Whisper Wool: Naturally Quiet and More Sustainable Too!
How Green is Your Flooring System?
Whisper Wool premium acoustic underlay reduces the annoying noise associated with wood and laminate floors while helping you create healthy indoor spaces where people live, work and shop. You can also feel good about the fact that Whisper Wool is a rapidly renewable product that is relatively easy on the Earth. Whisper Wool contains just two components, making it simple to understand its environmental and health attributes.
|
Component |
Description |
| Wool | Sheep are sheered annually and the wool is tightly woven into a felt-like product that provides superior acoustical treatment in floating and nail down flooring applications. Wool has the ability to naturally absorb volatile organic compounds and formaldehyde and will self-extinguish once a flame is removed. |
| Polypropylene backing | A thin film of polypropylene serves as a moisture barrier to inhibit the growth of microbes, protecting flooring products and building occupants. Polypropylene is a biologically inert plastic that is often used in food packaging (such as yogurt containers) and medical applications. It has low toxicity and low flammability, and polypropylene cannot be digested by insects. |
When combined with other environmentally responsible flooring finish materials, such as engineered wood or FSC certified wood - particularly in nail-down or floating floor applications that require no adhesives - Whisper Wool is a vital component of your green flooring system.
Whisper Wool Can Help You Achieve LEED™ Credits
The Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED™) system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, is the most widely recognized green building rating system in the U.S. Building owners may voluntarily choose to certify their green building projects using consensus-based standards. LEED™ products include rating systems for new construction (LEED-NC), existing buildings (LEED-EB), homes (LEED-H is in the pilot stage) and other applications.
Using LEED-NC, one credit (Materials and Resources Credit 6) can be earned if 2.5% of the total materials cost for the project (excluding installation) can be attributed to rapidly renewable products (those that can be harvested in a 10 year period) such as Whisper Wool. For residential construction using the LEED-H rating system, Whisper Wool will qualify the project to earn 0.5 points under Materials & Resources Credit 5.2 – Environmentally Preferable Products, since it is listed in GreenSpec.
Whisper Wool’s Other Environmental Attributes
Whisper Wool has several other positive environmental attributes. Controlling unwanted and distracting floor noise is what Whisper Wool does best. With a Sound Transmission Classification of 54, it is one of the highest performing underlay options available, improving indoor environmental quality for building occupants. Furthermore, wool naturally absorbs volatile organic compounds that can cause respiratory symptoms and eye irritation.
When considering whether to install a glue down or floating floor in your home, office or retail establishment, remember that adhesives (although available in low VOC formulations) have a life cycle impact on the natural environment… and floating floors are less likely to transmit sound when properly installed using a high quality underlay like Whisper Wool.
When considering your green flooring options, choose Whisper Wool –
it’s the natural choice!