Either way it s all about physics.
Iic of a concrete floor.
Iic values can range from as low as 25 for lightweight residential construction with no floor covering to over 65 for commercial construction with carpet.
More typical values fall between 35 and 55.
Toppings on concrete floors table 1 gives approximate iic ratings for a 150 mm thick concrete slab with various.
Measures a floor ceiling assembly s resistance to transmission of structure borne or impact noise such as footfall or a chair dragging on the floor.
For multi family structures some codes require an iic of 50 or more when tested in the laboratory or 45 or more when tested in the field.
If you want to prevent sound from being transmitted from one space to another your best bet is by adding mass.
The underlayment is not attached to the subfloor or floor.
The lowest iic rated floors ceiling assemblies come in at around 25 and the highest rated systems can come in at 85 and up.
Floor coverings with a high iic rating help to reduce impact sound transmissions to lower levels thus reducing or eliminating those bothersome noises.
3 impact noise impact insulation class iic.
Impacts need to be cushioned by a resilient upper surface or a floating floor.
Know that in light wood construction even if floors boast high impact insulation class iic ratings ratings that if found in concrete construction would suggest proper performance they may not be acceptable to a portion of reasonably minded building occupants.
Dupree office of noise control california department of health services berkeley california 94704 introduction building codes.
A common mistake is to use a published iic rating for a product only to find out later that the product was tested on an assembly that included a heavy floor like 6 concrete when the project in question is using a lightweight wood subfloor and joist assembly.
There is a small air gap allowing to absorb more sound.
Higher end units often expect iic ratings between 55 65.
Rates a partition s or material s ability to block airborne sound such as a television or people having a conversation.
Further complicating matters is the effect that poor construction techniques may have on the field iic performance of your flooring assembly.
The quietwalk underlayment provides very high ratings such as iic of 71 and stc 66 as of mid 2018.
Also remember that field iic ratings aiic or apparent impact insulation class per astm e1007 and lab iic ratings per astm e492 can vary depending on a number of factors.
Concrete slab floors concrete slabs finished with a hard surface such as ceramic tile marble or hardwood have low iic ratings and are invariably judged as unacceptable.
With floating wood floors such as laminate floating bamboo rigid pvc core vinyl planks and wood plastic.
Unfortunately in most cases it s going to be difficult to achieve a code minimum iic 50 rating by only treating the floor side of the assembly.