Use and Care Manual

ManualsBrandsSTEICO ManualsFlooringNatural acoustic wood fiber underlayment 180-sq ft Premium 6 mm Flooring Underlayment

Underlay for flooring is a layer of material, that is used for cushion or leveling the floor. It provides

sound absorption, insulation and helps reduce wear of your flooring.

Wood fiber has been utilized to manufacture underlayment for wood floors for more than 50

years worldwide, and by STEICO for more than 30 years. Strong production quality control and

combination of qualities such as high-performing soundproofing, high compression strength,

ability to level the floors, vapor open technology and other make STEICO underlayment a great

option to resolve multiple installation needs. That made STEICO wood fiber underlayment a

leader in sales in its category for the last decade on various markets and ensured accomplishment

of hundreds of thousands commercial and residential projects over the years.

Wood fiber insulation is an innovative, safe, natural and high performing alternative to many

synthetic insulation options currently on the market.

PRODUCTION

Only high-quality raw materials (wood chips) are used to produce STEICO wood fiber

underlayment. Product is made from 100% natural wood fiber without use of the glue; Lignin, a

wood resin that is secreted in the process of milling wood acts as a binding agent of the wood

fibers is responsible for the durability and sturdiness of the boards.

In order to produce a high-quality product made out of wood fibers, especially in thin sheets less

than 6 mm (1/4”) in thickness, a very persice proportion of Lignin and length of the fibers is

required. To meet this strict requirement only Pine and Spruce are suitable to be utilized in the

production of these products. (Recycled wood from construction or household materials is not

suitable for this purpose.)

All STEICO products are VOCs, glue, and chemicals free; IBR, FSC and ISO certified and sustainably

sourced.

SOUNDPROOF BARRIER

Wood fibers alike wool, animal or human hair are hollow inside. That quality allows underlayment

boards exhibit unique soundproofing characteristics on a minimum thickness and create a real

sound barrier – air is located not only between fibers, but also within them.

No artificial materials have this property.

The level of sound insulation that an underlayment provides may be measured in negative

decibels (-dB) or rated by Impact Insulation Class (IIC) or Sound Transmission Class (STC). It also

can be represented as Delta IIC (Δ), number indicating the performance of product alone,

without other materials. Wood Fiber, Felt, and Cork are the best underlayment materials for

providing sound insulation.

Let’s talk about sound insulation and tests in more details:

Summary of content (4 pages)

PAGE 1
Underlay for flooring is a layer of material, that is used for cushion or leveling the floor. It provides sound absorption, insulation and helps reduce wear of your flooring. Wood fiber has been utilized to manufacture underlayment for wood floors for more than 50 years worldwide, and by STEICO for more than 30 years.
PAGE 2
There are three kinds of audible sound. First is Impact: Sound transmitted due to impact of an object with the floor surface. Examples can be walking in heels, a hammer, an object drops to the floor etc. - IIC value. Second is Air: Any acoustic sound that is transmitted through air such as talking, TV Sounds, vacuum cleaner - STC value. And third is Structural: Sounds transmitted through construction or framed structures.
PAGE 3
LEVELING THE FLOOR If, in addition to leveling the subfloor, it is required to raise its height, then a thicker board can be used. As an alternative, thinner STEICO underlayment on hand can be installed in several layers. Both thickness can be stacked or combined as needed. When laying wood fiber underlayment in multiple layers, it is important that the joints (seams) of the layers and levels do not coincide with each other.
PAGE 4
SOUND INSULATION FOR WALLS AND CEILINGS Wood fiber underlayment can be utilized for walls and ceilings sound insulation, using it in combination with drywall. The most preferred method of attaching the boards is glue down. INSTALLATION PREP Unpack the underlayment and leave it in the room where the installation will be carried out 48 hours before starting work. It is recommended to store the underlayment horizontally.