FLOORS
The vast majority of new homes now have solid concrete ground floors with either carpet or timber finishes. This is excellent from the point of view of noise reduction. However, upstairs floors are perhaps the greatest single source of noise problems in homes. With many homeowners moving away from carpet finishes to timber floors, the problem has increased significantly. Impact noise through timber upper floors can be a significant source of irritation, especially when children are playing with friends upstairs.
Tests show the airborne sound insulation of a concrete upstairs floor to be in the range of 47 to 52 decibels. A normal timber floor in a comparative test has a rating of only 30 to 38 decibels. The substantial performance difference has encouraged some builders to use precast concrete upper floors. This is attractive to purchasers who will enjoy the comfort of a quieter, safer home.
Of course, precast first floors have other benefits, especially in wet areas such as bathrooms where durability is required. In addition to sound reduction, concrete floors have excellent fire resistance characteristics. This is because concrete is inherently are fireproof and don't require the addition of fireproofing materials. Concrete floors provide a safe platform from which to escape in the event of fire.
Concrete floors also facilitate under floor heating systems, which utilise the thermal mass of concrete. Essentially, hot water passes through plastic tubes placed under the floor which heats up and acts as a storage heater, radiating heat into rooms long after the heating system has been turned off. Under floor heating systems are heat efficient and aesthetically pleasing, doing away with the need for radiators, which can be unsightly.
