In 2007, our company went from being Dodge-Regupol, Inc. to Ecore International, LLC.
Today in 2014, we are still facing many challenges related to this change. Ecore Acoustics, in particular, has been trying to clear up the confusion in the marketplace related to the QT brand of sound control underlayments.
Prior to 2007, we (Dodge-Regupol) were the only company manufacturing this form of recycled rubber acoustic underlayments. In 2007, the one brand spawned 2 more competing brands. So today, those in the market for a recycled rubber underlayment will probably have to make a decision between 3 brands, all of which seem very similar: Ecore, Regupol, and Pliteq. I’ve discussed this with many acoustical consultants around the country, and for the most part, they agree that QT, GenieMat, and Regupol Impacta are equivalent products. While we can’t make any claims related to the Regupol or Pliteq brands of underlayments, we can provide information about what sets Ecore QT apart from the others to help you make a more educated decision.
Similarities:
- Composition: recycled rubber
- Color: black + various color specks
- Thickness: various options
- Application: may be used under a wide variety of floor finishes to reduce impact sound transmission
What’s unique about Ecore QT?
- Manufacturing:
– Ecore QT is Made in America Certified. +Read more about this here+.
– Ecore continues to manufacture solely out of it’s Lancaster and York facilities in Pennsylvania- just as it did when it was known as Dodge-Regupol. Our cleaning and processing of the rubber does not include sulfur, so you will never need to worry about the unpleasant odor and off-gassing that other recycled rubber products tend to have. - Technical Certifications:
– ICC-ES: Ecore has had several floor-ceiling assemblies evaluated by the International Code Council Evaluation Service to meet the ICC International Building Code minimum requirements for sound transmission. +Search for ICC-ES ESR 1522 here+.
– UL-listings: Various QT thicknesses are included in many UL-listed fire-resistant designs.
– ULC: QTscu 4005 has an additional CAN/ULC-S102.2 rating that may be found +here+.
– QT products have been tested by accredited, independent, 3rd party laboratories for sound transmission ratings since its creation. Ecore has accumulated a database of hundreds of test reports of IIC and STC ratings for use by architects, acoustic consultants, and other professionals involved in the design/construction of a building. A limited number of results is available to refer to +on the QT website here+, and more are available upon request. - Affiliations & Industry Involvement:
– NCAC Gold Sponsor and exhibitor (National Council of Acoustical Consultants)
– ASTM International Voting Members (American Society for Testing Materials)
– ASA full membership (Acoustical Society of America)
– INCE membership (Institute of Noise Control Engineering)
– TCNA membership
– ANSI membership
– USGBC membership
For more information on the company history and name change, a snapshot of a helpful infographic is posted below. The full version may be seen +on the QT website here+.
Duracushions was manufacturing recycled rubber prior to 2007. I have test reports dating at least two years prior to 2005 on their Duracoustic8m recycled rubber product. I’m not sure what you mean by “this form of recycled rubber underlayments”. The Duracushions products have performed quite well on wood based floor / ceiling assemblies and all the recycled rubber products I’ve observed and field tested exhibit better mid and high frequency performance compared to alternate, non rubber, materials.
On a side note, in my opinion, putting the bad blood between ECORE and Pliteq on your website does not reflect well on ECORE, but that is your choice. I’ve generally found there are two sides to every story, with the truth being somewhere in the middle.
Hi Scott, thanks very much for taking the time to leave a comment. Sorry for the delayed response, but I’ve been on vacation recently. Anyway, a couple of responses based on your comments:
1) Ecore has IIC/STC lab tests dating back to 2001 for the QT line of products.
2) I am not very clear on whether ECORE (Dodge-Regupol) was manufacturing before Duracushion or not, but perhaps it would be more accurate to say that Ecore was the only company manufacturing this type of recycled rubber underlayment- in the United States. I will check on this internally and edit the above once I have an answer.
3) I appreciate your comment regarding the bad blood between Ecore & Pliteq. In my opinion I did not think anything posted here was malicious in any way or would elicit any sense of bad blood. These are facts that have come out of the legal issues between our companies. In fact, Ecore recently won a lawsuit related to this. You can read the press release here: http://20.221.73.173/press-release-ecore-pliteq-lawsuit-settled/.
Lastly- when it comes to Ecore & Pliteq affairs, you are right- there are always [at least] 2 sides to every story and I would encourage all consultants and customers to do their research and be open to hearing all sides of the story. However, we at Ecore also feel that we owe it to ourselves as well as to our customers to be transparent about this issue and to make the truth (this may be construed as a subjective term depending on your view) accessible to everyone involved. There are several items published on the Pliteq website that I could direct you to that are misleading and non-factual from Ecore’s perspective and I understand they might say the same about ours. It’s a bit of a lose-lose situation, unfortunately, and I understand and respect your opinion on the matter.