Tougher Measures Set To Be Employed Against Noisy Neighbours

How to Reduce Noise Leaving Your Home

Music, television, conversations, footsteps and household equipment can sometimes be heard more clearly in neighbouring properties than expected.

This does not always mean that the sound source is unusually loud. Lightweight walls, poorly sealed doors, shared floors, ceiling voids and connected structural elements can all allow ordinary household noise to travel between homes.

Considerate behaviour should always be the starting point. Reducing volume, moving speakers away from shared walls and avoiding particularly noisy activities during quieter hours can all help.

Where sound still travels too easily because of the building construction, home soundproofing may help reduce the amount of noise reaching neighbouring spaces.

The correct treatment depends on the type of noise, the route through which it is travelling and the construction of the property.

Start with the Source of the Noise

Before carrying out building work, consider whether practical changes can reduce the amount of sound entering the structure.

Useful steps may include:

• Moving televisions and speakers away from party walls
• Keeping subwoofers away from corners
• Using suitable isolation pads beneath speakers
• Placing washing machines and exercise equipment on resilient mats
• Adding rugs and underlay to hard floors
• Closing doors and windows during louder activities
• Avoiding furniture movement late at night

These measures may not correct a weak wall, floor or ceiling, but they can reduce the amount of sound energy entering the building.

Soundproofing should support considerate use of the home rather than be treated as permission to create unlimited noise.

Identify the Type of Noise

Noise leaving a home will usually 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:

• Music and television sound
• Conversations and raised voices
• Gaming and home cinema systems
• Musical instruments
• Dogs barking
• Kitchen and household appliances

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

Impact noise

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

• Footsteps on hard floors
• Furniture being moved
• Objects being dropped
• Exercise equipment
• Children running or playing
• Doors closing heavily

The impact creates vibration that travels through floors, joists, walls and ceilings. Resilient layers or isolated structures are often more useful for this type of noise than simply adding board to a wall.

Structure-borne vibration

Subwoofers, washing machines, pumps and other equipment can transfer vibration directly into the building.

This vibration may then travel through several connected structural elements. Isolating the equipment from the floor or wall can therefore be an important part of the solution.

Find the Main Sound Path

Sound can leave a room through more than one route. The most obvious wall is not necessarily the only surface that needs attention.

Possible sound paths include:

• Party walls
• Internal partitions
• Floors and ceilings
• Joists and structural beams
• Doors and door frames
• Windows and glazing
• Ventilation openings
• Pipes, cables and service penetrations
• Loft spaces and ceiling voids

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

This is why treating one surface without considering the surrounding structure may produce limited results.

Reducing Noise Through Party Walls

Music, conversations and television sound commonly pass through shared walls.

A suitable wall soundproofing system may combine additional mass, acoustic insulation and resilient separation.

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

Possible components include:

• Acoustic insulation within a cavity
• Resilient bars or isolation clips
• Independent wall linings
• Dense acoustic boards
• Carefully sealed perimeter joints

JCW Silent Board Plus may form part of certain wall or ceiling systems, but one acoustic board should not be treated as a complete solution.

The supporting structure, cavity treatment, fixing method and surrounding junctions must all work together.

Reducing Noise Through Floors

Footsteps, furniture movement and exercise equipment can create impact noise that travels into the property below.

A suitable floor soundproofing system may use an acoustic underlay, resilient deck or floating floor construction.

Treating impact noise close to its source is generally more effective than relying entirely on work to the ceiling below.

Airborne noise may also travel through gaps between floorboards or an uninsulated floor cavity. In these cases, the treatment may need to combine cavity insulation, added mass and a resilient floor layer.

Floor systems can affect door clearances, thresholds, skirting boards and fitted furniture. More substantial installations may therefore require a competent tradesperson.

Ceilings and Noise Travelling Upwards

Music, television and voices can also travel upwards into a flat or room above.

A ceiling soundproofing system may include acoustic insulation between joists, resiliently mounted boards or an independent ceiling.

An independent ceiling can provide greater separation from the structure above, but it will reduce the available room height.

Lighting, detectors, ventilation grilles and service openings must also be detailed carefully. Each penetration can weaken the overall construction.

Ceiling treatment alone may not control vibration travelling through surrounding walls or structural elements, so flanking routes should be considered before installation.

Check Doors and Doorways

A lightweight or poorly sealed door can allow noise to escape into a hallway and then travel into adjoining rooms or neighbouring properties.

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

The performance of a doorset depends on:

• The mass and construction of the door leaf
• The frame
• Perimeter seals
• The threshold or drop seal
• 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 route.

Windows and Ventilation Routes

Noise may also escape through windows, particularly where glazing is lightweight, frames are poorly sealed or opening sections do not close tightly.

The acoustic performance of a window depends on the glass specification, spacing between panes, frame construction and condition of the seals.

Ventilation openings can provide a direct path for airborne sound. However, air bricks, trickle vents and mechanical ventilation should not simply be blocked.

Homes require suitable ventilation for air quality and moisture control. Acoustic vents, attenuators or redesigned ventilation arrangements may be needed where airflow routes contribute significantly to the problem.

Seal Gaps and Service Penetrations

Small gaps can reduce the performance of an otherwise substantial wall, floor or ceiling.

Areas worth checking include:

• Pipe and cable openings
• Board edges
• Gaps beneath skirting boards
• Electrical sockets
• Junctions between walls and ceilings
• Openings into floor or loft voids

A flexible acoustic sealant can help close appropriate perimeter joints within a complete soundproofing system.

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

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

Flats, Apartments and HMOs

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

A noise problem that appears to involve one wall may actually be travelling through a connected floor or ceiling.

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

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

Soundproofing and Sound Absorption Are Different

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

Absorption panels and acoustic foam may make a music room, gaming space or home cinema sound less reflective.

They should not be relied upon to stop music, voices or bass travelling through walls, floors or ceilings.

Some rooms may benefit from both treatments, but each serves a different purpose.

Installation Quality Matters

Even a suitable soundproofing system can underperform if it is installed incorrectly.

Common problems include:

• Rigid fixings bridging resilient layers
• Unsealed board edges
• Compressed acoustic insulation
• Untreated pipework and sockets
• Incorrectly fitted floor perimeter strips
• Gaps around doors and ventilation routes

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

Set Realistic Expectations

Soundproofing can reduce noise leaving a home, but it cannot guarantee that every sound will remain within the property.

The result will depend on:

• The source, level and frequency of the noise
• The building construction
• The severity of weak points
• Flanking transmission
• The products and system selected
• The quality of installation
• How the room is used afterwards

Low-frequency bass and structural vibration can be particularly difficult to control. A realistic aim is usually to achieve a meaningful reduction while continuing to use the home considerately.

Choose the Correct Soundproofing System

Before ordering soundproofing products, identify the main noise source and transmission route.

A targeted system combining suitable mass, resilient separation, cavity absorption and careful sealing is generally more useful than applying unrelated materials to every available surface.

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