For centuries wood has been a key component of low and mid-rise multifamily construction. Wood is a renewable resource that sequesters carbon for the life of the building and allows for efficient construction. However, the lack of stiffness and mass in wood joists leads to increased sound transmission in wood frame construction. Addressing these acoustical deficiencies during a project’s design phase is critical to ensuring tenant/owner satisfaction.

In multifamily wood frame construction, complaints are commonly described by terms such as “thuds”, “booms” and “thumps”. These structure-borne disturbances are produced by everyday activities from neighbors: footsteps, closing of cabinets/drawers, vacuuming, washing machines and moving furniture. Furthermore, the gypsum wallboard will act like a speaker, amplifying these noises unless properly isolated from the structure.

The goal of resilient channels (RC) is to separate the gypsum wallboard from the structure with the single-legged metal channel. However, they have proven to be unreliable in the field with a range of quality on the market and incorrect installation. It’s estimated that RC has a post-construction failure rate of 90%. This is discussed in more detail in the complete white papers Resilient Channels: Guaranteed to Fail and Resilient Channels: One Screw Makes a Difference.

To overcome the shortcomings that cause RC to fail, Pliteq developed the GenieClip^® RST. The GenieClip RST provides superior impact and airborne sound control and properly decouples the gypsum wallboard from the ceiling and wall structures. The GenieClip RST is fast and easy to install and cannot be short-circuited resulting in better performance and quieter spaces.

Get in touch with us to learn more about GenieClip RST at info@pliteq.com