October 15, 2003 

IMPORTANT MEMO TO:
All NOBLEHOUSE Sales Associates & Distributors 

FROM: Ken Ables – VP Sales & Marketing 

Subject: New Product Unveiling 

Memo: 
NOBLEHOUSE is pleased to announce a new Exotics line: Brazillian Cherry, Mahogany and Teak which is offered in Windsor, Windsor FJ, Marietta Strip, Marietta ME, and Plantation strip & plank. Be sure to review the price sheet (see below) and product specification sheet for additional information (weights will follow as soon as we receive this information from China). 

These new products are imported from Brazil to our Chinese factories for finishing.  We need a yearly projection by specie and profile from each of you to enable us to purchase the appropriate amount of stock to run a successful launch. Please take the time to reply to this email message by the end of October. We can start taking orders today with a March delivery. 

We are excited about this opportunity and even more excited about our pricing!

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NobleHouse “Sound Transmission Control” Underlayment Products 

NobleHouse distributors have a distinct opportunity to participate and prosper in the sound transmission control underlayment business. It’s amazingly easy to build serious incremental underlayment sales by pursuing sound transmission product specifications that exist to some degree in all major and local markets. You may already be stocking the products, why not go after the business?

To begin with, specifications for sound control were put into place by housing authorities in order to reduce “indoor” sound pollution in high-rise residential dwellings. These specifications were originally created for VCT and Wood Parquet flooring that was in jeopardy of being displaced by "quiet" flooring like carpet. In order to preserve market share, hard surface manufacturers produced proprietary underlayments and backings. 

Out of simple market preservation, an industry was born and today many products types are used for sound control beneath hard surface floors like wood, ceramic tile and others. Today this market extends beyond the usual condominium, loft projects and other multi-story dwellings to include single-family homes and shops, largely due to increased consumer preference for wood, ceramic and laminate floors. 

Most sound control products are expensive urethane or rubber membranes (usually for ceramic) or cork (for wood and ceramic). Due to the higher cost of most established products, a huge opportunity exists to sell NobleHouse underlayments. The opportunity exists to save end users literally thousands of dollars on underlayment expense for a single project.  To pursue this business you may need to familiarize yourself with the various sound ratings and what they mean. Warning! Technical information lies ahead. 

In order to determine their acoustic value, products with sound dampening properties are tested with other components of completed assemblies that they will be a part of in finished construction projects. The tests produce a numerical rating for the entire assembly that can then be compared to other acoustic products and assemblies. 

Sound rating methods were established by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), which is now Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the National Bureau of Standards. Acoustical testing methods and acceptable sound transmission levels have been established by American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO). 

IIC and STC are numerical ratings in decibels of an assembly's ability to reduce sound transmission over a limited frequency range. Acoustical products are always tested as part of an assembly, which is comprised of all of the component parts that make up a wall or a floor/ceiling. This would, for example, include a floor covering (wood, vinyl, carpet), padding or underlayment, sub floor (plywood and floor joists, concrete, Gypcrete, etc.), suspended or attached ceiling and any ceiling insulation. 

IIC, or Impact Insulation Class, is sound that originates by the impact of two bodies striking each other (for example walking) and is carried through the building structure. Acoustic mats, which are softer and more resilient, isolate the wood flooring from the subfloor. This reduces the transmission of the impact noise to the floor below through the floor/ceiling assembly. It also absorbs some of the impact noise that is transmitted back into the room. 

STC, or Sound Transmission Class, is sound that is airborne, such as voice, music, television or other sound not attributed to impact. This test measures the sound insulation qualities of a wall or floor/ceiling assembly to airborne sound. 

Floor/ceiling assembly ratings:

• Below 50 Unacceptable, generally building codes require 50 or above

• Good Sound Reduction Satisfaction

• High Sound Reduction Satisfaction

• Above 60 Exceptional Sound Reduction Satisfaction

 

The NobleHouse Difference

NobleHouse has the sound transmission control market covered two ways:

1. Sound Step I (for laminate and hardwood floors), Sound Step II (for ceramic & stone)
2. Natural Cork – available in 3 thicknesses - rolls or squares (for all of the above)

Sound Step Underlayment Advantages

• Meets or exceeds all known sound control specifications (all test results available)
• Weighs much less than rubber, cork and urethane products
• Multi-purpose product may be used for a wide variety of applications
• 40% less expensive than cork, 30% less than *Quiet-Cor
• Available in 3’ or 6’ wide rolls – easiest of all products to handle and install
• Unlike cork or Quiet-Cor, absorbs and disperses up to 5 times its own weight in moisture
• Unlike Cork or Quiet-Core, Sound Step I has a “true” vapor barrier built in
• Made with a renewable resource (flax fiber) – stocked in the US for quick shipment

*Quiet-Cor is a product of Domco-Tarkett 

NobleHouse Cork Underlayment Advantages

• Cork is the bulk of the market & original standard for most specifications
• 100% Natural Product and renewable resource
• Competitive pricing
• Available in rolls or sheets, 3 thickness options
• Stocked in the USA warehouse for quick shipment

For more information contact your NobleHouse sales representative today! 

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