HUSH ACOUSTICS LTD
44 CANAL STREET
SEFTON
BOOTLE
MERSEYSIDE L20 8QU
Tel: 0151 933 2026
Fax: 0151 944 1146
Suppliers of: ACOUSTIC floating floors, pugging FLOORS, acoustic flooring, sound reduction for floors, Floating Acoustic UNDERLAY HUSH SOUNDPROOFING FLOOR acoustic CEILING Resilient Flooring acoustic BATTENS acoustic insulation for floors walls and ceilings
HUSH Acoustics have designed and manufactured of sound reducing products and acoustic flooring systems for over 30 years.
Hush Acoustics have detailed CAD drawings available on FastrackCAD
- Head Office - 44 Canal Street, Bootle, Liverpool, L20 8QU
- London Office - 7 Tuscan Studios, 14 Muswell Hill Road, London, N6 5UG
- Yorkshire Office - Unit G2, Meltham Mills Industrial Estate, Meltham Mills, Huddersfield, HD9 4DS
We specialise in providing acoustic solutions for timber floating floors in both new build and refurbishment projects. HUSH acoustic insulation systems exceed the requirements of UK Building Regulations.
HUSH provides: Economical solutions and comprehensive technical advice. We have a variety of design options including Robust Details solutions. Our acoustic systems are easy to install and are supplied direct to site via our national distribution service.
Acoustic Floating Floors:
Hush supply a complete range of proven acoustic floating floor systems for either concrete or timber floating floors. They are Robust Detail FFT4 compliant for floor structures EFC-1, EFC-2 and EFS-1 and designed to exceed the current Building Regulation requirements of Part E (England and Wales), Part H (Scotland) and Part G (Northern Ireland). They can be used within refurbishment and new build projects to create a floating floor over concrete and timber or directly over timber joists.
Resilient Flooring Battens and Cradles:
Hush battens are designed as a resilient composite batten that reduces impact sound transmission between separating floors. Designed to exceed the current Building Regulation requirements of Part E (England and Wales), Part H (Scotland) and Part G (Northern Ireland) and Robust Details FFT1 compliant for floor structures EFC-1, EFC-2 and EFS-1. Hush-Cradles have been designed as a timber batten support with an infinitely adjustable thread, allowing for precise levelling across uneven sub-floors.
Resilient Ceiling & Wall Bars:
Hush-Bars are used to optimise acoustic performance by virtually decoupling the ceiling from the existing joists. Hush-Bar Plus system has been designed as an advanced resilient bar and clip system used to further optimise acoustic performance by mechanical decoupling and creating a more flexible ceiling, whilst being able to support heavier ceiling boards. Compatible with a range of Hush-Systems and designed to exceed the current Building Regulation requirements of Part E (England and Wales), Part H (Scotland) and Part G (Northern Ireland).
Joist Infills:
Hush-Slab 100 has been developed to reduce airborne sound transmission through timber floating floors, ceilings and separating walls within both new build and refurbishment projects.Hush acoustic slabs are manufactured by a unique process, utilising renewable energy and a sustainable source of raw material.
We also supply Hush-Fill 60 Heavy Pugging is a granular mineral filler specifically designed to meet the required density of 80kgs/m² at the 60mm regulation depth specified within UK Building regulations for sound insulation between timber floor joists on floating floors.
Suspended Metal Frame Ceiling System:
Hush Metal Frame System is an accepted method of creating a decoupled ceiling below an existing joisted or concrete structure. One of the best ways to provide acoustic attenuation where the installation of a lowered ceiling is not a problem.
System Accessories:
Hush also supply a complete range of acoustic accessories including acoustic seals, flanking strips, grommets and isolators
How Cement Particle Floorboards Work – Hush CEM 28 Overview
Hush Panel CEM 28 is our exceptional high mass acoustic floorboard, made from cement particle board and covered with our exclusive Hush Felt 10mm resilient layer. The particle board is made up of both chipboard and cement that has been specially mixed together to create the denseness required to tackle both impact and airborne sound performance within modern and lightweight structures.
Applying Acoustic Resilient Layers
Hush felt is a hard wearing, environmentally friendly felt that is manufactured from recycled fibres and is unique to Hush. These recycled fibres are knitted together through needle punching which is a high-tech method used to establish the thickness of the product, contributing to the endurance of the acoustic floor. Adding to its incomparable resilience, Hush felt also has a rot proof polypropylene layer.
What is are Cement Particle Floorboards used for?
Hush Panel CEM 28 was designed to meet the requirements to achieve legislation on site and guarantee performance criteria within contemporary construction. Contemporary construction such as; new build timber frame, cross laminated timber, steel frame buildings, offsite or modular construction is categorised as lightweight due to the frames generally being made from wood or steel. By adding high amounts of mass to the lightweight constructions, the airborne and impact noise performance is increased, something that doesn’t occur when using only a standard acoustic flooring.
How to Install
The tongue and groove design of the board makes for quick and easy installation due to its interlocking edges, adding to a stable floor surface to carry many floor finishes.
Used to achieve Building Regulations in the UK, inclusive of Document E compliant (England & Wales), Section 5 compliant (Scotland), Part G compliant (Northern Ireland) and also used to exceed minimum performance criteria of the Building Regs for planning approval or BREEAM, along with being a robust details compliant system or achieving Robust Details performance standards, Hush CEM 28 makes for an excellent choice for high rise buildings, such as flats and hotels and is also ideal for modular and offsite construction projects.
This product is a direct alternative to other dry screed board products on the market and will achieve the same acoustic performance.
Along with the many benefits already described, the Hush CEM Panel 28 also carries a Class O fire rating which is highly fire retardant, meeting building fire regulations.
Hush CEM Panel 28 has been tested for its Acoustic performance and the measure of effectiveness is shown in decibels (dB). The higher the transmission loss, the better the barrier to the passage of unwanted noise.
Airborne and Impact are the two types of sound insulation found within buildings and the results of the Hush CEM Panel 28 when used correctly, over the floor structure, with a suitable ceiling treatment and all flanking paths removed are:
Hush How to prevent creaky floorboards
Creaky noises arising from floorboards are irritating and we have all most likely experienced the frustration of this in our lifetime, whether at home or in a building we have visited.
We have found that most commonly, creaks or squeaks tend to occur in older buildings, however we have also still experienced this within newer buildings too. The creaking noises tend to be amplified through footsteps to the affected area which can be a real nuisance for those having to endure this on a daily basis.
Causes of creaking floors
There are a number of reasons for creaky floors. These can be; friction caused between two hard surfaces rubbing together, movement in a floor, incorrect installation of a timber structure, flex in the joists, incorrect fixings or joists that are not level.
A lot of structural flooring used in todays new build development is tongue and grooved. This should help prevent some movement and creaking issues if installed correctly by allowing the flooring to act independently to the joists.
However, in some cases the floorboards are square edged, which can cause friction when rubbing together and can in turn create the annoying creak when walked over.
In addition to this when floorboards are nailed down to the timber joists, over time, the timber dries out and the floorboards then start to move up and down, which causes the bothersome squeak against the nail shaft itself.
Another trigger of aggravating creaks or squeaks are when there are slight gaps or cavities between the timber Joists and the timber structural floor. Timber is a natural product and is used for joists within buildings. With natural products, we cannot expect for these to be completely flat or evenly level and as a result of this, when floorboards are laid over the top of the irregular joists, cavities can occur between the joist tops and the flooring and will cause the floorboards to depress when walked over. In turn this creates the unwanted noise from the floorboard moving.
How we can help to reduce creaking floors
In order to tackle creaky floors, either the whole floor or specific floorboards must be treated.
Solution 1 – Replace problem floors in existing buildings or prevent in new build situations
In the first instance, to treat the whole floor, we would initially recommend for the floorboards to be completely removed, this can be done very carefully if the flooring is to be re-used.
Once the floorboards are removed, the joists must be checked removing all nails. After checking the joists, if there are any uneven areas or different depths within the wood, Timber Shims can be added to the top. A Timber Shim is a thin wedge of wood that is secured to the joists to make them level.
Once the joists have been levelled out as much as possible, we would recommend our Hush-10 Joist Strips to be applied to the top of the joists. These joist strips are made from our unique felt and are used for two reasons, to rid of any remaining unevenness in the joists and also to provide additional isolation, providing an acoustically dampened floor.
Once this preparation has been made, either the existing flooring can be re-fitted, or our Hush Panel 28 can be floated over the strips to provide a fully floating structural floor. Hush Panel 28 has been designed and developed as a sound reducing floor panel which can be used as either a structural or overlay floor board (Hush Panel 28 to be used if joist centres are no more than 400mm. Other Hush products to be used if centres are wider).
Excellent results are achieved in both refurbishment and new build projects when using Hush-Panel 28 as part of a sound insulation system for separating floors.
If Hush Panel 28 is used, it will need to be isolated at the perimeter walls using our Hush Seal 20 ensuring no unwanted noise or noise nuisance will occur around the finished acoustic floor treatment.
We would always recommend the Hush Slab 100 Sound Absorber is added between the joists to improve the acoustic performance when the floor is removed.
Solution 2 – Retrofit solution
In order to tackle creaking or squeaking of floorboards underneath carpeted or other floor finished areas, the offending floorboards must be screwed down very tightly. Once fixed down, our Hush Mat 15 can then be laid over the floor. Hush Mat 15 is our uniquely engineered acoustic rubber matting. It contains high levels of mass, contributing to airborne sound reduction, giving excellent impact sound reducing performance.
Hush Mat 15 acts as an acoustic underlay, without the need for any additional carpet underlay and therefore dampens the noise from the contributing factors to creaky floorboards.
Next Steps
If you are experiencing problems with creaky floors in your home or within your building and would like our professional advice on how to reduce these noises, please do not hesitate to contact us on 0151 933 2026 or alternatively by email info@hushacoustics.co.uk
