Wood Floor Install Leads to Complaints from Downstairs

The plywood subfloor was mechanically fastened to the concrete, a violation of HOA bylaws.
The plywood subfloor was mechanically fastened to the concrete, a violation of HOA bylaws.

The plywood subfloor was mechanically fastened to the concrete, a violation of HOA bylaws.The plywood subfloor was mechanically fastened to the concrete, a violation of HOA bylaws.

Soon after purchasing their condo, the homeowners decided to add wood flooring. Afterwards, the neighbors below filed a grievance with the homeowner association for audible noise when the wood flooring was walked on. Sound testing was completed by an acoustician, who found the Apparent Impact Insulation Class rating was 53. The HOA required a minimum AIIC of 60. The homeowner contacted both the builder and flooring contractor about the problem.

I was retained by the builder's insurance company to identify where the noise was coming from. On site, a carpenter removed the baseboard and shoe molding, and I saw the expansion gap failed in two ways: the gaps were too small, and there was no acoustical foam and sealant, which were required by the HOA bylaws. In some areas the flooring was touching door casings, which causes sound to travel through other building materials (this is the reason HOAs often require acoustical foam and sealant between the flooring and all vertical surfaces). Removal of the wood floor also revealed the plywood subfloor was mechanically fastened to the concrete, failing to comply with the HOA requirement to float the plywood over the acoustical membrane. The audible noise from walking was transferred through the mechanical fasteners and into the concrete. I concluded the flooring contractor failed to follow the HOA building requirements.

Log in to view the full article
Resource Book
Looking for a specific product or a company? Wood Floor Business has the only comprehensive database of the industry.
Learn More
Resource Book
Podcasts
All Things Wood Floor, created by Wood Floor Business magazine, talks to interesting wood flooring pros to share knowledge, stories and tips on everything to do with wood flooring, from installation, sanding and finishing to business management.
Learn More
Podcasts