By Deanna Summers, Marketing & Account Manager, MP Global Products
Multi-unit landlord Connor Ebbinghouse recently specified MP Global Products’ QuietBoard underlayment for use under newly selected vinyl flooring installed in a 600 sq. ft. short-term rental over a garage in Portland, OR. He used QuietBoard to reduce sound transmission from above and below, and to align the vinyl plank flooring with attached padding and the existing tile floor.
Ebbinghouse, like many specifiers/installers, started with the same problems: replacing carpet with a thinner vinyl plank, causing the height of the floor to change; and maintaining similar sound transmission rates as the original carpet when replacing it with other flooring products.
“Overall QuietBoard was the perfect product for everything I needed in the project. The price per square foot just made sense when being used with vinyl plank flooring. Plus, it was made of 100% recycled materials,” said Ebbinghouse. “The flooring underlayment also needed to be ¼ inch thick so it would make my vinyl planks line up perfectly with the tile floor in the next area.
Not only does QuietBoard raise flooring like traditional plywood, but it also provides the benefits of a high-quality underlayment including sound reduction, moisture protection and compression support.
“It made sense to me to build up the subfloor to the previous carpeted height, rather than move down baseboards and repaint the room or add trim moldings or fix door casings. And with the cost of lumber materials fluctuating, having this fiberboard was a welcome find,” said Ebbinghouse.
Increased Comfort of Flooring
To produce QuietBoard, MP Global Products’ patented process takes recycled fibers and thermally bonds them together. The result is high-quality, dense fiber underlayments that disperse unwanted impact energy. This pays off when considering the comfort of your flooring. Once your feet meet the flooring, the underlayment underneath absorbs the impact, instead of directing the energy back up into your feet.
Since QuietBoard is thicker and denser than most underlayments, it does an exceptional job of absorbing impact energy. According to an independent study completed in 2022 by the biomechanics lab at the University of Nebraska – Omaha, QuietBoard underlayment can add up to 4 lbs. of joint stress relief per step. Put another way, this equates to relieving the force of three or more elephants on your joints.
Installation Process
Ebbinghouse said, “Installation was easy—the panels are easy to lift and will cut with a utility blade. Full 4’x6’ panels installed quite quickly and overall it wasn’t messy or hard to work with. I really didn’t need any masks, gloves or other safety equipment.”
He added, “I could tell immediately upon walking across the newly laid floors that they were much quieter than before. The floors feel solid without a bounce, and you can tell they’re supported by the underlayment. It feels better.”
QuietBoard also comes in both 2’x3’ sized panels in a 90 sq. ft. pack or in contractor sized 4’x6’ panels. Email marketing@mpglobalproducts.com for a free sample. For more information, visit https://www.mpglobalproducts.com/flooring-underlayment/products/quietboard.
