Sound proofing your home can take many forms. Noise penetrating through party walls from the house next door is one of the biggest sources of disputes between neighbors, and the problem is worst of all in relatively modern homes of lightweight construction.

Sound Proofing

The latest Building Regulations go some way towards improving matters by specifying minimum masonry densities (to help sound proof walls) and by banning practices like the building-in of floor joists into party walls but, in many existing homes, additional sound proofing is the only way of improving the wall’s acoustic performance.

How To Sound Proof A Room

What To Do: Sound Proofing Walls

The most significant improvement in sound proofing your home can be gained by adding sound proof insulation on the noisy side of the wall, so, if your neighbors keep their TV or hi-fi turned up, it is worth approaching them (if you are still on speaking terms) and asking whether they are willing to line their side of the wall with sound-absorbing material such as cork or acoustic tiles. You could even suggest sharing the cost.

If they are not, you will have to tackle the problem from your side. Start by examining the structure of the existing wall, since even the smallest cracks and holes can let sound pass. You are most likely to find these in the loft, where pointing may be of poor quality and there is no plaster to seal the gaps. Repoint the wall if necessary, and add a skim coat of plaster over the whole wall surface.

Next, lift floorboards adjacent to party walls and check for gaps there, especially where floor joists are built into the wall.

Pack gaps between the joists and the masonry with mortar, and fill any other cracks or voids you find. Then seal any cracks between walls and ceilings and between skirting boards and floors using non-setting mastic.

Sound proof walls

If this does not produce any significant improvement in your homes’ sound proofing, you will have to take further steps. The most cost-effective solution is to erect a sort of stud partition (like one half of sound proof walls) on your side of the party wall. To reduce flanking transmission, this must be constructed so that it does not touch the party wall.

This means fitting head and sole plates to the ceiling and floor, and adding 75 x 50mm (3 x 2in) vertical studs between them at 600mm (2ft) intervals so that there is a free air space between the rear face of the framework and the party wall. You then suspend lengths of 100mm (4in)-thick glass-fiber insulation blanket (or some sound proof foam) behind the studs, and line the partition with two thicknesses of 13mm (1/2 in) tapered-edge plasterboard. Stagger the joints between the two layers, and tape and fill the joints in the final surface layer to leave a smooth, seamless finish. Finish off by adding new skirting boards to match the existing ones, and seal any slight gap between the new wall surface and the ceiling with mastic.

Sound proof insulation

Building a wall of this sort will mean fairly major disruption and some loss of floor space but it will cause a significant reduction in noise transmission, and is a relatively inexpensive sound proofing project to construct.

What To Do: Floors

Noise travelling between floors inside a house is rarely a problem, but can rapidly become one in buildings that have been converted into flats.

The best way of sound proofing an existing floor is to create a floating floor. This involves constructing a new floor surface separated from the existing floor with a continuous layer of glass fiber, mineral wool quilt or sound proof foam. The new floor can be a raft or a platform. The former is constructed by lifting the existing floorboards and draping the quilt over the joists. You then locate 50mm (2in) sq battens over the tops of the joists and fit a new floor surface consisting of two layers of 19mm (3/4 in) flooring-grade chipboard. Turn the edges of the quilt up so they are sandwiched between the walls and the edges of the floor surface, and conceal them with new skirtings.

The platform-type floor is easier to lay, and raises the floor level in the room by less than the raft type. Here the quilt is laid on top of the existing floorboards, and a new deck of 19mm chipboard or plywood is laid directly over it. Again, the sound proofing quilt is turned up at the room perimeter to insulate the new floor from the rest of the structure.

What To Do: Sound Proof Windows

Windows are a particularly weak link as far as insulation against noise from outside the house is concerned – particularly from traffic and aircraft. The solution is to install specialized sound proofing acoustic double glazing. Try to choose hinged or sliding panels which can be opened for ventilation; you can use the same types as for thermal double glazing, with the very important difference that the new panes should be set 150 – 200mm (6 – 8 in) away from the existing window, which should be efficiently draught-proofed (and kept closed). In addition, the sides, top and bottom of the window reveal should be lined with sound proofing acoustic tiles.

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