Acoustic comfort is extremely important for good rest - the human nervous system needs periods of rest, and the absence of annoying noise has a beneficial effect on health.
Modern apartment buildings have high sound conductivity, and if the noise from neighbors interferes with a normal life, you should take care of partial or complete soundproofing of the apartment. Soundproofing walls can be done by hand, using modern specialized materials.
Content:
- Functional purpose of sound insulation
- Types of noise in an apartment building
- The choice of soundproofing material for walls, floors and ceilings
- Soundproofing options with low efficiency
- Auxiliary materials
- Structure preparation
- Soundproofing technologies for walls and ceilings
- floor soundproofing technology
- Common mistakes
- Conclusion
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Functional purpose of sound insulation
Sound absorbing protection
When choosing soundproofing materials and installation technology, it is necessary to take into account what function the protective system should perform. It could be:
- Soundproofing. The material protects against sounds from the outside, reflecting sound waves coming from neighboring rooms or from the street. This provides the necessary level of acoustic comfort in the apartment.
- Sound absorption. The material dampens sound waves, the source of which is located inside the apartment, so that the activities of its residents will not cause acoustic discomfort to neighbors
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Noises are divided into several types depending on their source and nature.
Noises can be:
- acoustic
- air
- percussion
- structural
Acoustic noise is generated in the room itself due to the reflection of sound from the walls. This effect is familiar to everyone as an echo. To avoid it, it is enough to carefully arrange furniture, use textiles for interior decoration.
Airborne noise refers to sound vibrations transmitted through the air. - people talking, animal voices, music, the noise of a working TV or radio.
How to escape impact noise
Impact noise propagates not only through the air, but also through structures in the form of vibrations. The sound of a hammer, the stomp of neighbors from above, the sound of falling objects - the shock noise familiar to everyone in an apartment building.
A source of structural noise is equipment that generates vibrations during operation. This can be an elevator mechanism, a hammer drill (in this case, there is both shock and structural noise), an electric drill, etc.
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The choice of soundproofing material for walls, floors and ceilings
Soundproofing materials
The Russian market offers a wide range of domestic and imported materials for soundproofing building structures. You can combine different types of wall materials, gender and ceiling to provide acoustic comfort in the room.
soft insulation
Soundproof membrane
This category includes the following roll materials:
- soundproof membranes. They are made from fibers of natural or synthetic origin, may have an adhesive layer for mounting. The material is suitable for insulating walls, ceilings, floors. Especially for the floor, membranes based on bituminous polymers and polyester felt are produced - such material dampens shock vibrations and at the same time serves as waterproofing
- Needle punched fiberglass. Used for walls, ceilings, frame structures
- polyester fabric. Serves as a substrate under the "floating" floor, primarily under the flooring of laminate
- Mineral wool. Basalt fiber cloth is also an effective heat insulator. Suitable for mounting on walls and ceilings, requires high-quality waterproofing when laying on the floor
Substrate for laminate
solid insulation
The category includes board materials made from various raw materials, including:
- basalt fiber (including with water-repellent impregnation)
- polyester fiber (used in frame construction)
- fiberglass staple weave (designed for insulation of false ceilings, frames on walls)
combination panel
Solid soundproofing materials also include combined panels. The outer layers are made of fiberboard, cork boards or synthetic material, and the interlayer is quartz sand, mineral wool or other fibrous material.
This design allows you to easily mount the panels on the walls, while obtaining a surface ready for finishing. The inner layer, due to its structure, dampens sound waves and vibration.
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Carpet on the wall for soundproofing
If the level of noise produced by neighbors is not critical and you just want to muffle it further (and at the same time disturb your neighbors less with your noise), you can use the following methods:
- install a furniture wall against a wall shared with neighbors
- hang a large rug on the wall
- lay carpet on the floor
Let us consider in more detail the use of materials that are considered soundproof, but in practice do not live up to expectations.
Acoustic plaster
Sound-absorbing plaster
Plastering the walls with a special composition, where the filler is light porous materials (pumice, expanded vermiculite, perlite, etc.), allows you to create a layer that dampens sound waves.
But it is important to understand that acoustic plaster will help to reduce the level of outgoing noise and will practically not reduce the decibels of incoming airborne noise. Even more so, plastering will not save against shock and structural noise.
Styrofoam
Affordable foam is often included in the list of soundproofing materials. But the closed-cell structure of the foam does not allow it to effectively dampen sound waves, unlike plates with a fibrous structure.
Sticking styrofoam on the wall
If you use foam in combination with plaster or other materials, it is possible to somewhat reduce the level of incoming noise by breaking the sound wave at the junction of media with different densities and structures, but the result will be noticeably worse than when using specialized materials. The foam does not absorb vibration.
Cork
The structure of the cork allows the material to dampen (extinguish) shock loads. Cork laminate flooring, the use of rolled cork as a substrate has a number of advantages, one of which is noiselessness.
This property will be appreciated by the neighbors below, who will not be disturbed by the noise of steps and the sound of falling objects above their heads.
Cork backing
But cork is not a sound insulator, and pasting walls and ceilings with panels of this material will not protect against incoming noise.Cork flooring dampens the echo inside the room itself, so it may seem that after finishing the walls in the room it became quieter.
Soundproof wallpaper
Tufted wallpaper
Manufacturers offer special wallpapers that can dampen sound vibrations, these are:
- tufted wallpaper, consisting of a dense fabric base and fleecy surface material
- synthetic velor (paper web with vinyl fibers)
- cork wallpaper (thin layer of pressed cork)
By themselves, wallpaper pasted on the wall will not save you from external noise. The structure of their surface will help dampen the echo in the room, reduce outgoing airborne noise. Soundproof wallpapers (which manufacturers mention only in passing) are used in combination with frame sound insulation or foamed insulating substrates.
The total thickness of the structure under the wallpaper should be at least 3.5 cm in order to reduce the level of incoming noise.
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Auxiliary materials
Regardless of the type of soundproofing material chosen, during installation, one should adhere to the same principle: the coating must be solid and fit without gaps to the mating structures. For sealing joints and seams along the perimeter, holes, it is required to use a special sealant.
Due to the low modulus of elasticity, such a sealant has excellent vibroacoustic properties and serves as a damping layer during vibration loads on structures.
Vibration isolation mount
The installation technology of many soundproof materials involves the installation of a metal profile frame on the walls or ceiling. It is important to use a mount with special elastic elements that will dampen the vibration transmitted from the structures.
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You can soundproof the room on your own. The greatest effect will be given by sound insulation not only of walls that are common with neighbors, but of the floor with the ceiling, since vibration is transmitted through the structures.
Crack repair
At the preparatory stage, it is required to carefully examine the wall to identify cracks and cracks. - they contribute to increased sound conductivity. Slots and cracks must be carefully puttied, thereby increasing the soundproofing properties of the wall itself.
Particular attention is paid to sockets - holes for them are also a weak point in protection against external noise. Before starting work, de-energize the room by turning off the corresponding machine or switch on the shield.
Then, using an indicator screwdriver, you need to check the outlet for current. After making sure that it is turned off, the socket is dismantled and the wires are carefully pulled out of the wall, carefully insulating their ends.
In the future, the socket is installed on top of the soundproof structure. The hole in the wall is filled with a non-combustible sound insulator (mineral wool or glass wool) and sealed with plaster, alabaster or putty.
Crack repair
If pipes of the heating system pass through the wall, the seams around them are cleared to the maximum depth.and then filled with a special sealant for soundproofing work.
If the frame technology for mounting sound insulation is chosen, this is where the preparatory stage ends. For pasting walls with rolled or slab material, it may be necessary to level the surface with plaster.
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Wall soundproofing
The principles of arranging sound insulation depend on the characteristics of the selected material - it is placed in a profile frame or glued directly to the surface of the structures.
Frame technology
This is the most effective way to protect the premises from the penetration of noise from the outside. The advantages of frame technology include:
- combination of materials (fibre insulator and drywall), which allows you to dampen sound waves of various frequencies
- wide range of surface finishes
The disadvantage is the large thickness of the system - from 7 cm. Frame technology is used for soundproofing walls and ceilings.
Frame technology
The complex of works includes the following stages:
- System design. It is required to calculate the installation step of the guides, taking into account the width of the selected fibrous sound insulator - the material is fastened by surprise. The thickness of the plate must be at least 5 cm. The required number of metal profiles and fasteners is also calculated
- Frame installation. With the help of a level and a tape measure, the wall is marked - the rails from the metal profile must be located strictly vertically. Horizontal frame elements are mounted under the ceiling and near the floor. To prevent vibrations from being transmitted to the frame, special elements with elastic vibration protection are used to fasten the rails, or strips of suitable damping material (rubber, cork) are placed under the profile. Gaps between the outer contour of the frame, adjacent walls, floor and ceiling should be filled with a sealant with vibration damping properties.
- Insulator installation. Semi-rigid fiber boards (or roll material of suitable thickness) should be 1.5-2 cm wider than the opening between the slats - this will allow them to be fastened by surprise. Commonly used glass wool or rock wool, synthetic fiber materials with high noise damping properties
- Drywall installation. Sheets of drywall are attached to the crate with metal screws, sinking hats
- Surface preparation for finishing. The joints of drywall sheets are glued with a mesh, then puttied. After the putty has dried, the surface is sanded and cleaned of dust - the structure is ready for painting or wallpapering. Holes for sockets or pipes must be sealed with acoustic sealant
Panel mounting
Decorative panels
- Rigid soundproofing panels are usually attached to the frame in the same way as drywall. For panels filled with quartz sand, after trimming, it is required to seal the ends with a special self-adhesive tape so that the sand does not spill out. The elements are attached to the frame in a row, the joints and recesses from the self-tapping screws are puttied. After cleaning, the surface is ready for finishing.
- There is also frameless technology – rigid panels can be glued directly to the wall if it has a flat surface. The adhesive composition is liquid nails or mounting foam. A vibration-damping gasket is attached between the wall and the panels, the joints are filled with sealant.
- Manufacturers also offer decorative acoustic panelsthat do not require finishing. They are glued to the crate, installed end-to-end, or a tongue-and-groove connection is used. Decorative panels vary in material, texture, color, which allows you to find a solution for any interior.
- Acoustic decorative panels reduce outgoing noise, in an apartment it is rational to use them in rooms where audio equipment is installed, a home theater where they play musical instruments.
Roll soundproofing
Installation of rolled sound insulation
- The easiest and least expensive way to protect a room from incoming noise is to install rolled material. It is simply glued to the prepared walls in vertical stripes, like wallpaper, using special glue.
- The advantage of the technology is simplicity and budget, the disadvantage is relatively low efficiency. The level of incoming noise will decrease by about half. Such sound insulation will not save you from the sounds of a neighboring puncher or drill, but the sounds of voices and a working TV from behind the wall will be practically inaudible.
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Floor soundproofing
Modern materials allow high-quality soundproofing of the floor in order to:
There are two ways to insulate the floor - installation of a frame structure or arrangement of a "floating" floor.
frame floor
frame floor
For the manufacture of the frame, a wooden bar 100x50 mm is used. Logs are recommended to be laid on vibration-proof pads made of rubber or other material that can dampen vibrations.
Between the lags tightly, without gaps, a fibrous soundproofing material is laid - semi-rigid plates or softer rolled in two or three layers. A flooring of boards, chipboard sheets or plywood is attached on top, and then the topcoat is laid.
"Floating" floor with concrete screed
Floor device diagram
This soundproofing option allows you to equip the floor with water heating in parallel.
Soundproofing material is laid on the prepared floor slab. Along the perimeter of the room and around structures (columns, pipes), insulator strips or damping tape are laid to provide a temperature gap around the screed.
The top layer of the wall-mounted insulator is treated with a water-repellent compound, so that the material does not absorb moisture from the concrete mix. Then a lattice of reinforcement is mounted, raised on plastic stands. When pouring the concrete mixture, it is immediately leveled. It may take from three days to two weeks to dry the screed, for a full set of strength - about a month. The compensation gap is filled with a sealant with vibration-damping properties, after which the top coat is laid.
"Floating" backfill floor
- The backfill screed allows you to do without wet work. To equip such a floor, it is required to use fine expanded clay and soundproof material with a rigid structure - a bitumen-polymer membrane with polyester felt, cork, etc. Fibrous materials can sag under stress.
Backfill screed
- After laying the sound insulator, the floor is covered with a layer of fine expanded clay. It must be carefully leveled and checked with a building level for horizontality. On top of the backfill screed, GVL or chipboard slabs with a tongue-and-groove joint are laid apart. Between the flooring and the walls there should be a gap of 1-2 cm for thermal deformation. A topcoat is mounted on top.
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Drywall fixing
Self-installation of soundproofing will not lead to the desired results and will even worsen the situation if gross errors are made. - for example, a plasterboard structure, if installed incorrectly, amplifies sounds penetrating from the outside.
The most common bugs are:
- during the preparatory work, the seams around the pipes of engineering systems passing through the soundproof structure were not sealed, the holes for the sockets were not sealed
- metal profile frame is rigidly attached to the wall or ceiling
- sound insulation thickness is insufficient
- Styrofoam was used instead of a specialized material in order to save money
- broken work technology
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Multilayer system
If you believe the advertisements, it is very easy to cope with the noise from the neighbors and from the street - just paste over the room with special wallpaper and put a cork floor on the floor.
However, the reality is different - full-fledged sound insulation requires the use of specialized building materials and the installation of a multilayer structure, the properties of which allow you to dampen sound waves and vibrations.
Video about installation of acoustic panels:
VIDEO: Soundproofing a wall in an apartment. Mounting technology.
Secrets of soundproofing walls in an apartment: we use modern materials and technologies (25+ Photos & Videos) + Reviews
Video about frame sound insulation:
VIDEO: Mounting on the System S frame
Secrets of soundproofing walls in an apartment: we use modern materials and technologies (25+ Photos & Videos) + Reviews
