Get A Sound Sleep By Soundproofing

How to Reduce Unwanted Noise in a Bedroom

A bedroom can be affected by conversations from an adjoining property, footsteps from above, traffic outside or sound travelling from another part of the home.

Home soundproofing can help reduce some of this noise, but the correct treatment depends on the source, level and frequency of the sound, the construction of the property and the route through which it enters the room.

It is rarely enough to choose a single product without first investigating the problem. Noise may pass through walls, floors and ceilings, but it can also enter through doors, windows, ventilation openings and gaps around services.

A properly planned system can provide a useful reduction, although it cannot guarantee silence or uninterrupted sleep.

Identify the Type of Bedroom Noise

Most bedroom noise problems involve airborne noise, impact noise or structure-borne vibration.

Airborne noise

Airborne noise travels through the air before reaching a wall, floor, ceiling, door or window. Common examples include:

• Conversations and televisions from a neighbouring property
• Music and gaming systems
• Dogs barking
• Road, rail and aircraft noise
• Activity in hallways and adjoining rooms

Reducing airborne noise generally involves adding suitable mass, improving airtightness and introducing separation between layers of the building construction.

Impact noise

Impact noise is created when something makes direct contact with the building. Footsteps, furniture movement, dropped objects and doors closing can all send vibration through floors, walls and ceilings.

This type of noise often requires resilient floor layers or an isolated ceiling system rather than simply adding more board to a wall.

Structure-borne vibration

Speakers, washing machines, pumps and other equipment can transfer vibration directly into the building. The vibration may then travel through joists, floor slabs and connected walls before becoming audible in the bedroom.

Source isolation, suitable mounts or changes to how equipment is supported may form part of the solution.

Find the Main Sound Path

The area where noise appears loudest is not always where it first entered the bedroom.

Possible transmission paths include:

• Party walls and internal partitions
• Floors and ceilings
• Timber joists and structural beams
• Doors and door frames
• Windows and glazing
• Ventilation openings
• Pipes, cables and electrical sockets
• Loft spaces and ceiling voids
• Chimney breasts and fireplaces

Sound that travels around the main separating surface is known as flanking transmission.

For example, noise may appear to come through a party wall but actually travel through the connected floor or ceiling. Treating only the visible wall may therefore provide a smaller improvement than expected.

Soundproofing a Bedroom Wall

Voices, televisions and music are often heard through shared walls. A suitable wall soundproofing system may combine acoustic insulation, resilient separation, additional mass and carefully sealed perimeter joints.

The correct design depends on whether the existing wall is masonry, lightweight blockwork, timber stud or another form of construction.

Possible system components include:

• Acoustic insulation within a cavity
• Resilient bars or isolation clips
• An independent wall lining
• Dense acoustic boards
• Flexible sealing around the perimeter

JCW Silent Board Plus may form part of certain wall or ceiling systems, but no single board should be considered a complete answer.

The supporting framework, cavity treatment, fixing method and surrounding junctions all affect performance.

Reducing Noise from a Room or Flat Above

Noise from above commonly combines airborne sound and impact vibration. Conversations and televisions may travel through the floor construction, while footsteps and furniture movement create direct structural vibration.

For impact noise, treatment close to the source is generally preferable. A suitable floor soundproofing system in the room above might use an acoustic underlay, resilient deck or floating floor arrangement.

Where access to the floor above is not possible, ceiling soundproofing may help.

Possible treatments include:

• Acoustic insulation between timber joists
• Resiliently mounted ceiling boards
• Isolation clips and channels
• An independent ceiling beneath the existing structure

An independent ceiling can provide greater separation but will reduce the available room height. Lighting, alarms, ventilation grilles and cable routes must also be integrated carefully.

Ceiling treatment from below may reduce the direct sound path, but impact vibration can continue through surrounding walls and other connected structural elements.

Reducing Noise Travelling Up from Below

Music, conversations and television noise from a lower property may travel upwards through the ceiling and floor construction.

Gaps between floorboards, openings around heating pipes and an empty floor cavity can all contribute. Depending on the construction, treatment may involve acoustic insulation between joists, additional mass and resilient floor layers.

Floor work can affect doors, thresholds, skirting boards and fitted furniture. More substantial systems may require an experienced installer or competent tradesperson.

Check the Bedroom Door

A lightweight internal door can allow noise to enter from a landing, hallway or adjoining room. Gaps around the frame and beneath the threshold may also reduce separation.

A soundproof door may be appropriate where the doorway has been identified as a significant weak point.

The performance of a complete doorset depends on:

• The mass and construction of the door leaf
• The door frame
• Perimeter seals
• The threshold or drop seal
• Accurate alignment
• The quality of installation

A specialist door will offer limited improvement if most of the noise is travelling through a wall, floor, ceiling or ventilation route.

External Noise, Windows and Glazing

Traffic, trains, aircraft and activity outside often enter bedrooms through windows.

The acoustic performance of a window depends on:

• The thickness and type of glass
• The spacing between panes
• The construction of the frame
• The condition of perimeter seals
• Opening sections and trickle vents

Not all double-glazed windows provide the same level of noise reduction. Poorly fitting opening sections, damaged seals and lightweight vents can weaken the complete assembly.

Secondary glazing may be considered in suitable properties because it creates a larger cavity between separate panes. Ventilation, condensation, planning restrictions and escape requirements should also be considered.

Heavy curtains may reduce internal reflections and provide a modest improvement, but they do not perform the same role as suitable glazing.

Ventilation Openings Must Be Maintained

Sound travels readily through openings that allow air to pass. Trickle vents, air bricks, extract fans and ducts may therefore be important bedroom noise paths.

These openings should not simply be blocked. Bedrooms require suitable ventilation for moisture control and indoor air quality.

Acoustic vents, attenuators or redesigned ventilation routes may be needed where airflow openings contribute significantly to the noise problem.

Seal Gaps and Service Penetrations

Small openings can weaken the performance of an otherwise substantial wall, floor or ceiling.

Common weak points include:

• Pipe and cable openings
• Board edges
• Gaps beneath skirting boards
• Electrical sockets
• Window and door frames
• Junctions between walls, floors and ceilings

A flexible acoustic sealant can help close suitable perimeter joints as part of a complete soundproofing system.

Sealant alone will not soundproof a weak wall or floor. Its purpose is to close small air paths that could otherwise reduce the performance of the main construction.

Service penetrations may also require tested fire-stopping products. Acoustic improvements must not compromise the fire resistance of the building.

Bedroom Noise in Flats and Apartments

Noise transmission can be particularly complicated in flats and converted properties because several homes may share floors, walls, beams, ceiling voids and service routes.

A sound that appears to pass directly through one wall may actually have travelled through a connected floor slab or ceiling cavity.

Our guidance on flat and HMO soundproofing explains some of the additional considerations found in multi-occupancy buildings.

Lease conditions, landlord permission, fire compartmentation and building requirements may also need to be checked before alterations are made.

Soundproofing and Sound Absorption Are Different

Soundproofing helps reduce noise passing from one space to another. Sound absorption helps control echo and reverberation within the same room.

Absorption panels and acoustic foam may make a bedroom sound less reflective, but they should not be relied upon to block voices, footsteps or traffic through walls, floors or ceilings.

Soft furnishings may reduce some internal reflections, but they are not substitutes for a properly designed soundproofing system.

Installation Quality Matters

Even suitable products can underperform when installed incorrectly.

Common installation problems include:

• Rigid fixings bridging resilient layers
• Unsealed board edges
• Compressed acoustic insulation
• Floating floors touching surrounding walls
• Untreated sockets and service openings
• Poorly fitted door seals

Some straightforward projects may be suitable for an experienced DIY installer. Independent walls, floating floors, suspended ceilings and specialist ventilation treatments may require a competent tradesperson familiar with acoustic construction.

Set Realistic Expectations

Bedroom soundproofing can reduce unwanted noise, but it cannot guarantee complete silence, uninterrupted sleep or the removal of every audible sound.

The result will depend on:

• The source, level and frequency of the noise
• Whether it is airborne, impact-based or structure-borne
• The existing building construction
• The number and severity of weak points
• Flanking transmission
• The products and system selected
• The quality of installation

Low-frequency music, aircraft noise and heavy impact sound can be particularly difficult to control. The practical aim is normally to achieve a meaningful reduction rather than make the source completely inaudible.

Choose a Targeted Bedroom Soundproofing System

Before ordering soundproofing products, establish where the noise originates and how it enters the bedroom.

A targeted system based on the main wall, floor, ceiling, door, window or ventilation route is generally more effective than applying unrelated products to every surface.

Call Acoustic Supplies on 01204 548400 or contact the team online to discuss your soundproofing project.