MP Global Recycles Fibers to Quiet Noise

[Norfolk, Neb.] MP Global Products, a manufacturer of fiber acoustic underlayment for hard surface flooring, began in 1997 manufacturing carpet padding while researching other products as well as other industries. But along the way, according to Jack Boesch, director for marketing and sales, “We developed a thin pad that proved to be a perfect product for beneath floating floors. We started focusing more of our efforts into flooring underlayments, and as a result have experienced huge success and growth.”

In addition, he said the company was founded on utilizing post-industrial synthetic fibers from the textile and carpet industries that ordinarily would have gone to landfills. The company has now made a commitment to move further into protecting the environment by recycling even more materials. The company, in fact, has made an investment in new equipment that will allow it to harvest many of its own recycled fibers.

“We pioneered and patented a process to utilize fibers that were too short for traditional ‘needle-punch’ manufacturing. This new equipment allows us to capture postconsumer fibers by processing used carpet.”

Today, MP Global offers its customers a wide range of products, including recycled fiber underlayments that assist with sound abatement. According to Boesch, developers of high density, multi-floor residential communities are driven by both owner and tenant interests in quiet between floors.

Boesch added that the North American Laminate Flooring Association (NALFA) recently created commercial and residential standards for underlayments. “By developing underlayment standards, NALFA allows quality underlayment manufacturers to differentiate themselves from low quality manufacturers,” said Duane Reimer, technical director at MP Global.

MP Global’s QuietWalk is an acoustical underlayment for floating wood and laminate flooring that can smooth out sub-floor imperfections while quieting impact sound. VersaWalk is another of the company’s acoustical underlayments that also offers moisture protection.

LuxWalk is the company’s latest underlayment and will be featured at Surfaces.

MP Global’s LuxWalk is 31 percent postconsumer recycled content and LEED compliant.

Original Article: Floor Covering Weekly – January 5, 2015

Posted on: Tuesday, January 13, 2015