muffle walking noise (hard soles or heels) and noises from sliding furniture, falling objects and children playing. Our floor insulation membranes make this possible without any problems. The products are up to 9 mm thick, which means that modifications to doors, window frames and sills are usually not necessary."

A suitable solution for every situation

Thanks to a bituminous top layer, Fonofloor B.V.'s floor insulation membranes are significantly less vulnerable than traditional insulation products, Van den Bersselaar emphasizes. "Fonofloor^® for example, has very high resistance to dynamic and static loads. You can just walk on it without affecting its function. And water is not a problem either. The insulation membrane is only 8 mm thick and has a dynamic stiffness of 10 MN/m³. Moreover, very good acoustic results can be achieved from LnT,A ≤ 49 to well ≤ 39." For those who want to go even thinner, Fonofloor B.V. offers fonofive^® (6 mm), with a sound insulation of LnT,A ≤ 54 to LnT,A ≤ 47. "Especially for wooden floor structures, we developed fonoblock+^®. This 9 mm thick membrane combines the extremely high density and acoustic properties of lead foil with a springy layer, which guarantees excellent impact sound and airborne sound insulation. This also dampens the sound of people talking and radio and TV. Because we use a significant amount of recycled bitumen (54% for Fonofloor^® and 48% for phonofive^®), the products are also a very sustainable choice."

Nice references

Fonofloor^® was recently applied in project DAM3 in Amsterdam, which includes the transformation of an imposing 1989 office building into 16 exclusive apartments and 3 penthouses. "In this project, not only were state-of-the-art products used, the performance also had to be guaranteed beforehand," Van den Bersselaar says. "With Fonofloor^® and our Fonofloor formula we were able to meet this need perfectly." For the transformation of the monumental store and office building at Koningsplein 10 in Amsterdam into 22 exclusive apartments, fonoblock+ was chosen.^®.

Fonofloor formula

Fonofloor B.V. has so much confidence in its products that it dares to issue performance guarantees even beforehand. "To arrive at these guarantees, we have developed the Fonofloor formula in which we go through several steps," says Van den Bersselaar. "This starts already in the consulting and design phase, where we like to think along with the architect and structural engineer about the floor construction. Before the application of the insulation membranes begins, we check the structural floor for imperfections that could negatively affect the insulation value. Where necessary, we provide tips for improvement, after which our approved preferred installers apply the products. To ensure that there are no breaks in the insulation layer, we conduct a second round of inspections prior to flowing the anhydrite floor/smearing the sand cement floor. In addition, sound measurements are performed by an independent institute, after which our client receives a performance certificate. With this, we not only issue a guarantee on our products, but also on their processing. Companies who want to know more about this can visit our updated website."