Ceramic tiles transmit impact noise

Rigid materials such as concrete, metal, ceramic and stone offer much less resistance to the passage of impact noise than soft absorbent materials such as foam and rubber.

A rigid floor that has been tiled directly with ceramic tiles or natural stones will transmit impact noise and vibration through itself and into its supporting structure.

It is not enough simply to insulate the floor from direct noise transmission by applying an absorbent layer underneath the tile bed.

Noise/vibration can be transmitted via any other direct contact between the tile bed and the building structure.

The most common place for this to occur is around the perimeter of the tiled area at the junction with the wall but pipes, conduits, etc will also provide transmission paths.

Any part of the floor that provides a rigid path to the structure will allow noise/vibration to be transmitted.

During application the tile adhesive can penetrate the gaps between adjacent sections of insulating mat and form bridges of set mortar that will allow transmission.

weber.sys acoustic is a complete system for the insulation of floors from impact noise, which satisfies the requirements of the Building Regulations 2000, Part E - Resistence to the passage of sound. It includes a sound absorbing underlay that has a waterproof surface plus perimeter and joint tape to eliminate other potential routes for noise/vibration to be transmitted into the building structure. The under-tile system is approximately 10 mm and it provides a noise reduction of 19 dB.