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Last edited 17 Feb 2025

Resilient batten

The term ‘batten’ generally refers to a strip of timber (although it can also be steel or plastic) used in the construction of buildings. Battens are typically used as spacers to raise the surface of a material, or as a secondary framework onto which a surface may be fixed. Battens are used in the construction of roofs, walls, floors, ceilings and a number of other applications.

According to 'Housing and sound insulation, Improving existing attached dwellings and designing for conversions', published in 2006, the term 'resilient batten' refers to a timber batten with a resilient layer that can be placed under floor surfaces to reduce impact sound.

A resilient layer is a layer that isolates an element (such as screed or a floating floor) from another element (such as the base floor). Generally, the resilient layer is pre-bonded beneath the batten (although it is sometimes on top of the batten). It may be formed using foams, cellulose compounds or fibrous polyesters, and may use two or more densities or compounds of material, with different compositions giving different degrees of performance. For example, a 65–90mm system installed at 400 centres might give an airborne improvement of 8–12dB and an impact improvement of 12–18dB.

Resilient battens must be installed onto a flat surface and not directly laid onto joists or ribbed structures. Where there are timber joist floors, the resilient battens should be placed on a sub-deck board. It is important to ensure fixing tween the for flooring board to batten do not penetrate into the resilient layer.

Approved document E: Resistance to the passage of sound, 2003 edition incorporating 2004, 2010, 2013 and 2015 amendments, states: ‘A floating floor consists of a floating layer and resilient layer.” Where a floating layer is: ‘A surface layer that rests on a resilient layer and is therefore isolated from the base floor and the surrounding walls.” And a resilient layer is: ‘A layer that isolates a floating layer from a base floor and surrounding walls.”