Flooring

(MS) - Households are bombarded daily with many types of noise - booming stereos, blaring television sets, rumbling washers and dryers, and boisterous children to name a few.

As lot sizes decrease, roads widen and televisions and stereos expand into more rooms in the house, Americans are having a tougher time finding peace and quiet in their homes.

"More and more homebuyers are requesting homes that are quieter, particularly in laundry rooms, bedrooms and home offices," said Paul Estridge, president of The Estridge Companies, a major homebuilding company.

A survey conducted by The Tarrance Group, on behalf of building materials manufacturer Owens Corning, asked 800 homeowners and renters about the effects of noise on their lives. Many of those surveyed reported that noise adversely affects them, with approximately a quarter of the women in the survey stating that noise causes them stress or a lack of sleep - certainly not an ideal living environment!

"Living in noisy surroundings is a problem for many people," said Wayne Power, general manager of Owens Corning's Acoustics Systems Business. "Homeowners tell us that they want a more peaceful living environment and are willing to invest in products that make their home quieter."

Homeowners are now able to minimize the level of noise that invades their living space by taking advantage of QuietZone Noise Control products developed by Owens Corning. The series of high-performing products can be used independently or together as a system. In Owens Corning's acoustic laboratories at the company's Science and Technology Center in Granville, Ohio, researchers found that the QuietZone system decreased perceived room-to-room noise levels by 80 percent or more when compared to conventional wood-stud wall or floor constructions.

"The QuietZone products work even better than I thought they would," said John Morrison, a homeowner in Sparta, N.J., who recently had OuietZone Acoustic Batts installed in the interior of his new home. "I work nights and have four kids, so I can really tell the difference in noise reduction when I need some quiet during the day."

Inside the home, entertainment equipment, heating/air conditioning systems and loud family members account for a majority of the noise issues. In fact, internal noises created by televisions, stereos and children can easily reach 80-90 decibels - that's approximately the same noise level as a lawnmower, power tools or a semi truck. With a high level of sound throughout the home, conventional wall and floor constructions cannot provide optimum noise control solutions.

"A good sound control system uses acoustic products to effectively manage and control noise by incorporating four basic acoustic principles: breaking, blocking, absorbing and isolating sound vibrations," said Power. "Doing so greatly reduces sound transmission from laundry rooms, entertainment rooms and other noise-producing areas. Acoustic systems can also be used to create privacy in home offices and master bedrooms."

Power recommends homeowners follow these guidelines to help reduce the amount of unwanted noise in their homes:

INTERIOR WALLS
Sound travels easily through air, so leaving interior walls hollow contributes to interior noise in the home. Installing QuietZone Acoustic Batts helps reduce the noise transmission between walls by absorbing sound vibrations. Small gaps and cracks around electrical outlets and along framing members where the base plates meet the floor can also allow air and noise to penetrate to adjacent rooms. QuietZone Acoustic Sealant blocks these gaps to help control noise transmission from room to room. Also available is QuietZone Acoustic Wall Framing, which is ideal for walls that surround noisy areas like laundry rooms or TV rooms because it is uniquely designed to break the path of sound vibrations.

DOORS
To cut down on room-to-room noise transmission, solid-core doors are a better choice than hollow doors. QuietZone Acoustic Sealant can be used to fill in any noticeable gaps around the door framing. For even better sound control performance, homeowners should consider installing a QuietZone Acoustic Door System to help reduce perceived noise through interior doorways.

FLOORS
For homeowners who have had trouble getting to sleep because of foot traffic above or someone talking loudly in the room below, there are ways to minimize the noise. Floor noise can be controlled with QuietZone Acoustic Floor Mat, which is installed directly on top of the plywood underlayment to isolate noise at the point of impact so it doesn't travel to adjacent rooms. Owens Corning testing indicates that combining products in the series, like QuietZone Acoustic Batts and Acoustic Floor Mat can reduce perceived noise levels between floors by 50 percent or more over traditional interior wood floor construction.

CEILINGS
QuietZone SOLSERENE Fabric Ceiling System is the first noise control solution that allows virtually any residential ceiling to incorporate superior sound control without abandoning the clean lines of a conventional drywall look. Noise problems, such as the "echo" effect that is often present with today's popular building trends, including vaulted ceilings, large rooms with high walls, and hard flooring, can be readily reduced.

The fabric ceiling system provides a clean, crisp finished appearance in white, beige, light blue, black or custom-dyed colors to meet very specific design requirements. Cost-effective and quickly installed, the system incorporates an ultra-wide fabric that can be installed over existing drywall, or directly to ceiling joists, eliminating the need for painting and drywall sealing. The system includes a 10-year limited warranty, and is installed by certified professionals.

The science of minimizing unnecessary noises in homes is researched at one of the country's most advanced noise and vibration control facilities at Owens Corning's Science and Technology Center. "In the sound laboratory, researchers have determined how to effectively manage sound and control noise in homes," said Power. "We're using that technology to help homeowners create quieter, more relaxing households."

For more information about making houses quieter, homeowners can visit www.QuietZone.com or call 1-800-GET-PINK.

Click on photo for larger view

A NEW OPTION called the QuietZone SOLSERENE Fabric Ceiling System offers a solution to a home's noise problems by incorporating a seamless fabric that fits into a home's construction, reducing the "echo effect" found in many homes with large rooms and hard flooring.

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