Karndean Designflooring launches new acoustic format, bringing quiet confidence to shared residential spaces.

Karndean Designflooring has launched its first gluedown collection with enhanced acoustic performance.

Available from April 2026, Knight Tile Quiet has been developed to support wellbeing and create safer, calmer spaces in today’s shared residential environments by reducing disruptive noise that affects how people behave, perceive risk, and move through a space, making everyday environments easier to navigate.

Five best-selling Knight Tile designs; Lime Washed Oak, Grey Limed Oak, Dutch Limed Oak, Pale Limed Oak and Russet Character Oak, will be available for fast turnaround with all existing Knight Tile designs available in the enhanced format with a minimum order quantity, enabling design continuity across large-scale projects without compromising on acoustic performance.

“Noise has a profound impact on how people feel in their homes,” says Richard Allen, commercial sales director at Karndean Commercial. “In shared residential environments, we know that excessive noise can affect wellbeing and overall mental health."

“So, with quiet flooring fundamental to wellbeing, we have developed our Knight Tile Quiet collection specifically to meet the requirements of build-to-rent, purpose-built student accommodation and multi-residential developments. Knight Tile Quiet makes it easier for designers and contractors to meet acoustic standards while creating spaces that feel calm, comfortable and genuinely liveable.”

Today, acoustics matter more than ever in private rental developments with noise consistently cited as a leading cause of tenant dissatisfaction, directly influencing retention and long-term asset value. In addition, the recently introduced Renters’ Rights Act 2025 has placed greater emphasis on housing quality and habitability, increasing scrutiny on how developments manage issues such as noise transfer.

The new Knight Tile Quiet collection delivers impressive impact sound reduction, meeting the latest technical requirements effortlessly and invisibly, and so improves living conditions for renters and reduces potential complaints. Manufactured with an integrated IXPE acoustic backing and independently tested to achieve up to 18dB sound reduction, this product exceeds building regulations Approved Document E sound reduction requirement of 17dB and helps projects meet the specifications for BREEAM certification.

By integrating an acoustic layer within the product, Knight Tile Quiet reduces the need for additional underlays or secondary subfloor treatments, delivering cost efficiency in high-volume developments. Measuring 915mm x 152mm with a 3mm thickness and 0.3mm wear layer, Knight Tile Quiet incorporates its enhanced acoustic benefits without additional bulk, providing the flexibility to specify Knight Tile standard or enhanced technical specifications interchangeably as required in each space.

Beyond acoustics, the new Knight Tile Quiet format retains all the advantages that have made Karndean’s Knight Tile range a trusted choice where aesthetics, durability and affordability are equally important. Offering a convenient range of on-trend wood and stone designs with reliable and waterproof performance and easy maintenance for demanding environments, Knight Tile and Knight Tile Quiet are the versatile choice for design-led, budget-conscious residential projects.

Backed by Karndean’s technical expertise, product warranties and comprehensive specification support, Knight Tile Quiet delivers quiet confidence for every floor, helping architects, designers and specifiers balance compliance, wellbeing and design appeal in the spaces people call home.

Find out more about Knight Tile Quiet at karndeancommercial.com, and by visiting Material Source Studio Manchester & Glasgow where Karndean is a Partner.