Case Study: Soundproofing & Anti-Vibration Protection on an Existing Wooden Floor
1. Project Overview
The project was carried out in a renovated Airbnb room featuring exposed stone walls and an existing wooden floor. The primary challenge was to achieve effective soundproofing combined with efficient anti-vibration protection, without making substantial alterations to the floor below and within a limited construction height.
The need to reduce both airborne and impact noise made the selection of appropriate materials and their application critically important.
2. Materials Used
To achieve the desired outcome, a two-layer solution was chosen:
- VISCOLAM 100: A double layer of high-mass soundproofing membrane (10kg/m², 6mm thick), selected to increase the overall mass of the system, thereby enhancing its performance against airborne noise.
- GREENPLATT: A 4mm thick anti-vibration underlay specifically designed to absorb impact noise, installed directly beneath the final flooring.
3. Installation Methodology
Installation was carried out with precision in three key stages:
a. Surface Preparation
The wooden floor was thoroughly cleaned of dust and imperfections to ensure optimal adhesion and contact of materials. The stability of the wooden subfloor was carefully checked.
b. Installation of VISCOLAM 100 Soundproofing Membranes
Two layers of VISCOLAM 100 were applied, with the joints of the first layer overlapped by those of the second to ensure acoustic sealing. Using two layers was deemed essential to significantly increase the system’s mass. The added mass from these two layers alone was 20kg/m². Special attention was given to perimeter decoupling of the new floating floor from the existing building structure using Superfascia AD (self-adhesive) perimeter isolation tape, in order to avoid sound bridges.
c. Installation of GREENPLATT Anti-Vibration Underlay
The GREENPLATT underlay was then installed with particular care at the roll joints. The final flooring was placed directly on top of the GREENPLATT layer, thus completing a soundproofed and anti-vibration floating floor that no longer makes contact with the structural elements of the building.
Note:
The final flooring can be installed either with adhesive on the anti-vibration underlay or directly on top, offering an additional 2–3 dB of anti-vibration protection. In this project, adhesive was not used, ensuring the maximum anti-vibration performance offered by GREENPLATT.
4. Results & Client Feedback
The improvement was noticeable from the very first day of operation. The client reported a dramatic reduction in transmitted noise between rooms and emphasized that the walking experience had completely changed—the floor felt softer, more stable, and free of creaks or vibrations.
