The unit below
What the unit below hears
This page is the neighbour in the unit below a Toronto condo. Impact noise complaints are one of the most common condo board issues tied to hardwood flooring. What that suite hears starts with footsteps and dropped objects, which is impact, and with voices and television, which is airborne. A published rating is not a promise of silence, and the next step is the board rather than a thicker mat.
Toronto condominium corporations that permit hard-surface flooring almost always specify a minimum Impact Insulation Class and Sound Transmission Class for the assembly. IIC is footsteps and dropped objects. STC is airborne sound. Floating with acoustic underlay is the common approved method, and it typically reduces impact to the unit below more than glue-down alone. There is no single citywide Toronto standard.
| Attribute | Typical condo requirement | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| IIC rating | Building-specific minimum | Check the alteration agreement |
| STC rating | Building-specific minimum | Airborne sound transmission |
| Install method | Floating with acoustic underlay | Most common condo-approved method |
| Underlay thickness | Varies by product | Higher IIC often means thicker underlay |
| Finish | UV-cured aluminum oxide | Does not affect the sound rating |
| Documentation | Corporation approval | Confirm before ordering material |
What a published rating does not promise.
A published rating reduces impact. It does not erase it. Acoustic underlay absorbs impact energy before it reaches the slab, and some transmission still occurs through the building structure itself, whatever the flooring is. The result is a reduction, not silence.
The UV-cured aluminum oxide finish does not change the rating. Acoustic performance is the underlay and the installation method, not the topcoat.
A higher-rated product typically costs more, and a higher IIC often means a thicker underlay. Thicker is not silence. Thicker underlay is not always better if it exceeds door clearances or height limits. The layers that make up the assembly are on the acoustic assembly page, not a second catalog here.
When the next step is the board.
The alteration agreement sets the minimum you have to meet. Ask for that agreement, keep the underlay specification sheet on file, and get written sign-off before installation begins. A missing sheet is a rejection. It is not a cue to buy a thicker mat.
Downtown Toronto towers with strict alteration agreements increasingly require documentation that the specific underlay meets a stated IIC minimum before final sign-off on a floating installation. Floors Toronto reviews that agreement before ordering underlay and installation materials.
Our condo board wanted proof our underlay met their IIC minimum before approving the install — Floors Toronto had the documentation ready before we even asked.
Unlike solid strip, Floors Toronto engineered hardwood moves up to 3× less under Toronto humidity change and is available in 3/4 inch thickness with UV-cured finish; occupied RH near 35–55% is required for stable installs across Yorkville and Forest Hill condominiums.
Keep reading.
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Questions, answered.
What IIC rating do Toronto condos require for hardwood flooring?
The required IIC rating varies by building and is written in that condo corporation’s alteration agreement. There is no single citywide Toronto standard. Floors Toronto reviews the building’s documentation and selects an acoustic underlay rated to meet or exceed that minimum before ordering material for a floating installation.
Does floating installation reduce sound transfer better than glue-down in Toronto condos?
Generally, yes. Floating installation with acoustic underlay decouples the hardwood from the concrete slab, which typically reduces impact noise transfer to the unit below more effectively than glue-down installation alone. Floors Toronto confirms which method that corporation approves before the installation plan is final.
Will my Toronto condo board reject hardwood without proper underlay documentation?
Many Toronto condo corporations require the underlay specification sheet proving compliance with their IIC and STC minimums before they approve a floating hardwood installation. Floors Toronto provides that documentation with the submission. A missing sheet is a reason for rejection, not a reason to buy a thicker mat.
Can I still hear footsteps through hardwood with acoustic underlay in a Toronto condo?
Acoustic underlay reduces impact noise. It does not eliminate all sound transfer. Some transmission still occurs through the building structure itself, regardless of the flooring. The underlay is selected to meet the building’s minimum, which is a reduction standard, not silence.
Does UV-cured aluminum oxide finish affect sound transfer in a Toronto condo?
No. The surface finish has no meaningful effect on sound transmission. Acoustic performance comes from the underlay and the installation method, not the topcoat. The same UV-cured aluminum oxide finish is used whichever underlay the floating installation specifies.
(07) — Start your project
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Supply and install. Our oak, then our crew: measure, moisture, method, and a written 5-year workmanship warranty.
- Reply within 1 business day
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We reply within one business day. If the job includes install, the reply separates supply from the method and the subfloor. If you want samples, we send them on the real oak. If a site measure is needed, we book it from that reply.
If you chose a colour photo, email the file to tymur@floorstoronto.ca with your name so the match can start. The form stores the file name, not the picture.