Fastwarm®-Lite Acoustic Thermal Insulation For Wood & Laminate Flooring

Fastwarm®-Lite is a polyethylene, closed cell, sound deadening foam insulation, with exceptional acoustic and high thermal properties.

Fastwarm®-Lite is the ideal solution under floating laminate, engineered wood and solid timber flooring, where a high degree of impact sound reduction is required to absorb the transfer of footfall noise and provide a high quality thermal barrier to improve the efficiency of the carbon film, electric underfloor heating system.

Due to their hard surfaces, floating laminate and wooden flooring require a sound absorbing, insulating underlay to reduce the transmission of impact noise caused through constant footfall over the flooring, creating a nuisance to people living below as well as inside the room.

Electric underfloor heating requires a high quality thermal barrier over the sub-floor to improve its efficiency, both in warm-up times and energy conservation: saving on operating costs.

Fastwarm®-Lite has improved performance as an acoustic barrier and is extremely effective as a thermal insulation, especially where floating wooden flooring is installed over electric underfloor heating.

Fastwarm®-Lite insulation conforms to current building regulations as measured to BS EN ISO 140-7 standards for acoustic emissions, where a low decibel rating is required for the flooring.

Fastwarm®-Lite is suitable for both new build properties and refurbishment projects, where the wood or laminate flooring requires a low impact, sound reduction, to conform with current building regulations Part E (Resistance to Sound).

Separating floors must provide impact sound insulation at source to reduce the amount of noise created by footsteps, furniture or heavy objects moving or hitting the floor: a maximum level of sound is permitted within Approved Document E.

Under Approved Document E, all residential properties must provide a good level of acoustic insulation between dwellings to the required decibel standards of performance for compliance.

Fastwarm®-Lite has been extensively tested at the independent SRL laboratories to ensure it has the necessary performance levels and complies with current building regulation Part E for acoustic insulation between buildings, relating to impact and airborne sound levels and complies with the ADE standards.  

Fastwarm®-Lite is available in 5mm and 10mm thickness, supplied in 5m and 25m rolls of 1m and 1.2m widths: making laying and jointing a quick and simple exercise.

Fastwarm®-Lite widths can be jointed using Fastwarm® fixing tape.

Impact Sound

Impact Sound Reduction

Separating floors must provide impact sound insulation at source to reduce the amount of noise created by footsteps, furniture or heavy objects moving or hitting the floor. A maximum level of sound is permitted within Approved Document E.

Maximum values of weighted standardised level sound pressure level (L’nTw) as defined in BSEN ISO 717-2:1997

Separating floors between rooms:
New build - L’nT,w dB = 62 Maximum value
Refurbishment - L’nT,w dB = 64 Maximum value

Airborne Sound

Airborne Sound Reduction

Separating floors must provide a minimum level of airborne sound reduction in the amount of noise televisions, speech and telephones etc may create.

Minimum values of weighted standardised level difference (DnT,w) as defined in BSEN ISO 717-1:1997

Separating floors between dwellings and rooms used for residential purposes:
New build - DnT,w+Ctr dB = 45 Minimum value
Refurbishment - DnT,w+Ctr dB = 43 Minimum value

Fastwarm®-Lite Technical Information

Note on Thermal Conductivity (W/mK): The lower the figure the higher the thermal value

Explanation of Terms

When an amendment to the Building Regulations is introduced, so too is a whole new list of terms and abbreviations. In an attempt to decipher some of the terms and abbreviations that you will come across in literature relating to acoustics and Part E, here is a useful ‘Jargon Buster’.

Building Element Walls, floors and roofs etc.

Impact Sound - Sound resulting from direct impact on a building element.

Impact Sound Insulation – Acoustic insulation that reduces impact sound transmission from direct impacts such as footsteps on a building element (such as wood or laminate floorings).

Airborne Sound – Sound propagating through the air.

Separating Floor - Floor that separates flats or rooms for residential purposes.

Decibel (dB) - The most commonly used unit to measure sound.

Frequency - The number of pressure variations per second that gives a sound its distinctive tone.

Hertz (Hz) - The unit of the frequency of the sound.

DnT,w - The measurement used to measure the airborne sound insulation between two rooms (on site).

DnT,w+Ctr See above, but with the low frequency correction factor included.

Ctr The correction to a sound insulation quantity to take into account low frequency noise.

L’nT,w - The measurement used to measure the impact sound insulation of floors (on site).

Lnw = laboratory testing.

Lw - Denotes the measured improvement of impact sound insulation resulting from the installation of a floor covering or floating floor.

Rw - The measurement used to rate the sound insulation of a material or building element in a Laboratory.

Sound Reduction Index (SRi) - A quantity measured in a laboratory that characterises the sound insulation properties of a material or building element in a stated frequency band.