Menu
Expertise
Rely on our extensive knowledge and experience that make us the experts in elevated concrete.
Evaluation Offer
Free assessment and evaluation for all your projects.
Smart Engineering
Engineered solutions customized for your project.
Cemplex Group® understands that it is important to look for opportunities to improve construction practices. Saving time, creating a more durable installation, or just making a process safer are often the lenses which we look through.
Gypsum and sound reducing underlayments are a familiar pairing on most multi-family construction sites. Pairing these two products offers a fire resistive, sound attenuating substrate that owners and tenants both require and appreciate. The weak link in this chain has always been the compressibility of the sound mat. Placing a readily compressible sound underlayment beneath a thin layer of poured gypsum cement, frequently leads to cracks and deterioration of the gypsum which telegraphs through the finished flooring.
Construction processes often require sequencing of the building process. This sequencing ensures that you do not have conflict or incompatibility issues on the jobsite. Traditionally, drywall installation occurs before gypsum and sound mats in this portion of the sequencing. Since the advent of sound mats, the drywall installation has always gone first due to the compressibility of the sound mat that resides under the gypsum. A fully loaded drywall delivery cart rides on urethane wheels, which can exert thousands of pounds per square inch on the gypsum which causes widespread failure due to the deformation of the sound mat under heavy load.
Gypsum underlayments dry out faster with the improved airflow. Pumps can run at full speed without concern of drywall splash. Furthermore, this system also speeds up drywall installation because the level-up process of the lower section of drywall is much easier. Building inspections can be collapsed such that Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing inspections can take place at the same time, streamlining the building inspection process. Combined all areas of savings have totaled 10 – 14 days pick-up on most job sites.
Only one project sweep required per building reducing labor. Far fewer trip charges because of pre-pour elimination, better leveling between rooms and substrates means less prep work for the flooring subcontractor to follow and lower costs as a result.
Getting the Elite sounds mat in early helps to protect the subfloor from errant moisture and subsequent mold issues. Elite is impervious to moisture and will not allow moisture or moisture vapor to pass. Mild cases of rain-blown wind or an uncapped roof penetration are no longer a concern as they were in years past. Additionally, water that evaporates from the curing Gypsum subfloor will not come to rest on drywall paper which hasn’t been installed yet; greatly reducing any need for mold remediation.
A smooth color consistent gypsum Treadstone® pour is easier to clean and keep clean resulting in fewer slips and potential foot punctures from debris left on the floor. Additionally, elimination of multiple building sweeps will reduce the airborne silica and wood fibers that can cause long term health concerns for workers.
The answer to this challenge is an uncompressible sound reducing mat from Formulated Materials® known as Treadstone™ Elite. Elite offers patented sound reduction exceeding industry standards all while offering unparalleled rigidity. Combining the Elite underlayment with a properly batched Treadstone® FR25 or FR30 gypsum underlayment will yield a floor that can withstand greater than 2,500 PSI.