For schools, proper acoustic performance creates a quiet atmosphere (even if children are running in the corridors) to help children learn. In offices, it reduces stress and aggressiveness. And for hospitals and elderly homes, more peaceful environments help people recover – even if the medical staff is active and noisy. The best way to reduce sound is at the source. That’s why acoustic floors are key when it comes to reducing noise in buildings.
Forbo Flooring is a specialist in acoustic floors. We have more than 32 years’ experience and specific industry knowledge that allows us to deliver best-in-class acoustic flooring for every application.
How does it work?
Sound is generated by almost all everyday activity. Impact sound is generated by traffic contacting the floor surface. It is therefore also the main area where a floor covering can influence acoustic performance.
Impact sound made on the floor in 1 room is transmitted through the floor into rooms below. In order to measure the impact sound reduction achieved by a floor covering, impact noise is generated with a hammer machine directly onto the concrete floor slab in an emission room and the sound level (S1) is recorded in the reception room below. The floor covering is then laid onto the concrete slab, the same impact noise is made on the floor covering, and the new sound level (S2) is recorded. The impact sound reduction (EN ISO 717-2) is the difference, measured in decibels, between the 2 sound levels recorded.
The impact sound reduction of Forbo's acoustic project vinyl and linoleum floors ranges from 14 to 19dB.
At Forbo, we have been inspired by what is all around us and we are convinced that our best engineer is nature. With its help, we have created Marmoleum.
Marmoleum is a unique linoleum floor covering made of natural raw materials such as linseed oil, wood flour, limestone, resin and jute. These raw materials are obtained from their natural habitat, where they grow and renew themselves, often in just 12 months. Forbo is of course committed to work with respect with the women and men supplying our raw materials.
Linseed oil is pressed from the seeds of the flax plant. The linseed oil is heated together with pine resin to form a linoleum paste. To this paste we add wood flour, a waste product from the certified forestry industry. Limestone is available in abundance and is the fourth ingredient added to the linoleum mixture to make linoleum granules. Organic pigments and natural iron oxide provide the colouring for the granules. The fibres of the jute plant are used for the jute mesh carrier on which linoleum is calandered.
By learning to work with our planet and its organic cycles, we are able to make one of the most sustainable floor coverings. Marmoleum has been awarded a large array of international environmental certificates such as the Nordic Swan and the Blue Angel. In addition Marmoleum floor covering improves the environmental and well-being score in building rating schemes such as LEED, Breeam and the Well building standard. Read more about the eco labels that have been awarded to Forbo's products.
With Marmoleum, you choose a sustainable floor that is climate positive (cradle to gate). From the origins to the final product, without buying carbon credits.
The raw materials used for creating Marmoleum are rapidly renewable and have absorbed such an amount of CO2 during the time the plants, trees and crops have grown, that this amount of CO2 exceeds the amount of CO2 that is emitted during the production process of linoleum. Our Marmoleum is produced in a modern, energy efficient environment. We produce with 100% green electricity derived from the sun and wind, not adding any CO2.
All this results in a climate positive, natural, circular floor covering product.
Thanks to its biobased raw materials and continuous life cycle improvements, every square meter of our Marmoleum flooring made from cradle to gate removes 446 grams of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, without offsetting.
Marmoleum fits into any sustainable interior. We have a choice: by using durable materials in our homes, offices, schools, trains, hospitals and shops, we can create better environments!
Find out more about the sustainable nature of Marmoleum.
Topshield pro is the surface finish of our Marmoleum floors, developed with the latest technologies and based on our years of experience. Our Topshield pro finish works with a two layer system and can therefore be repaired or refreshed in cases of accidents or after years of use. The Topshield pro primer bonds with the linoleum surface, creating an initial protection layer. The second layer provides a tough scratch-resistant and dirt repellent finish. Both layers are thermally and UV cured. Because the floor lasts for so long and is so easy to clean, Marmoleum has a low cost of ownership.
Marmoleum with Topshield pro is a ready to use floor that requires no initial maintenance or polymer application and that offers 3x better protection:
1. Better lasting wear performance
2. Better stain resistance
3. Better cleaning and maintenance
Here you can find more information about the Topshield pro tests that we have done in our own laboratory, in practice and with external experts.
Or you can watch our Marmoleum Topshield pro video
The craft of making Marmoleum originates from the 19th century. Making linoleum was literally a handmade process, one in which the mixing, maturing and calandering of the raw materials was a trade mastered by few.
The craft of manufacturing linoleum has developed over the past 150 years into a lean, automated and energy-efficient production process. Forbo has driven this development with its Marmoleum brand. Making Marmoleum is still an art, which is not taught at any trade or craft school. In fact, only a handful of people know how to make Marmoleum. Determining the right mixture of ingredients, maintaining the right time for the raw materials to settle and applying the correct temperature and pressure are skills that our experts must master. We are proud of our experts as much as they take pride in creating every piece of Marmoleum.
To find out more about the art of making Marmoleum, you can watch our Marmoleum how it's made video
