At a glance
You are buzzing with abbreviations and technical values? Here you will find the most important terms of the world of mats and their meaning.
The floor covering is the visible part of the floor. Elastic floor coverings are available, for example, in vinyl, linoleum or bio-PU in various designs. Hard floor coverings are for example laminate or real wood parquet.
Dryback floorings are firmly bonded to the substrate. Design floorings that are firmly bonded are mainly used where the floor is exposed to intensive use, e.g. in public buildings.
Vapour barrier: If the substrate has a residual moisture, a thin PE film is laid under the lining as a "vapour barrier" to protect hard surfaces. If the residual moisture is high, the subfloor must first be dried. A vapour barrier is not suitable for wooden subfloors: Wood must breathe!
Reflected walking sound is the sound, e.g. of steps, which can be heard in the room itself. Underlay mats with high reflected walking sound reduction can then improve room acoustics. Reflected walking sound is particularly relevant for hard floor coverings.
Wood fibreboards made of (residual) wood, saw scraps and plants containing wood fibres have a high thermal resistance. This means that they insulate well and are perfect for insulation - but unsuitable for floorings with underfloor heating.
Mineral subfloors (e.g. screed) may contain low residual moisture. A vapour barrier is recommended to protect the floor covering (e.g. the core board of laminate) from damage. Non-mineral subfloors are e.g. wood and chipboard. No vapour barrier may be used here.
The foam polyethylene (PE) is a mat for laminate and parquet floors that offers good impact and reflected walking sound reduction and is (conditionally) suitable for use on heated floorings. PE is mid-range in terms of price and technology.
Polyurethane (PU) mats are ideal for heated floorings. With their low thermal resistance, they let heat through particularly well. The room heats up quickly, energy consumption is reduced and so are heating costs. The PU mats from wineo are made of sustainable bio-polyurethane (ecuran).
With floating installation, the elements of the floor covering are only connected to each other (e.g. clicked), but it is not firmly bonded to the subfloor.
Polystyrene (XPS/EPS) is a widely used insulating material which is also used for underlay mats. Expanded polystyrene (EPS, also known as styrofoam) is light, but it is easily compressed (e.g. under heavy furniture). Extruded polystyrene (XPS) insulates slightly less, but is harder. Under laminate or parquet flooring, XPS mats reduce reflected walking and impact sound while providing good insulation - a mat for the price entry level.
The thermal resistance indicates how well a material insulates. The unit of measurement is m²-K/W (square metre Kelvin per watt).
Impact noise is the sound that is transmitted to adjacent rooms and floors when the floor is used. Impact noise occurs in hard and elastic floors (see reflected walking sound).