Monkey Floors is coming
Acoustic flooring for apartments, explained properly
Monkey Floors is a new Australian brand that will make acoustic-rated floorboards for apartments and strata buildings. The first range is in development. Until it lands, this site does one job: it gives you the sourced answers you need to get a quiet floor past your committee.
No products, no prices, no samples yet. Just the research.
Strata flooring checker
Will your strata let you install it?
Answer five questions about your state, your building and the floor you want. The checker tells you which rating scheme your by-laws probably use, what to ask the committee for in writing, and which guide to read next.
Run the strata flooring checkerOn a committee or managing a building? See more tools for committees and managers.
The guides
Start with the three guides most people need
Best flooring for apartments in Australia: the strata-safe guide
Floors between apartments must meet NCC Ln,w 62 in the lab and L'nT,w 62 on site, and by-laws can ask for more. How to choose a floor that gets approved.
Soundproof flooring in Australia: what works, what does not, and why
No floor is soundproof. Underlay or carpet stops footstep noise, the slab stops voices, and apartment floors must meet an on-site L'nT,w of 62 or lower.
Acoustic hybrid flooring: what the star claims mean and what to check
Acoustic hybrid flooring star claims come from one test in one building. How to read the report, the underlay rules and what a strata committee will ask for.
Strata, state by state
Strata flooring rules by state
Each state has its own Act, its own model by-laws and its own tribunal. The rules page for your state links every claim to the legislation or the decision it comes from.
New South Wales
Read the state rules page
Queensland
Read the state rules page
Victoria
Read the state rules page
Western Australia
State page coming
South Australia
State page coming
Australian Capital Territory
State page coming
Tasmania
State page coming
Northern Territory
State page coming
Strata flooring rules in Australia: what your by-laws can require
Questions
Common questions
Can I buy Monkey Floors flooring yet?
No. Monkey Floors has no products, prices or samples yet. The first range is in development. Join the waitlist and you will hear the launch date before anyone else.
What is acoustic flooring?
Acoustic flooring is a floor system, usually a covering plus an underlay, that has been tested for how much impact noise it passes to the room below. The test result is expressed as a rating such as Ln,w or L'nT,w. Our acoustic flooring guide explains what makes a system genuinely acoustic and how to read a test certificate.
Do I need strata approval to install hard flooring in an apartment?
In most Australian schemes, yes. By-laws or rules commonly require written approval for hard floor coverings and often set an acoustic standard. The rules differ by state and by scheme, so read your registered by-laws first and then the rules page for your state.
Is hybrid flooring quiet enough for an apartment?
It can be, when the plank and its underlay have been tested together on a slab like yours and the result meets the rating your by-laws ask for. The attached pad on many hybrid planks is not automatically enough. The acoustic hybrid flooring guide covers what to check.
Why does the rating on the box differ from the rating in my by-law?
The box usually shows a laboratory result for the product alone. A by-law usually asks for a field result for the finished floor in your building, which includes the slab, any ceiling and the flanking paths. The ratings explainer walks through every figure.
Where does your information come from?
Primary sources: the National Construction Code, the AAAC guideline, state strata legislation and regulations, tribunal decisions and manufacturer test reports. Every guide lists its sources and links each claim in the sentence that makes it.
Will Monkey Floors sell underlay as well as boards?
That has not been decided. The underlay guides on this site are independent and name the brands you will actually see in Australia. Whatever we end up selling, the guides stay neutral.
Hear about the launch first
One email when the range is ready, and the strata approval checklist while you wait. No newsletters, no sales calls.