Acoustic flooring

Reduced noise pollution is key for reducing stress and promoting wellbeing when working or learning. And when it comes to reducing noise in buildings, acoustic floors are key.

As a specialist in acoustic floors with more than 30 years’ experience, Forbo can offer a range of acoustic floor covering solutions, across both our sheet and tile products, with impact sound reductions ranging between 14 dB and 19 dB. Ideal for a range of project requirements.

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Sarlon 19 dB

Sarlon 19 dB

The acoustic solution Sarlon has a long history of being an excellent all-round performer. The 19 dB acoustic performance and comfort, in combination with the best in class residual indentation, has made this product the leading acoustic solution. The performance of this product is further enhanced through the introduction of the XtremPUR™ surface protection, which brings many additional benefits. It can be used in any project where sound reduction is the key priority. Discover the 94 colourways, available in 4 design families.

Sarlon 19 dB
Sarlon 15 dB

Sarlon 15 dB

The hybrid solution. Ideal for very demanding requirements, such as areas with heavy loads and intense traffic, Sarlon 15 dB offers the optimum balance between acoustic performance and residual indentation. The wide choice of aesthetics and colours makes it suitable for many dynamic environments. The introduction of the XtremPUR™ lacquer ensures a high-quality performance, with easy maintenance guaranteeing many years of use. The range comprises over 90 items in 4 design families.

Sarlon 15 dB
Modul'up 19 dB

Modul'up 19 dB

The adhesive free acoustic sheet flooring solution. Modul’up is the best loose lay floor covering available for high traffic applications. It can be installed quickly without adhesives and is even more time and cost-efficient at the time of replacement. Modul'up is available in an acoustic (19 dB) and compact version. Both formats offer the best possible quality and durability. Modul'up 19 dB offers over 90 colours in 4 design families: Wood, Material, Graphic and Colour.

Modul'up 19 dB
Acoustic Linoleum

Acoustic Linoleum

Forbo acoustic linoleum flooring combines the natural characteristics of Marmoleum flooring with increased impact sound reduction. We offer Marmoleum Acoustic (14 dB) and Marmoleum Decibel (18 dB). Also, a Corkment underlay can be used in combination with regular Marmoleum to achieve an impact sound reduction of at least 14 dB.

Acoustic Linoleum

Turn down the volume

The Forbo acoustic collection brings you floor coverings created and tested to maximise reduction of impact sound while meeting the requirements of high traffic commercial areas. Contributing to reducing internal noise disturbance in a range of ways, our acoustic flooring creates a more comfortable environment.

Acoustic Performance:
Two types of noise can contribute to noise pollution:

Ambient noise: In-room sound generated by impact within the room. To measure this, noise pressure is measured in the room to the standard NF-S 31-074. All Forbo’s acoustic collections sit in Class A, the highest possible rating.

Impact sound: Sound transmitted through the floor to the spaces below. Impact sound reduction is the most common sound reduction measure. To measure impact sound reduction delivered by a floor covering, impact noise is created by a hammer machine onto a concrete floor slab in an emission room with the sound level (S1) recorded. The floor covering is then laid on the concrete and the same impact noise is applied to the floor with the new sound level (S2) recorded. The impact sound reduction (EN ISO 717-2) is the decibel difference between the sound levels recorded. The impact sound reduction of our acoustic ranges from 14 to 19 dB.

Residual Indentation:
Depending on your installation location, residual indentation is a key consideration when you are selecting an acoustic floor. Compact acoustic products offer performance similar to compact products for indentation and easy rolling floor.

Always consider each criterion when selecting an acoustic floor and select the right balance between indentation resistance and acoustic performance.

You have the choice

Flooring for noise reduction

Each individual project will have its own set of unique circumstances which will dictate the best acoustic flooring solution.

For applications where sound reduction is the key, our 19 dB rated products such as Sarlon 19 dB, Modul’up Decibel and Allura Flex offer excellent acoustic properties with residual indentation performance that’s the best in class.

However, in some instances the floor coverings may be subjected to very heavy or rolling loads, and so Sarlon 15 dB or our acoustic Marmoleum ranges will give you the optimum balance between acoustic performance and residual indentation.

Acoustic Marmoleum Construction

Acoustic Marmoleum provides a linoleum floor that achieves lower dB values due to a special insulating layer that is connected to the linoleum sheet. In this way impact sound reduction up to 17dB can be achieved.

Sound Reduction Explained

Impact Sounds Reduction
Impact sound made on the floor in one 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 two sound levels recorded. The impact sound reduction of Forbo's acoustic ranges from 15 to 19dB.

In-Room Impact Noise
Airborne sound inside a room – ambient noise – is generated by impact noise in the room itself. To measure in-room impact noise, noise pressure is measured inside the room where the impact sound is generated, according to the standard NF-S 31-074. The measurements are classified into various categories, with Class A defining the best-performing floor coverings. All Forbo’s acoustic collections are in Class A.

For further information, download our whitepaper:
THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTROLLING NOISE IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Sarlon - reducing noise pollution

There are three pillars of sustainability, Planet, People and Profit. Although the way we produce our acoustic floor coverings aims to reduce our environmental impact, our acoustic offer also has a part to play on the People pillar of sustainability.

Whether at work or at home, excess noise can become a real nuisance if left unchecked. Incessant noise is not only distracting, affecting productivity and concentration, but it can manifest in physical ailments. In fact, several studies, including ‘The Cardiovascular Effects of Noise’ published by Deutches Arzteblatt in 2019, have shown that regular exposure to loud noise has been associated with cardiovascular problems such as high blood pressure.

How it’s made
• Produced in Europe, all our acoustic solutions are produced in manufacturing plants where all the electricity comes from renewable sources.
• All our acoustic ranges are manufactured in production facilities that are certified to ISO14001 – environmental management standard.
• All our acoustic solutions are REACH* compliant for chemical content.
• The linoleum top layer of our acoustic Marmoleum ranges contains up to 98% natural raw materials and up to 47% recycled content

How it performs
Achieving lower noise pollution is essential to reducing stress and promoting the well-being, comfort and efficiency of people working or learning.
All our vinyl ranges are 100% phthalate-free

*Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) addresses the production and use of chemical substances and their potential impact on both human health and the environment

Social accountability
We care for the people that touch our business, from employees to suppliers. Most of our sites in Europe are certified to SA8000®. The SA8000 Standard is one of the world’s preeminent social standards which aims to protect workers along each step of the supply chain. Forbo was also involved in the development of BES 6002 (BRE’s Ethical Labour Sourcing Standard) and became the 1st flooring company certified to this standard.

Green certification
We provide Environmental Data Sheets for all our products. To download our EDS sheets and our independent EPD’s, please click here
For more details on how we’re helping to Create Better Environments click here

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