U-Boat™ Floor Floaters
Decouple a floated floor from the structure underneath it.
Silicone U-shaped channels that sit under floor joists to isolate a floated room from the surrounding building. Sold individually and in 10, 50, and 300 packs.
What this fixes
Mass stops airborne sound. It does very little for structure-borne sound — the bass and footfall energy that travels through framing into the rest of the house. That's why a theater can be sealed and insulated and still shake the room above it.
Floating the floor breaks that physical path. U-Boats support the framing while keeping it from touching the structure directly, which improves both transmission loss and low-frequency definition inside the room. A tight, properly floated room sounds better on the inside as well as quieter on the outside.
How they work
| Design feature | What it does |
|---|---|
| Six notched grooves | Reduces surface area contact, so less vibrational energy crosses into the structure. |
| Bulging profile under load | Provides lateral support while keeping joist contact to a minimum. |
| Tall side walls | Makes them easy to seat on a joist. Because dimensional lumber varies, you can staple or nail one side to hold position during install. |
Spacing and load
16" spacing suits most situations. Recommended load is 20–200 lb per U-Boat — total the weight of your floated assembly and divide by the number of floaters to confirm you're inside that window before ordering.
Not sure how many your floor needs? Send us your room dimensions and joist layout and we'll work out the count at no charge.
Watch for knockoffs
Genuine Auralex U-Boats are purple with a printed logo. The market has a lot of cheap imitations that look similar and don't perform — the color and logo are how you tell them apart.
Specifications
| Size | 2 1/8" W × 1 1/2" H × 2" L |
| Inner dimension | 1 1/2" wide |
| Thickness | Sides 5/16", base 1/2" |
| Weight | 65 g each |
| Recommended load | 20–200 lb per U-Boat |
| Recommended spacing | 16" |
| Material | Specially formulated silicone compound |
| Color | Purple, printed logo |
| Pack sizes | Single, 10, 50, or 300 |
Shipping
Calculated at checkout based on your address. This product does not qualify for free shipping.
Before you order
Count your floaters before the framing goes down. These install under the joists — adding more after the floor is built means pulling it up again. Work out the count from your joist layout and 16" spacing, then order the whole job at once.
Planning a floated room? Email contact@homecinemasupply.com — we'll help you spec the assembly.
