Acoustic flooring is not a separate product. It is an ordinary floating floor laid over an acoustic layer. The two are tested as one system, and the test gives you a rating. Your body corporate reads that rating. That is the owners' committee that runs your building. In an apartment, a unit or a townhouse, it decides whether you get approval.
Most retailers go quiet here, because they never publish the numbers. We publish ours. Five of our six click-lock ranges carry tested figures. They are set out below, in the form a strata committee asks for.
This guide covers the three numbers and what they mean. It shows which of our ranges hits 5 Star. It prices a rated floor in a real unit, room by room. And it sets out the seven-line application that gets approved first time.
The Short Answer [TL;DR]
For an apartment you want a floating floor tested over an acoustic layer, with a star rating your committee accepts. The floor to beat is our SPC Hybrid 9.5mm. It rates 5 Star AAAC, LnT,w 41 and FIIC 69, with the 2mm acoustic backing bonded to the board. Urban Laminate 12mm over 2mm foam and SPC Hybrid 6.5mm both test at 4 Star. That clears plenty of by-laws, from $25.91 per square metre. Every acoustic flooring rating covers board and underlay together, so never swap the underlay. And get written approval before you order.
Definitions [Say It Straight]
Acoustic Flooring and Soundproof Flooring Are Not the Same Thing
Acoustic flooring has a tested number behind it, and soundproof flooring does not. It means a floor system with a tested acoustic result. Nothing about the plank changes. Somebody has run a standard test on that exact board over that exact underlay. Then they published the number.
Soundproof flooring is the phrase people type into Google. No floor is soundproof. A floor only reduces how much impact noise reaches the unit below. Our sound rated flooring collection is named for what customers search for. A plank cannot stop sound.
Two kinds of noise matter. Airborne sound is voices and television, travelling through the air and then the structure. Impact sound is the shock of something hitting the floor. Footsteps, dropped keys, a chair leg dragged back from the table. That energy goes straight into the slab.
By-laws are almost always about impact. Airborne sound is mostly the work of the slab, the walls and the ceiling. If these floors are new to you, start with what hybrid flooring actually is.
The Why [Strata Reality]
Why Apartments, Units and Townhouses Have Flooring Rules
Because carpet was doing a job nobody noticed until it came up. Carpet and its underlay soak up most of the impact energy. Very little of it reaches the concrete. A hard floor does not do that, at least not on its own.
The National Construction Code sets minimum sound rules for floors that separate one home from another. Most schemes carry that thinking into their own by-laws for anyone replacing flooring later. That is why a hard floor in a unit is an approval item. The same floor in a house is not.
You are not stuck with carpet. You choose from ranges that have been tested and prove it on paper. Our range of floating floorboards is the place to start. A click-lock board on an acoustic layer is the assembly these tests are run on. Coming off carpet? Hybrid flooring against carpet has the trade-offs.
Townhouses [Different Problem]
Apartments usually sit on a concrete slab, which is heavy and forgiving. Plenty of townhouses have timber joist upper floors instead. Those flex and drum. If yours has a joist floor over a living room below, expect a stricter committee. Check the subfloor for sag first.
Rating School [Two Minutes]
The Three Numbers, and Which Direction Is Better for Each
Acoustic flooring uses three numbers: AAAC stars, LnT,w and FIIC. The star rating is the plain mark most by-laws quote. LnT,w is how much footstep noise lands in the room below. FIIC is how well the whole floor blocks that noise. A bigger number is not always better, and two of the three move in opposite directions.
| Number | What it measures | Better direction | Where you meet it |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAAC star rating | Tested impact performance as a single star mark | More stars is better | Most by-laws, as a minimum |
| LnT,w | Impact noise arriving in the room below | Lower is better | Reports, sometimes a by-law maximum |
| FIIC | How well the assembly insulates against that impact | Higher is better | Full test reports |
Read together they tell one story. A floor at LnT,w 41 lets less through than one at 49. Its FIIC will be higher to match. The star rating is the friendliest of the three. A committee member with no acoustics background can read it at a glance.
Watch Out [Bigger Is Not Better]
A high LnT,w is the bad end of the scale
People submit the range with the biggest LnT,w. It looks like the strongest result. It is the weakest one on the list. If a by-law names a maximum LnT,w, you need a number at or under it.
The Data [Six Ranges]
Tested Acoustic Ratings for Our Floating Floor Ranges
These are the published figures for our click-lock ranges. Each result belongs to one system. Read the underlay column as part of the result.
| Range | Tested with | AAAC stars | LnT,w (lower better) | FIIC (higher better) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPC Hybrid 9.5mm | 2mm attached underlay | 5 Star | 41 | 69 |
| SPC Herringbone 9.5mm | 2mm attached underlay | 5 Star | 41 | 69 |
| Australian Hardwood 14.3mm | 5mm Regupol Sonus Core 5 | 4 Star | 46 | 64 |
| SPC Hybrid 6.5mm | 1.5mm attached underlay | 4 Star | 47 | 60 |
| Urban Laminate 12mm | 2mm foam underlay | 4 Star | 49 | 59 |
| Solid Bamboo 12mm | No published report | Not published | Not published | Not published |
Solid Bamboo 12mm has no published acoustic report. I would rather say so than hand you a figure I cannot stand behind. If your scheme wants data, it is not the range to build an application around. Our bamboo flooring is still lovely at $61.39 per square metre, in a home with no acoustic clause.
The two 9.5mm ranges share the same 7.5mm core and the same 2mm backing. So the figures are identical. The herringbone range costs more for the pattern and the labour, not for better acoustics.
A thicker board rarely buys better acoustics. The step from 6.5mm to 9.5mm is one of the few times it does, 4 Star to 5 Star. Our piece on whether thickness matters explains why. For the core underneath, read the SPC guide.
The System [Underlay Matters]
Attached Acoustic Backing or a Separate Acoustic Underlay?
Either works, if the underlay you lay is the one that was tested. Half the confusion in strata applications comes from quoting a plank when the by-law asks about a system. The acoustic underlay is part of the tested result. Swap it and the number is void.
Both SPC ranges arrive with backing bonded to the board. That is 1.5mm on the 6.5mm and 2mm on the 9.5mm. One product, one system, nothing to swap. It also keeps build height down, which matters when a unit door has only a few millimetres of clearance.
Urban Laminate has no attached backing. Its 4 Star result comes from the board over 2mm foam, one of the ways laminate behaves differently to SPC underfoot. The hardwood figures come from the board over 5mm Regupol Sonus Core 5. Those are two-part systems, not downgrades. Both parts belong on the purchase order.
The trap is the swap. Say your installer lays a cheaper underlay. The report you submitted no longer describes your floor. The rating belongs to the system, never to a plank on its own. Underlay for hybrid flooring covers it, and the underlays sit in flooring accessories.
The Money [Real Numbers]
What Acoustic Flooring Actually Costs in an Apartment
A 4 Star system starts at $25.91 per square metre, boards only. A 5 Star system starts at $50.28. Acoustic flooring is not an extra you buy on top. You pay for the range, and the rating comes with it. Here is what that means for the areas we quote in units, with the standard 10% wastage added.
| Space | Area | Urban Laminate (4 Star) | SPC 6.5mm (4 Star) | SPC 9.5mm (5 Star) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry and hall | 8 m² | about $228 | about $306 | about $442 |
| Main bedroom | 12 m² | about $342 | about $460 | about $664 |
| Living and dining | 25 m² | about $713 | about $958 | about $1,383 |
| Whole living zone | 45 m² | about $1,283 | about $1,724 | about $2,489 |
| Two-bed unit, all hard floor | 70 m² | about $1,995 | about $2,681 | about $3,872 |
Two honest notes. The laminate column is boards only. It still needs 2mm foam bought separately, so the real gap to SPC is narrower than it looks. And none of these figures include laying, skirting, trims or the rubbish removal an apartment job always needs.
The number most people want is what 5 Star costs. SPC 9.5mm is $50.28 against $34.82 for the 6.5mm. The difference is $15.46. On a 45 m² living zone with wastage, that upgrade is about $765. If your by-law asks for 5 Star, it is not optional.
At the top, 14.3mm engineered Australian hardwood is $113.28 per square metre. It tests at 4 Star over Regupol, and it is the only option here you can sand and recoat. Compare the click-lock floating floor range on price. Then run your rooms through the instant quote tool. Still measuring? Our measurement guide covers hallways and wardrobes.
Room by Room [Where Each Floor Goes]
Which Floor Goes in Which Room of a Unit
Living, dining and kitchen go to SPC every time. If new joinery is going in with the floor, remember that cabinets and islands must never pin the boards down. Both hybrid ranges are 100% water resistant. One floor runs from the kitchen to the balcony door with no transition strip. In a small unit that run is worth real money.
Laundries and bathrooms follow the same logic. One rule never changes. The waterproofing membrane under the floor is still the legal water barrier. The hybrid sits on top of it, never instead of it.
Bedrooms are where the by-law often bites. Plenty of schemes allow hard floors in living areas and ask for carpet in bedrooms. Read the clause before you price the whole unit. Where hard floors are allowed, laminate flooring is the value pick at $25.91 per square metre, AC4 rated, in 12 colours.
Halls and entries take the most punishment on the smallest area. That is where I would spend the extra. Eight square metres of the 5 Star SPC is about $442. Shortlist across our floating floorboards. Or go straight to the 9.5mm hybrid range if the by-law has decided for you.
The Application [Seven Lines]
What to Send Your Body Corporate
Send one document with these seven lines and you remove every reason to defer. Knock-backs are usually about paperwork, not acoustics. The floor was fine. The application was thin.
- Unit number, the rooms involved, the approximate area in square metres and your install dates.
- The exact product name, range and thickness. Write "SPC Hybrid 9.5mm", not "hybrid flooring".
- The underlay named specifically, the attached 2mm backing or 5mm Regupol Sonus Core 5.
- The AAAC star rating, LnT,w and FIIC for that system, with the better direction noted beside each.
- The acoustic test report if your scheme asks. Ask us and we will supply what we hold for the range.
- Your installer's details and written confirmation they will lay the system as specified.
- A line requesting written approval before you place the order.
Do the sample step at the same time. Order free samples while the application sits with the committee. Then you are judging colour in the unit's own light. Keep the approval email. And read how flooring warranties are written while you wait.
On Site [Do Not Lose the Rating]
The Install Details That Protect Your Rating
A tested acoustic flooring rating assumes the floor floats. That is the part installers rush. It is where a 5 Star system quietly becomes something less. Get it right if you are laying the click-lock boards yourself.
The perimeter expansion gap does acoustic work, not just room for summer movement. If the boards touch the wall, impact energy bypasses the underlay you paid for. A skirting nail into the subfloor does the same. Our installation guide covers the gap, and the door frame article handles the trickiest spot in any unit.
Subfloor flatness is next. Bare concrete is a good start, but a hollow under a floating floor drums. Drumming is the exact noise the by-law was written to stop. Start with subfloor preparation. Going over existing tiles has its own rules on grout lines and build height.
Last, the transitions. Where hard floor meets carpet at a bedroom door, the trim must not screw through the boards into the slab. A fixed trim is a common way a rated floor stops behaving like the tested system. Check transition strips and T-mouldings.
Honest Talk [What Goes Wrong]
What Goes Wrong With Apartment Flooring Applications
Applications fail on paperwork far more often than on the floor. After enough of these, the failures repeat.
Get the flooring clause in writing first
Ask the building manager for the exact by-law text, not a summary over the phone. "Minimum 4 Star AAAC" and "maximum LnT,w 45" send you to different ranges.
Name the underlay on the purchase order
The rating belongs to the system. Writing "SPC Hybrid 9.5mm with 2mm attached acoustic backing" makes a swap impossible. It also gives the committee something to hold you to.
Ordering before written approval arrives
Verbal approval from one committee member is not approval. If the scheme later says no, you are holding boxes you cannot lay.
Submitting a marketing line instead of a figure
"Excellent acoustic performance" is not data. Committees spot it instantly. Give the star rating, the LnT,w and the FIIC for the exact system you plan to lay.
Once the clause is clear, browse our acoustic flooring collection. Shortlist two or three ranges to sample.
FAQ [Quick Answers]
Acoustic Flooring for Apartments: Common Questions
Q1 What is acoustic flooring?
Acoustic flooring is a floor system tested for impact noise and given a published rating. That is usually an AAAC star rating plus LnT,w and FIIC figures. The rating covers the board and the underlay together, which is why committees ask about both.
Q2 Is soundproof flooring actually soundproof?
No floor is soundproof. Rated floating floorboards cut how much impact noise reaches the unit below. A good system cuts a lot of it, but footsteps never disappear.
Q3 What AAAC star rating do I need for an apartment?
It depends on your scheme, so ask for the flooring clause in writing. Many by-laws set a minimum. Our SPC Hybrid 9.5mm tests at 5 Star, and Urban Laminate 12mm and SPC Hybrid 6.5mm both test at 4 Star.
Q4 Do I need body corporate approval to change flooring in a unit?
In almost every strata scheme, yes, if you are replacing carpet with a hard floor. Get it in writing before you order, and make sure the approval names the exact product and underlay.
Q5 Is a higher or lower LnT,w better?
Lower is better. LnT,w measures the impact noise arriving in the room below, so 41 is letting less through than 49. FIIC runs the other way and higher is better.
Q6 Do I need acoustic underlay under hybrid flooring in an apartment?
Our SPC hybrid ranges have it bonded to the board already. That is 1.5mm on the 6.5mm and 2mm on the 9.5mm, so you do not add a second layer. Urban Laminate needs 2mm foam under it.
Q7 What is the cheapest flooring that will pass an apartment by-law?
Urban Laminate 12mm over 2mm foam, at $25.91 per square metre for the boards, is our most affordable 4 Star system. It is a dry-area floor, so use a hybrid in wet areas.
Q8 Does thicker flooring always mean better acoustics?
Not usually, but this is the exception. Moving from our 6.5mm hybrid to the 9.5mm takes you from 4 Star to 5 Star, LnT,w 47 to 41 and FIIC 60 to 69.
Your Application [Get It Approved]
Send your committee real numbers
Browse our acoustic flooring range. Prices run from a 4 Star laminate at $25.91 per square metre to the 5 Star SPC Hybrid 9.5mm at $50.28. Order free samples, or call 0431 311 633 for a straight answer on your by-law. We ship Australia-wide from our Brisbane warehouse. There is no showroom, which is why the prices read the way they do.
Last updated: September 2026 · Written by the team at Hybrid Floors Australia
