Absorbalay 15 is a high-performance acoustic underlay that provides exceptional soundproofing for both airborne and impact noise. At only 15mm thick, it’s designed to fit seamlessly under various types of flooring, including carpet, laminate, vinyl, and engineered wood. Made from a premium closed-cell polymer, sandwiched between two high-mass acoustic barriers, Absorbalay 15 offers superb sound reduction and is straightforward for DIY installation.
What is an Acoustic Underlay?
An acoustic underlay is a specialised layer installed under flooring to reduce noise transmission through floors. Designed to dampen both airborne sounds (like voices and music) and impact noises (such as footsteps and furniture movement), acoustic underlays are essential in creating quieter, more comfortable spaces in homes and workplaces.
How Does an Acoustic Underlay Work?
An acoustic underlay works by absorbing sound energy and preventing it from passing through the floor. Absorbalay 15 achieves this by using a unique combination of materials, including a high-density polymer core, which effectively dampens vibrations and dissipates sound. Its layered design allows it to tackle sound across a broad frequency range, ensuring effective noise reduction for various types of sounds.
What Noise Does the Absorbalay Acoustic Underlay Stop?
Absorbalay 15 is engineered to reduce both impact noise (such as foot traffic, dropped items, and moving furniture) and airborne noise (like conversations, TV sound, and general ambient noise). Thanks to its advanced materials, it significantly minimises the transfer of these noises, providing peace and quiet in even the busiest environments.
Where Can the Absorbalay Acoustic Underlay Be Used?
This versatile underlay can be installed in both residential and commercial spaces. It’s ideal for timber and concrete floors, making it suitable for both new builds and refurbishments. Absorbalay 15 works well under carpets, laminates, vinyl, and engineered wood floors, making it a fantastic choice for living rooms, bedrooms, home offices, and multi-level buildings where soundproofing is essential.
How to Install the Absorbalay Acoustic Underlay
Installation of Absorbalay 15 is designed to be easy for DIY enthusiasts. Simply lay the underlay across the floor, ensuring the entire area is covered, and secure any overlapping edges with soundproofing tape if necessary. Once the underlay is in place, your chosen flooring can be installed directly over it. For added noise reduction, Absorbalay can be combined with an approved ceiling solution to create a fully compliant acoustic system.
What are the Benefits of the Absorbalay Acoustic Underlay?
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Superior Soundproofing: Provides high levels of sound insulation for both impact and airborne noise.
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Slim Profile: At just 15mm thick, Absorbalay 15 offers maximum soundproofing without sacrificing floor height.
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DIY Friendly: Easy to install for anyone with basic DIY skills.
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Durable and Resilient: With excellent crush resistance, Absorbalay maintains performance under high loads, making it ideal for active spaces.
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Enhanced Comfort: Adds a layer of comfort and insulation, keeping floors quieter and warmer.
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Compliant Design: Can be used as part of a regulation E compliant system for optimal soundproofing.
Need help calculating how many boards you need?
Have a look at our Absorbalay Solution Calculator which will walk you through what you need, and show potential upgrades which can enhance the performance of the system even further.
Absorbalay can be used as part of a regulation E compliant system, in conjunction with an approved ceiling solution (we can help you with that too!). We know you will discover that this is the most impressive mat on the market, so please call us on 0208 123 9710, or email us, if you would like to request a sample.
In addition to the acoustic performance it is vital to assess the "crush ability" of any mat based products, as this will have implications on its performance at higher load (i.e. running children). Many mats will perform reasonably in a test environment but come up short in a real world situation. In terms of "crush ability", the Absorbalay, we believe, is best in class. This also means it is more suitable for customers who are looking to add a floating floor to the surface.
As you can see from the test result below, Absorbalay performs very favourably against competing products, in the above system:
Impact (L'ntW) = 47dB
Airborne (DnTw) = 61dB
See our guide to what these numbers mean!
See our Datasheet for this product.
Installation Instructions
Detailed PDF installation instructions can be found here.
Notes on fitting a carpet over this product:
The mat should run wall to wall with few or no gaps at the perimeter. Any gaps should be sealed with acoustic sealant. This will maximise the airborne acoustic performance achievable from using the mat.
There are a couple of options available to you should you wish to fit carpet on top of Absorbalay:
- If the carpet is an existing pre-stretched carpet ( i.e. it has been down for a while ) then you can refit the carpet back to the mat with double sided carpet tape, available in DIY or carpet shops.
- If the carpet needs to be laid with gripper rods there are two options:
- Create a raised surface around the perimeter of the room onto which to place the carpet gripper. This can be either screwing directly onto the old carpet gripper or introducing a slim 15mm batten around the perimeter of the room and running the mat right up to the batten. The grippers would then be screwed onto the batten. The carpet then fitted in the normal way.
- Create a raised surface around the perimeter of the room onto which to place the carpet gripper. This can be either screwing directly onto the old carpet gripper or introducing a slim 15mm batten around the perimeter of the room and running the mat right up to the batten. The grippers would then be screwed onto the batten. The carpet then fitted in the normal way.
For customers wishing to add a 6mm ply surface. We can recommend a vinyl type adhesive such as Bostick Laybond Vinyl. The adhesive should be high tack and solvent free. Occasionally customers have found they need to prime their 6mm ply with a diluted solution of PVA.
Also see our SBx Board range for alternatives to rubber mats.
