Keep The Noise Down With The Right Soundproofing

How to Choose the Right Soundproofing for Your Home

Soundproofing can help reduce unwanted noise entering, leaving or travelling between rooms in a home. However, not every property needs the same treatment, and it is rarely necessary to cover every wall, floor and ceiling.

The correct approach depends on the source of the noise, its level and frequency, the construction of the property and the route through which the sound is travelling.

A homeowner affected by footsteps from a flat above will need a different system from someone trying to reduce traffic through a bedroom window. A home music room will present different challenges again, particularly where bass and structural vibration are involved.

Before ordering materials, it is therefore important to understand the problem and identify the weakest parts of the room.

What Type of Noise Are You Trying to Reduce?

Most domestic 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
• Music and gaming systems
• Dogs barking
• Traffic, aircraft and railway noise
• Household appliances

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

Impact noise

Impact noise is caused by direct contact with part of the building. Examples include footsteps, furniture movement, dropped objects and exercise equipment.

The impact creates vibration that can travel through joists, concrete slabs, walls and ceilings. Resilient floor layers, acoustic underlays or isolated ceiling systems may be needed, depending on where the noise originates.

Structure-borne vibration

Subwoofers, washing machines, pumps and other equipment can transfer vibration directly into the property. This vibration may then travel through several connected surfaces.

Isolation pads, mounts or changes to the way the equipment is supported may be needed alongside conventional soundproofing.

Find the Main Sound Path

The surface where noise seems loudest is not always the route through which it first entered.

Potential sound paths include:

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

Sound that travels around rather than directly through the main separating surface is known as flanking transmission.

For example, a party wall may be upgraded successfully while noise continues to travel through the connected floor or ceiling. Treating only the obvious wall may therefore provide a smaller improvement than expected.

When Wall Soundproofing May Be Appropriate

Wall soundproofing is commonly considered where voices, television or music can be heard through a party wall or internal partition.

The correct system will depend on whether the existing wall is masonry, blockwork, timber stud or another construction.

A suitable wall build-up may include:

• Acoustic insulation within a cavity
• Resilient bars or isolation clips
• An independent supporting framework
• Dense acoustic boards
• Carefully sealed perimeter joints

Creating separation between the existing wall and the new lining can help reduce direct vibration transfer. The benefits can be reduced if fixings bridge resilient layers or the new construction is pressed rigidly against surrounding surfaces.

JCW Silent Board Plus may form part of certain wall or ceiling systems, but no single board should be treated as a complete solution for every noise problem.

Choosing Floor Soundproofing

Floor soundproofing may be appropriate where footsteps, furniture movement or airborne noise travel between storeys.

For impact noise, treatment close to the source is generally preferable. A resilient underlay, acoustic deck or floating floor can help reduce vibration before it enters the structure.

Airborne noise may also pass through gaps between floorboards or through an empty floor cavity. In these situations, a suitable system may combine acoustic insulation, additional mass and a resilient surface layer.

Floor treatments can increase the finished floor height and affect doors, thresholds, skirting boards and fitted furniture. These practical details should be considered before installation begins.

When Ceiling Soundproofing May Help

Ceiling soundproofing may help where voices, televisions or footsteps are heard from above.

Options can include acoustic insulation between joists, resiliently mounted boards or an independent ceiling beneath the existing structure.

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

Treating a ceiling from below may reduce the direct sound path, but impact vibration can continue through surrounding walls and structural connections. It is therefore important to consider flanking transmission before choosing the system.

Doors Should Only Be Treated When Necessary

A lightweight or poorly sealed door can be a weak point, particularly between a music room, home office or cinema and the rest of the property.

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

The performance of the 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

Replacing a door is unlikely to provide a major improvement if most of the noise is travelling through a wall, floor, ceiling or ventilation opening.

External Noise, Windows and Glazing

Traffic, aircraft and railway noise often enter through windows rather than the surrounding walls.

The acoustic performance of a window depends on:

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

Not all double-glazed windows provide the same noise reduction. Damaged seals, lightweight trickle vents and poorly fitting opening sections can weaken the complete assembly.

Secondary glazing may be suitable in some properties because it creates a larger cavity between separate panes. Any glazing changes should also consider ventilation, condensation, planning and escape requirements.

Roofs and Loft Spaces

External noise can sometimes enter upper rooms through a lightweight roof or loft construction.

Thermal insulation may provide some acoustic benefit, but it should not automatically be considered a complete soundproofing system. Mass, airtightness and separation are also important.

Loft hatches, recessed lights, eaves ventilation and service openings may create weak points. These areas should be considered without compromising the ventilation or fire safety of the roof space.

Ventilation Routes Must Be Maintained

Sound can travel readily through openings that allow air to pass, including trickle vents, air bricks, extract fans and ducts.

These openings should not simply be blocked. Homes require adequate ventilation for moisture control, indoor air quality and safe operation of some appliances.

Acoustic vents, attenuators or redesigned duct routes may help reduce sound transmission while maintaining airflow. More involved systems may require specialist advice.

Seal Gaps and Service Penetrations

Small openings can reduce the performance of a wall, floor or ceiling system.

Common weak points include:

• Gaps around pipes and cables
• Board edges
• Junctions around skirting boards
• Electrical sockets
• Window and door frames
• Openings into floor and ceiling cavities

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

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

Service penetrations may also require suitable fire-stopping products. Acoustic work must not compromise the fire resistance of a separating surface.

Soundproofing Flats and Apartments

Noise problems can be particularly complex in flats, apartments and converted buildings because several properties may share walls, floors, ceiling voids, beams and service routes.

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

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

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

Soundproofing Is Different from Sound Absorption

Soundproofing helps reduce noise passing between separate spaces. Sound absorption controls echo and reverberation within the same room.

Absorption panels, acoustic foam and ceiling rafts may make a room sound less reflective. They can be useful in home offices, studios and cinemas, but they should not be relied upon to block external noise or conversations through walls.

Some rooms may require both soundproofing and absorption, but the two treatments serve different purposes.

Installation Quality Matters

Even suitable products can underperform when they are fitted incorrectly.

Common installation mistakes include:

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

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

Set Realistic Expectations

Soundproofing can reduce unwanted noise, but it cannot guarantee complete silence or make every sound source inaudible.

The result will depend on:

• The source, level and frequency of the noise
• The existing building construction
• The number and severity of weak points
• Flanking transmission
• The system and products selected
• The quality of installation

Low-frequency bass, aircraft noise, mechanical vibration and heavy impact noise can be particularly difficult to control. The practical aim is normally to achieve a meaningful reduction rather than complete elimination.

Choose a Targeted Home Soundproofing System

Soundproofing can provide useful benefits where a genuine transmission problem exists, but it should be targeted at the surfaces and openings that matter most.

Before ordering soundproofing products, establish whether the noise is airborne, impact-based or structure-borne and identify the main route into or out of the room.

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