Noise, Noise Go Away!

How to Reduce Unwanted Noise

Unwanted noise can come from neighbouring properties, traffic, public transport, people outside, equipment within a building or activity in another room. It may be heard occasionally or become a regular distraction in bedrooms, living spaces and workplaces.

Soundproofing can help reduce noise entering, leaving or travelling through a building, but it cannot guarantee complete silence. The correct approach depends on the type of sound, the construction of the property and the route through which the noise is travelling.

Before ordering products, it is important to identify the main source and transmission path. Treating the wrong wall, floor or ceiling can add cost without providing the expected improvement.

Identify the Type of Noise

Most 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
• Road, rail and aircraft noise
• Office calls and meetings
• Machinery and household equipment

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

Impact noise

Impact noise is created when something makes direct contact with the building. Examples include:

• Footsteps
• Furniture being moved
• Objects being dropped
• Exercise equipment
• Doors closing heavily

The impact sends vibration through floors, joists, walls and ceilings. Resilient floor layers or isolated ceiling systems may be required, depending on where the noise originates.

Structure-borne vibration

Speakers, washing machines, pumps and mechanical equipment may transfer vibration directly into the building.

Isolation pads, anti-vibration 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 sounds 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 and ducts
• Pipes, cables and service penetrations
• Loft spaces and ceiling voids

Sound that travels around the main separating surface is known as flanking transmission. For example, noise may bypass an upgraded wall by travelling through the adjoining floor, ceiling or side wall.

This is why applying products to every visible surface is not always the most effective approach. The surrounding construction and weak points should also be considered.

Reducing Noise Through Walls

Voices, music and television noise commonly pass through shared walls and lightweight internal partitions.

A suitable wall soundproofing system may combine:

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

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

JCW Silent Board Plus may form part of certain wall or ceiling systems, but one board should not be treated as a universal solution. The supporting structure, cavity treatment, fixings and installation quality all affect performance.

Floor Soundproofing

Floor soundproofing may help reduce footsteps, furniture movement and airborne noise between storeys.

For impact noise, treatment close to the source is usually preferable. Depending on the floor construction, suitable options may include:

• Acoustic underlay
• Resilient floor decks
• Floating floor systems
• Acoustic insulation between joists
• Additional mass within the floor build-up

Timber and concrete floors behave differently and should not automatically receive the same treatment.

Floor systems can also affect finished levels, thresholds, doors, skirting boards and fitted furniture. More substantial installations may require a competent tradesperson.

Ceiling Soundproofing

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

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

An independent ceiling can provide greater separation but will reduce the available room height.

Lighting, smoke alarms, ventilation grilles and cable routes should also be planned carefully. Each opening can reduce acoustic performance and may require suitable fire-rated detailing.

Ceiling treatment from below may not fully control impact vibration travelling through surrounding walls and structural connections.

Doors and Doorways

Doors can be significant weak points where the surrounding walls provide better sound reduction than the door itself.

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

The performance of a complete doorset depends on:

• The construction and mass 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 value if most of the noise is travelling through a wall, floor, ceiling or ventilation route.

Movable walls, folding partitions and acoustic curtains may help in suitable commercial applications, but they should not automatically be expected to provide the same performance as a fixed wall or tested acoustic doorset.

Windows and External Noise

Traffic, trains, aircraft and street noise often enter through windows and ventilation openings.

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 units provide the same level of sound reduction. Damaged seals, lightweight vents and poorly fitting sections can weaken the complete assembly.

Secondary glazing may help in suitable properties, but ventilation, condensation, planning and escape requirements should also be considered.

Ventilation Routes

Sound can travel readily through any opening that allows air to pass. Trickle vents, extract fans, air bricks and ducts may therefore contribute to a noise problem.

These openings should not simply be blocked. Homes and workplaces require adequate airflow for indoor air quality, moisture control and the safe operation of some equipment.

Acoustic vents, attenuators or redesigned duct routes may be required where ventilation is a significant sound path.

Seal Gaps and Service Penetrations

Small gaps can reduce 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
• Door and window 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 ceiling. Its purpose is to close small air paths that could otherwise reduce the performance of the wider construction.

Service penetrations may also require tested fire-stopping products.

Soundproofing Larger Spaces and Workplaces

Offices, workshops, studios and other commercial spaces can involve several different types of noise.

Office soundproofing may help reduce conversations passing between rooms, external traffic noise or sound travelling between floors.

Open-plan offices often need sound absorption rather than full sound isolation. Acoustic panels, screens and ceiling treatments can help control reverberation and local speech, but they cannot make the workplace completely silent.

Mechanical equipment may require enclosures, barriers or vibration isolation rather than standard wall treatments. Any enclosure must also maintain safe airflow and access for maintenance.

Outdoor Barriers and Acoustic Fencing

Acoustic fencing and barriers can help reduce certain outdoor noise sources by interrupting the direct path between the source and receiver.

The performance of a barrier depends on:

• Its height
• Its position
• Its mass and construction
• Whether it is continuous
• The relationship between the source and surrounding buildings

Gaps beneath or around a barrier can reduce its effectiveness. Barriers may be useful for plant, traffic or garden noise in suitable locations, but they do not eliminate sound travelling over or around them.

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, acoustic foam and ceiling rafts can improve speech clarity and make a room sound less reflective.

They should not be relied upon to block conversations, traffic or footsteps through walls, floors or ceilings.

Installation Quality Matters

Even suitable products can underperform when installed incorrectly.

Common problems include:

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

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

Set Realistic Expectations

Soundproofing can reduce unwanted noise, but it cannot guarantee complete silence or remove every audible sound.

The result will depend on:

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

Low-frequency bass, aircraft noise, machinery and heavy impact noise can be particularly difficult to control.

The practical goal is usually to achieve a meaningful reduction rather than make the source completely inaudible.

Choose the Correct Soundproofing System

Before ordering soundproofing products, establish whether the noise is airborne, impact-based or structure-borne and identify the walls, floors, ceilings, doors, windows and openings involved.

A targeted system based on the main sound path is generally more effective than adding as many acoustic products as possible.

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