Soundproofing - options

[HanzyR]

Hi

We have recently moved into a terrace. Our neighbours seem to be considerate, but we do still hear talking and music (even though they do not have music on at an unreasonable level). This is just down to thin patry walls.

I have therefore been looking into soundproofing and have found advice on this forum.

I have so far seen two options - but I wonder which people on hear would think is best through experience.

The cost is effectively the same - I just want to know what would be best to block out - or at least reduce the level of noise that travels through the walls.

Option 1 - Soundblock panels from Soundstop.co.uk. Self installation.

Option 2 - Greenglue - the guys that sell this have been helpful and said they will make up panels using two bits of drywall with greenglue in between. They will even install it!

I am happy with both options, but like I said need some advice as to which to go for from people who have done soundproofing themselves. Or alternatively I would welcome other suggestions.

Many thanks

Depends how far you want to take things and what your budget is.

Normal fibreglass insulation is very effective and inexpensive - the only drawback is that it's not very nice to put in. Gloves and mask are a must.

[XANTECH]

Hi,
with a party wall if I were you and if the room is capable of it, look at putting up a stud wall and 4 x 2 studwork and inbetween the uprights use rockwool or as stated fiberglass, did a job for a customer not long ago and reduced noise ingress almost entirely, unless the neighbour was playing their system very loud.
Regards

[HanzyR]

Originally Posted by XANTECH

Hi,
with a party wall if I were you and if the room is capable of it, look at putting up a stud wall and 4 x 2 studwork and inbetween the uprights use rockwool or as stated fiberglass, did a job for a customer not long ago and reduced noise ingress almost entirely, unless the neighbour was playing their system very loud.
Regards

Can you tell me how much you charged for this? I would have this done if someone would do it for us and not rip us off (I know someone who had "soundproofing" done recently, it made no difference and it wasn't cheap!). I'm in Yorkshire

[lnewey6]

right i have done soundproofing my self and i can say it does work but it depends on what you are trying to stop. I did a 3*2 stud wall with rockwool and 2 layers of plasterboard and it stopped everything apart from the bass sounds. plus it all depends on how noisy your neighbours are, i remeber reading a article once about a bloke who tested hifi for a living and he lived in the old flats in london. and this one day he was testing this new subwoofer and he had a knock on the door and this person was reading him the riot act and to his suprise it turns out it was this kid with his cheap bass box i decided in the end to add extra layers with green glue havent heard my neighbours for months

[XANTECH]

It really is impossible to say how much it would cost, as a rough guide we charge £300.00 a day for a 2 man team, materials on top, this may sound expensive but we travel all over the country and travel and accommodation have to be covered. If you can give me an idea of the size of room you are looking at it would be helpful.
If you want you can send me a pm on the forum and we can discuss further.
Thanks

[Mivan]

To properly soundproof a wall you need some sort of isolation technique....

Noise vibration travels through structures and one of the best ways for stopping it is to have rubber mountings.

A floating wall will work better than a wall fixed directly to anything (especially the existing wall!!!)

Very dense rockwall and 2 layers of plaserboard is minimum. Its amazing how many builders get soundproofing very wrong and end up wasting money.

There are a few systems around that use rubber mounting and indirect fixings. But your looking at around £90 for a squ mtr of installed soundproofing which puts a few people off.

[HanzyR]

Originally Posted by Mivan

To properly soundproof a wall you need some sort of isolation technique....

Noise vibration travels through structures and one of the best ways for stopping it is to have rubber mountings.

A floating wall will work better than a wall fixed directly to anything (especially the existing wall!!!)

Very dense rockwall and 2 layers of plaserboard is minimum. Its amazing how many builders get soundproofing very wrong and end up wasting money.

There are a few systems around that use rubber mounting and indirect fixings. But your looking at around £90 for a squ mtr of installed soundproofing which puts a few people off.

Thanks for your advice. Is a studwall the same as a floating wall? If not, how do you make a floating wall?

[mattym]

a floating wall is a stud thats built onto rubber channel or strips as far as i know. You should be at least building a stud infront of your party wall if your going to use soundblock or green anyway, seal properly and it should be fine

[Mivan]

The whole idea of a floating soundproof wall (and its the most important bit!) is that is does not come in contact with anything.... Foam tape round the edges of the plasterboard/soundblock to stop it touching walls/floor/ceiling... and fixing the studding with rubber mounts and that fix to the wall but dont have a direct noise path.

I think the mounts are around £3 each and you'd probably get away with using 3 or 4 a stud.

PM me with some measurements and i'll try to show u how many you'd need and how to get them if your interested.

Rockwall needs to be are 60kg/m3 i think... wickes used to sell something similar. It's basically a very dense block of rockwall instead of the usual loft insulation...

HTH

[mattym]

what kind of rw will this get you?

[Mivan]

Well RW all depends on the initial construction plus the soundproofing. RW is the value of the final construction. Individual construction components dont come with a RW value.

If you have a standard brick wall (200mm) using this method would give around RW 60 but it all depends heavily on the initial construction and how the soundproofing is installed.

For those that dont know a Standard Brick Wall (200mm thick) with plaster is around RW 38-40

[JohnG]

Can floors be soundproofed as well ? I live in a detatched bungalow but can still hear the bass from a house 4 houses away from me even when I've got all my windows shut.
My flooring is the square chipboard type and there's a 2 to 3 foot gap underneath which runs the length of the house. Can soundproofing be done underneath the chipboard as I'm wondering if the space underneath is acting like an amplifier for the noise from outside ?
I suspect that my walls haven't been properly soundproofed as well but don't know how to go about testing that.
Sorry if I've hijacked someone elses thread but there seems to be some good knowledge here

[Mivan]

Yes, it is possible to blow a fibre into the void to dampen the drumming effect.

Another alternative is to fill the space with rockwall, but it would mean having to take up all the floor instead of just a bit of it.

[mattym]

Originally Posted by JohnG

Can floors be soundproofed as well ? I live in a detatched bungalow but can still hear the bass from a house 4 houses away from me even when I've got all my windows shut.
My flooring is the square chipboard type and there's a 2 to 3 foot gap underneath which runs the length of the house. Can soundproofing be done underneath the chipboard as I'm wondering if the space underneath is acting like an amplifier for the noise from outside ?
I suspect that my walls haven't been properly soundproofed as well but don't know how to go about testing that.
Sorry if I've hijacked someone elses thread but there seems to be some good knowledge here

could it be coming in through the roof? bungalows do tend to suffer from noise in through the roof.

We recommend Reduc flooring if you want to soundproof a floor, does a very good job and isnt that thick, another product is acoustilay, which is a layer you can put under stuff, or you can DIY a floor with green glue, felt and other such stuff