Looking forward to soundproofing your home and blocking out all the noisy neighbourhood? Before jumping in and turning your whole house upside down, keep reading to find out what are the best suited materials for the job.
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| Soundproofing Materials |
What’s Your Biggest Challenge?
Knowing what is the type of noise problems you’re looking to solve is, probably, the first step to knowing what materials you need. There are two types of noise issues – three, if you add flanking noise, as well.
The first type of noise is airborne noise, and you can easily recognise it as TV sounds coming from another room. Or a car honking in the street. This is the type of sound that should not be heard very easily.
The second type of noise is impact sound, which is transferred through the building structure. Dropping something on the floor, moving furniture around – these fall within the structure-borne sounds.
Flanking noise is the noise that’s getting leaked through wall, ceiling, and floor joints, and it contributes to amplified sounds in the room.
What Area Are You Soundproofing?
Soundproofing can be different, according to what, exactly, is being isolated. For instance, floor isolation can – and should be done – in a different way than wall isolation. Although the principles remain the same, the best materials for wall, floor, and ceiling soundproofing vary.
Soundproofing Walls
There are two things you need to consider before choosing how you’re going to soundproof your walls: the intensity of the noise that you hear and the space you’re willing to lose. Sometimes, a bookshelf full with books can do the trick. Other times, you might need a whole free-standing wall to solve the problem.
Most people choose to reinforce the existing wall, adding a stud work wall, acoustic insulation and soundbreaker bars. In this case, both airborne and impact sound are diminished, improving the overall quality of the sound in the room.
Soundproofing Floors
What should you do when the rug is no longer enough to cover all the noise? Soundproof the floors, of course. One of the best materials out there is Barrier Mats, an acoustic flooring mat with a high density that’s meant to block airborne sound.
Last, but not least, if you’re dealing with both airborne and impact noise problems, one of the best solutions for you is floating floors. These can be laid over your typical floor, creating space and for impact noise to diffuse and preventing airborne sound from being transferred. The isolation tape is just as important to prevent flanking noise from occurring.
Soundproofing Ceilings
Sound transfer between rooms and levels can be a real nightmare. Whether you’re hearing the TV upstairs or someone’s conversations a level below, it’s never a good sign. Out of the two types of noise problems, airborne sound is most likely to be transferred through ceilings.
To help reduce reverberation, you must increase the density of the ceiling, and acoustic insulation slabs are perfect for it.
Looking forward to soundproofing your home and blocking out all the noisy neighbourhood? Before jumping in and turning your whole house upside down, keep reading to find out what are the best suited materials for the job, according to Noise Stop.
December 17, 2019
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