Floating and isolated floors
A floating floor is a second floor built on isolators above the structural one, so what happens on it does not arrive in the room below.
Related
It is the heaviest-duty tool in isolation work and the least tolerant of detailing errors. The floor is only as isolated as its most rigid connection to the building: a screed touching a wall, a pipe cast through it, a skirting fixed to both sides. Everything else is arithmetic; this part is discipline on site.
Where it is needed
- Recording studios and home theatres above occupied space.
- Dance floors, clubs and gyms, where impact is the problem.
- Plant rooms directly above rooms that must stay quiet.
- Rooms isolated from vibration arriving from outside — a road, a railway, a nearby industrial process.
- Test spaces where the measurement itself must not be contaminated.
How it is built
| Isolators | Springs or resilient mounts, selected for the load and the frequencies of concern. |
|---|---|
| Floating slab | Concrete, or a platform of board and battens where weight or height is limited. |
| Air gap | The void below, sometimes vented where impact control is critical. |
| Perimeter break | A continuous gap so nothing touches the surrounding structure. |
| Services | Crossed with flexible connections only, never cast through. |
| Skirtings and thresholds | Detailed to keep the break intact while looking finished. |
Concrete or platform
A concrete floating slab gives the best performance and needs the structure to carry it — often a reason to decide early, while the frame can still be designed for the load. A platform floor of board and resilient battens is lighter, lower and quicker, and suits retrofits and upper floors where a slab is out of the question. We compare both against the target before recommending one.
- Survey the structure and measure what is arriving today.
- Agree the target and check the floor loading with the structural engineer.
- Select isolators and set out their spacing.
- Build the floor and inspect for bridges before finishes.
- Measure the completed floor and report against the target.
Every floating floor is checked for bridges before the finishes go down. It is the cheapest moment to find one.
What we need to quote
- Room dimensions and the height available to lose.
- What is below, and how quiet it needs to be.
- Floor loading permitted by the structure.
- Services that must cross the floor.
- Access for materials, and whether the building stays occupied.
Tell us the room
Send dimensions and intended use. You get back an indicative acoustic treatment, a systems outline and a budget range.