Trust Acoustic Supplies To Lower Noise In Your Home

How to Assess and Reduce Noise in a New Home

Moving into a new home often reveals details that were difficult to notice during a short viewing. Conversations through a party wall, footsteps from above, traffic outside or noise from household equipment may become more noticeable once the property is occupied.

This does not necessarily mean that neighbouring residents are unusually noisy or that the building is defective. Normal activity can travel clearly where walls, floors, ceilings, doors or windows provide limited acoustic separation.

Home soundproofing can help reduce unwanted noise, but the correct system depends on the source, level and frequency of the sound, the construction of the property and the route through which it is travelling.

Before ordering products, it is important to spend time identifying the problem rather than assuming that every surface requires treatment.

Assess Noise Before Buying Where Possible

Noise can vary considerably according to the time of day, nearby activity and the way neighbouring properties are used.

When viewing a property, it may be useful to:

• Visit at different times of day where possible
• Listen in bedrooms and living rooms adjoining other properties
• Check whether floors above are timber or concrete
• Inspect windows, doors and visible seals
• Notice nearby roads, railway lines, businesses and plant equipment
• Look for ventilation openings and lightweight extensions
• Ask whether previous acoustic improvements have been made

A viewing cannot reveal every possible sound, and sellers or agents may not have experienced the property in the same way as a future occupant. It is therefore better to gather as much practical information as possible without assuming that any party is deliberately withholding it.

Identify the Type of Noise

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
• Road, rail and aircraft noise
• Kitchen and household appliances

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

Impact noise

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

This type of noise may require resilient floor layers, acoustic underlays or an isolated ceiling system rather than simply adding more board to a wall.

Structure-borne vibration

Washing machines, pumps, speakers and other equipment can transfer vibration directly into the building.

A noisy appliance should first be checked for faults, poor levelling or contact with surrounding units. Isolation pads, mounts or changes to the way it is supported may be more suitable than conventional wall soundproofing.

Find the Main Sound Path

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

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 and ducts
• Pipes, cables and electrical sockets
• 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 while sound continues to travel through the connected floor, ceiling or adjoining side wall. Treating only the visible surface may therefore provide a smaller improvement than expected.

Soundproofing Shared Walls

Conversations, television noise and music are commonly heard through party walls or 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 design 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 complete solution for every property.

The supporting structure, cavity treatment, fixing method and treatment of adjoining surfaces all influence the final result.

Reducing Noise Through Floors

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

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

Airborne noise can also pass through gaps between floorboards and uninsulated floor cavities. A suitable system may therefore combine acoustic insulation, additional mass and resilient surface layers.

Floor systems can increase the finished floor height and affect:

• Door clearances
• Room and stair thresholds
• Skirting boards
• Radiator pipes
• Kitchen units and fitted furniture

These details should be considered before installation begins.

Ceiling Soundproofing

Ceiling soundproofing may help where voices, 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 it 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 connected structural elements.

Doors and Internal Sound Transfer

A lightweight door or poorly sealed frame may allow noise to pass from a hallway, landing or adjoining room.

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

The performance of the complete doorset depends on:

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

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

External Noise, Windows and Glazing

Traffic, railways, aircraft and outdoor activity frequently enter a property through windows.

The acoustic performance of a window depends on:

• The thickness and specification of the 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 sound reduction. Poorly fitting 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 taken into account.

Ventilation Routes Must Remain Functional

Sound travels readily through openings that allow air to pass. Trickle vents, air bricks, extract fans and ducts may therefore contribute to a noise problem.

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

Acoustic vents, attenuators or redesigned ventilation routes may be needed where airflow openings are significant sound paths.

Seal Gaps and Service Penetrations

Small openings can reduce the acoustic 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 appropriate perimeter joints as part of 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 performance of the main construction.

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

New-Build Homes and Converted Properties

The age of a property does not determine whether it will have good or poor acoustic separation. Both older and newer homes can present noise issues, depending on their construction, alterations and quality of workmanship.

Converted buildings can be especially complicated because homes may share beams, floor voids, lightweight partitions and service routes that were not originally intended to separate different households.

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

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

Soundproofing Is Different from Sound Absorption

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

Absorption panels, acoustic foam and ceiling rafts can make an office, studio or living space sound less reflective. They should not be relied upon to block voices, traffic or footsteps through walls, floors or ceilings.

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

Installation Quality and Disruption

Even correctly selected products can underperform when installed badly.

Common 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 soundproofing systems also reduce room dimensions, ceiling height or door clearances. These effects should be considered alongside the anticipated acoustic improvement.

Straightforward projects may be suitable for an experienced DIY installer, while independent walls, suspended ceilings, floating floors and ventilation work may require a competent tradesperson familiar with acoustic construction.

Set Realistic Expectations

Soundproofing can reduce noise in a recently purchased home, but it cannot guarantee complete silence or prevent every sound from being heard.

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

Plan a Targeted Soundproofing Project

Before ordering soundproofing products, establish where the noise originates and how it travels into or out of the affected room.

A targeted system addressing the most important wall, floor, ceiling, door, window or ventilation route is generally more effective than applying products throughout the property without a clear plan.

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