Sound can travel between floors and enter other rooms, resulting in preventable disturbances. To reduce external noises from entering your space, install a sound mat beneath your floor finish. These mats help to contain internal vibrations and reverberations. Here are four commercial applications of sound-dampening mats:
1. Apartments, Offices, and Business Buildings
Multi-family residential buildings, retail outlets, and commercial office spaces can use sound-dampening mats to control noise and reverberation. Sound-attenuating mats help create quieter working environments in offices and reduce noise from shopping carts and walking customers in retail spaces. The mats primarily muffle impact noise, which occurs when two objects come into contact. Impact noise may result from footsteps, moving furniture, and dropped objects.
Commercial building standards may require property owners to meet specific sound transmission class (STC) and impact insulation class (IIC) standards. STC standards apply to impact noise, while IIC standards apply to airborne noise. Airborne noise includes sounds from the television, speaker systems, traffic, and human conversation. You can install a sound mat beneath tile, hardwood, and vinyl floors to absorb and minimize noise transmission between floors in commercial buildings.
2. Entertainment Studios
Sound control mats are useful for absorbing sound and reducing reverberation from monitors in recording studios and broadcasting rooms. These mats help reduce noise transmission from adjacent rooms above and below the studio. They prevent unwanted noise, such as echoes, from entering the recording microphones. In shared facilities, sound-attenuating mats also prevent airborne noise from speakers from disrupting neighboring businesses.
Installing sound mats may help entertainment studios record better-quality sound, reducing the amount of editing work needed. In commercial cinemas, these mats improve acoustic quality by minimizing vibrations and low-frequency sounds, which helps prevent interference with the viewing experience. They also help contain internal noises, reducing the likelihood of movie sounds disturbing neighboring theaters.
3. Fitness Centers and Dance Studios
Gyms and fitness centers can produce noise from dropped weights, impact exercises like burpees and rope jumping, and general chatter. Installing sound-dampening mats helps reduce impact noise and control vibrations in weightlifting zones and other workout areas. These mats also reduce vibrations from heavy equipment, such as treadmills. Using sound mats can help control noise, especially if a gym is located in a multi-story building with other businesses located above and below.
Installing sound mats in a dance studio can help reduce impact noise from jumping, stomping, and other high-impact movements during classes. These mats are also useful in yoga studios and other fitness facilities with high traffic and explosive movements. They help control noise transmission across the floor and minimize external interference.
4. Hospitality and Event Spaces
Hotels, motels, and other hospitality buildings may feature subfloors with sound-muffling mats to provide quieter environments for guests. The mats reduce noise transmission between rooms, allowing guests to enjoy their sleep. Some guests use such facilities to work on projects or discuss business affairs and need quiet spaces for concentration. Sound-dampening mats help to dampen vibrations, impact noises, and airborne frequencies from the surrounding rooms.
Event venues can also use sound control mats to reduce unwanted vibrations and keep noise within the facility. Concert halls, live music venues, and conference centers in multi-story buildings may require sound-attenuating mats to avoid disturbing neighboring businesses. The mats can also improve acoustic quality and minimize external interference, resulting in clear sound.
Install a Sound Mat Underlayment Today
Sound control mats can be used in many commercial applications, including libraries, university lecture rooms, and garages. Work with a sound mat supplier and installer to identify the ideal subfloor and mats for your needs. Contact an underlayment provider today to enhance your commercial space’s soundproofing.
