How to upsell floor underlayment

HE MoRE You know about the products you sell and what differentiates one within a catego- ry from another, the more likelY You will add value to a sale and to Your bottom line. Everyone will benefit:

Customers are more likely to get what they really need and you are more likely to sell a premium product.

Talking up the attributes of a product can be especially rewarding when selling a product such as quality floor underlayment, which has performance features not evident at first glance.

The specifications and characteristics of an underlayment can affect ability to minimize sound transmission between floors, walking comfort, the perceived warmth or coldness of the floor underfoot, the ability of the underlayment to handle moisture emanating from the subfloor, and the smoothness of the finished surface. Imperfections in any of these qualities can lead homeowners to call back the contractor or installer. or can lead renters in multi-family housing to complain to the landlord.

If you are selling wood, laminate, tile, or luxury vinyl tile flooring, it pays to become familiar with the standards that apply to underlayment for different types of flooring and what the product labeling on underlayment packaging stands for.

For example, to meet building codes, acoustical underlayment, which is designed to minimize noise transmission, has to be tested in a flooring assembly to make sure the assembly conforms to impact insulation and sound transmission levels. Acoustical underlayment can dampen ambient sound, quiet impact sound, and inhibit noise from travelins into the room below. important feitures that owners, management and tenants would all appreciate.

For example, if you are selling engineered wood and laminate floors to owners and contractors of new and renovated condos and rental units, you should recommend acoustical floor underlayment that meets or exceeds local building department acoustical standards. The best way to make sure an underlayment for engineered wood and laminate floors meets applicable standards is to look for documentation that the product has been laboratory tested as part of an assembly, because that is what the code looks for.

Manufacturers that test their products typically label them to indicate the standards to which they conform. There are two tests that are recosnized by the International Buildin'g Code for sound that travels from one living area down to another beneath. Both are performed in a controlled laboratory environment. One is the test for Impact Insulation Class (IIC) and the other is the test for the Sound Transmission Class (STC).

IIC evaluates the ability to block impact sound by measuring the resistance to transmission of impact noise or structure-borne noise. STC tests the ability of a specific construction assembly (e.g., floor, window or door) to reduce airborne sounds, such as stereo systems, voices, and TV. The higher the number, the better the resistance.

In addition to minimizing sound transmission, acoustical underlayment with an appropriate compression resistance can help smooth out minor imperfections in the subfloor while properly supporting the floor, enabling the top finish surface to lay flat. It can also add thermal insulation that contributes to keeping the floors cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

Other features that may matter to buyers include cushioning and moisture control. Cushioning offered by quality underlayment can lessen the strain of each footfall on knee and hip joints, resulting in more comfortable walking. And some underlayments are engineered to wick away sub-floor or incidental perimeter moisture, helping protect engineered wood and laminate flooring from subfloor moisture that could otherwise adversely affect the finished floor.

For customers who are buying environmentally friendly flooring, there are fiber acoustical underlayments that are third-party certified for sustainable attributes and may be made from primarily, or even entirely, clean recycled textile fibers.

Regardless of which type of floor the underlayment is slated for, the customer should understand that installing high-performing underlayment beneath the finished surface will add performance value that will last the length of the installation.

- Kelly Kennedy is national sales manager for MP Global Products, Norfulk, Ne., a manufacturer of acoustic fiber floor underlayment products for hard surface flooring. He can be reached at kke nne dy @ mp g lobalproduc t s .c om or (414) 33r-8248.

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