Apartment building

Older apartment buildings often have the same problems as single-family homes and townhouses when it comes to uninsulated basements. If there is no insulation, moisture can move freely and, over time, cause problems such as water damage, mold growth, and unpleasant odors. Here, too, there are still issues with soil radon in some areas, even though most apartment buildings have been radon-remediated by now. 

The solution to moisture problems is SubFloor’s raised ventilation flooring, where variations in the subfloor’s height are irrelevant. The smart installation method, which uses adjustable screws, results in a perfectly level floor with an air gap underneath that can be ventilated using negative pressure generated by an energy-efficient fan. The fan is an inexpensive safeguard against future problems—without floor ventilation, moisture will eventually return. 

Ventilation floors can also shorten the renovation time following water damage, since there is no need for a construction fan to dry out the space for one or more weeks—the ventilation floor handles this step by step after the tenants have moved back in.

Solve moisture-related problems with raised ventilation floors from SubFloor.

A SubFloor floor has a thickness of between 15 and 414 mm and can therefore be easily adjusted so that different basement areas are at the same level, regardless of the condition of the subfloor. For example, electrical, plumbing, and ventilation equipment can be installed in the air gap beneath the floor, which can then be easily accessed by simply lifting sections of the floor’s surface layer. 

In new construction—but also in more extensive renovations—SubFloor acoustic flooring is often the solution of choice, as it can be customized to meet the various sound classes specified in building codes. Many buildings from the “Million Program” era have floors that were leveled with sand, which shifts over time and loses its sound-absorbing properties. An acoustic flooring system featuring our special polyamide and TPE damping pads restores the original function with significantly improved impact sound insulation. 

Another common application is in the renovation of attic spaces. Especially in major cities, this type of renovation is often a very profitable venture, but it presents many challenges. For example, limited ceiling height requires a low-profile floor—a challenge we are accustomed to overcoming. 

SubFloor's acoustic flooring improves impact sound insulation, which can otherwise be a problem in an apartment building.

Nor do the statutory noise requirements always reflect the level of comfort that potential tenants or condominium buyers are looking for, whether in renovations or new construction. Many people today are willing to pay a little more for good acoustic comfort in their homes, which is easy to achieve with our acoustic flooring. Where an upgrade would otherwise require switching from a 200 mm to a 300 mm floor joist system, 200 mm is sufficient when our sound-dampening system is used. This is especially important when building with wood at height, where every kilogram of weight saved—which in itself provides sound insulation—plays a major role in the structure’s strength.

In new construction, prefabricated concrete floor slabs are common, with rough-cast surfaces that are leveled with self-leveling compound—which itself introduces moisture. With SubFloor’s acoustic flooring, no such leveling is needed; the adjustable joist screws take care of that quickly and efficiently. As an added bonus, you get a practical installation space beneath the floor.

Prefabricated bathroom modules are now also often placed directly on the joists. With a SubFloor subfloor installed on joists, it’s easy to bring the floors in the other rooms up to the same level as the bathroom floor.