If the neighbors hear everything that happens in your house, then we are not talking about any comfortable living. Houses made of wood or panels transmit sounds too well, so here you need to apply Additional materials absorbing noise. Soundproofing walls in wooden house- this is a stage of the same importance as wall insulation and installation of communications.
How to properly isolate yourself and your loved ones from unnecessary noise outside and inside? Before starting work, the first thing to do is to establish the nature of the noise and its source. Based on this, you will buy soundproofing material and sheathe them with exactly those places in the apartment where the noise comes from. For example, if a strong stomp is heard from the neighbors above, then you need to treat the ceiling with noise-absorbing material. If loud voices of neighbors or sounds from the street interfere, then it is necessary to sheathe walls and partitions, etc. Noise isolation can be done independently or use the services of specialists, in any case, it should not only protect the residents of the house from outside sounds, but also not give sound coming out of your room.
Noise types
There are different types of noise:
- air - sound that propagates in space through air. This is the sound of voice, musical technology, TV;
- structural - the sound that the gas and water pipeline systems in the house, the pump, the garbage chute make;
- shock - noise from mechanical actions or from movements (stomping of feet, knocking, movement of a car). This sound is transmitted through the walls, earth's surface, hard objects.
What kind of noise should you protect yourself and others from? There are specially developed sanitary standards that allow a certain volume of sound in residential premises. The regulatory document states that for daytime the volume should be no more than 65 dB, and for night time - no more than 45 dB, while children's crying has 80 dB.
Sound level versus sound pressure table
Loudness greater than 120 dB is considered hazardous to human health. That is why it is so important to ensure peace and quiet in the home by lowering the sound transmission of walls and other building structures.
The nuances of the process to improve sound insulation
Before buying noise-absorbing products and proceeding with their installation, it is necessary to carefully inspect the walls and ceiling for defects (cracks), and also close up holes around inaccurately mounted sockets using fiberglass for this. The following factors also contribute to the increase in noise in the house:
- if the building materials themselves have low soundproofing properties;
- if the doors and window frames of the old design, or low-quality double-glazed windows;
- if finishing materials poorly absorb noise.
In order for the money and effort spent to give the expected result, it is necessary to focus not only on the sheathing of the room with absorbent materials, but also to do a number of related work:
- replace old doors with more modern ones, with elastic seals along the contour;
- change wooden windows on double-glazed windows;
- install on interior doors seals;
- cover the building from the outside with materials with high sound-absorbing properties;
- use materials for facade decoration low level sound reflections.
If you do all of the above work, then this will not only save you from unnecessary noise outside and inside, but also significantly insulate the building.
Materials for absorbing noise in the house
There are many ways to soundproof walls in a residential building. Consider the characteristics of some of them and options for their use.
Cork noise insulators
Outside, you can use thick cotton fillers, but if you need to sheathe the walls inside, then the smallest thickness of the material is important so as not to take up a lot of room space. Porous cork wallpapers or cork wood panels will do just fine with this.
Cork not only does not let noise through, but, like any tree, it retains heat, and is also used as finishing material. Corridors, hallways, children's rooms are often trimmed with such wallpaper.
Loaded vinyl (or noise block)
If square meters are especially small, then it is impossible to do without vinyl film. Its thickness is not more than 3 mm, but at the same time the film is very heavy - 5 kg per square meter. This is what provides a large noise absorption coefficient.
Loaded vinyl (noise block) - high-quality, dense, but expensive membrane
Vinyl film is flexible, resistant to moisture, and the mineral dust that is added to it absorbs sound. One layer of material is capable of delaying sound at 25 dB, two layers - more.
ZIPS
ZIPS panels glued under the wallpaper.
They are a two-layer "sandwich", consisting of panels, inside of which there is a basalt fiber with a solid gypsum-fiber sheet.
Soundproofing panel ZIPS-Module floor
Such panels have a thickness of up to 7 cm and absorb up to 10 dB.
Substrates
Soundproof underlays and underlays for wallpaper.
This thin material is easily glued to the wall and is not at all expensive, but the effect of such sound insulation will not be great.
Fiberglass
Fiberglass slabs act as the middle layer in sound-absorbing partitions.
They are placed inside interior partitions or between floor slab and false ceiling. So that the fiberglass does not crumble during installation, it is wrapped with a special non-woven fabric.
Drywall
He also has the ability to delay sound, of course, in combination with other materials, for example, a “sandwich” of fiberboard, chipboard and drywall.
Mineral wool
Mineral wool, ecowool, basalt wool.
These are fibrous materials that absorb noise well, but have a large thickness, through which they cannot be used in a small room.
Expanded polystyrene
The material is environmentally friendly and durable. It has low thermal conductivity, therefore it is used for thermal insulation. It is thinner than mineral wool, resistant to moisture and mechanical stress. Able to delay sound at 4 dB. Often used as an insulating material in combination with others.
In general, it should be remembered that any type of noise-absorbing structure alone will not give the desired result. The more materials are combined when protecting the house from extraneous sounds, the better the effect will be.
Room soundproofing process
To completely block sound vibrations from one room to another, it is necessary to block all directions of sound wave propagation.
Walls and partitions
Most often, walls and interior partitions are isolated from extraneous noise. Various mineral wools are very easy to install, so they are used more often.
Soundproofing walls in a frame house
To do this, perform actions in the following sequence:
- Horizontal slats are nailed to the walls, this is a crate for ventilation.
- A vapor barrier film is glued to the crate.
- Construct vertical racks of aluminum.
- Mineral wool or ZIPS panels are laid between the racks. The material inside is fixed with slats.
- Then the vapor barrier film is glued again.
- At the end, the walls are sheathed with some kind of finishing material.
Floor
To muffle the sound penetrating the apartment through the floor, use fibrous bulk materials: ecowool, basalt wool, etc. Cork and rubber substrate will also be good.
Isolate the floor like this:
- The old floor is torn off, and waterproofing is laid on the logs and between them.
- Next, lay the material for soundproofing.
- Then again put waterproofing material.
- On the top give a rubber-cork substrate.
- And then chipboard plates are laid and the space between them and the wall is compacted with felt.
Ceiling
It is possible to seal the ceiling so that noise penetrates less, both from inside the room and from the side of the attic, if this private house. It is also desirable to negotiate with neighbors in a high-rise building, then the effect will be better.
Suspended ceiling soundproofing
Soundproofing the ceiling is done in this way:
- Dismantle the old coating from the ceiling.
- A construction stapler attaches a vapor barrier tape.
- Next, fill the gap between the suspended ceiling and the coating with sound-absorbing materials. These can be foam boards, basalt wool, Ursa type roll insulation.
- If the ceiling is wooden beams, then mineral mats are laid between the beams.
- Sheathe the ceiling with finishing material.
conclusions
Soundproofing walls in a wooden house is a necessary procedure, since in addition to protecting against unwanted noise, the above materials provide heat conservation in the home. And living in a warm and soundproof house is much more comfortable.
The level of sound insulation of modern apartments, and especially in new buildings, leaves much to be desired. It is quite possible to correct this situation if desired and on your own. It won't cost too much and won't take long. In this article, we will consider the question of how to properly soundproof walls.
Varieties of soundproof materials
The modern market offers the attention of the consumer a wide variety. They can be classified into three main groups.
- Rigid. Sound absorption by these materials occurs due to the fact that one of their components is a porous filler (pumice, expanded clay, cork, perlite, etc.).
- Semi-rigid. Made from materials based on polyurethane. This group can be attributed, etc.
- Soft. Such sound insulation is made on the basis of mineral wool or fiberglass. Soundproofing the walls of an apartment using this type (along with semi-rigid) is most often performed.
How to choose the right material
There are only two types of noise - air and shock. In the first case, it can be music, loud voices heard behind the wall, etc. Impact noises occur, for example, when a drill or rotary hammer is in operation. Typically, soundproofing walls involves protection from airborne noise, and floors and ceilings - from shock. Soundproofing walls with your own hands can be done using:
- mineral wool. This is very inexpensive material with wonderful operational characteristics. Great for protecting against airborne noise. Its only drawback is considered to be a rather large thickness. Therefore, it is advisable to use it in large areas.
- Cork soundproofing material. It perfectly protects against both airborne and impact noise. It can be successfully used to insulate the walls of both large and small apartments.
- Soundproof panels ZIPS. Noise insulation of walls using this material is most effective. The main disadvantage of such panels is their rather significant weight, therefore, the complexity of installation.
Preparatory work
Before proceeding with the installation of soundproofing material, the walls must be carefully prepared. All cracks and possible holes must be found and repaired. You should also make soundproofing socket sockets. Of course, before starting this work, the electricity in the apartment must be turned off (in the panel). Sockets are dismantled and removed from sockets. Holes can be insulated with foam, foam or fiberglass. At the final stage, all the cracks are covered with plaster. It is also necessary to seal the exit points of all pipes in the apartment (water, heating, gas). Next, the walls are thoroughly cleaned of dust and dirt.
Soundproofing with mineral wool
Mineral wool is a material for soundproofing walls, which we talked about above. Its installation is as follows:
- the metal profile is pasted over with a special polystyrene tape that absorbs noise;
- guides are mounted;
- rack profiles are installed;
- pre-cut mineral wool slabs are mounted between them;
- an additional profile with a thickness of 2-3 cm is being installed (it is necessary so that a small ventilation gap remains between the sound insulator plates and drywall);
- established drywall sheets.
Soundproofing walls with cork panels
In this case, a special fast-setting adhesive is used. The wall is carefully smeared, after which the element is pressed tightly against it. Installation is carried out with an offset of half a plate. The cork sheets should be laid as tightly as possible. The presence of any gaps between the elements is not allowed. Cork panels are aesthetic in themselves. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform additional fine finishing in this case. The exception is the walls of bathrooms. In this room, the plates should be covered with a special varnish-sealant.
How to soundproof with ZIPS panels
Next, we will analyze in detail the question of walls using sandwich panels. Preliminarily, along the perimeter of the wall on the floor, adjacent walls and ceiling, special strips-gaskets are glued, the width of which is equal to the thickness of the sandwich panels. In this case, instead of glue, a special acoustic sealant is used.
Plates are mounted on the wall using special dowels. Installation should be done from left to right and bottom to top. The panels of the first row are cut along the short and long sides, and all subsequent panels are cut only along the long side. The element is attached to the wall and holes 6 cm deep are drilled through the anti-vibration nodes already existing in it. Next, dowels are inserted and hammered into them. All subsequent plates are also mounted (spread of joints - at least 25 cm). The tongue-and-groove joints of the panels are additionally fastened with self-tapping screws (step - 15 cm). At the final stage, the joints of the panels are processed with a grinding float. After that, all seams are filled with sealant.
Wallpapering
Sound insulation of the walls will be even more effective if vinyl foam wallpaper is used as the final finish. Pasting the walls must begin from the window. Using the level, first draw a vertical line on the wall. It will serve as a guide when pasting the first strip.
Cloths are smoothed over the surface of the wall with a soft roller with fur middle length. Air bubbles are removed with a special wallpaper brush. Adhesive that has fallen on the surface of the canvases is removed with a clean cloth. Since foamed wallpaper is not a very durable material, pasting must be done as carefully as possible.
As you can see, soundproofing walls with your own hands is not a very complicated process. With a little effort, you can make living in an apartment or house much more comfortable. The most important thing is to do everything without haste, to lay all the elements as tightly as possible in relation to each other and carefully seal all the joints.
Residents of multi-apartment panel buildings most often suffer from poor sound insulation. The high level of noise in the apartment is provided by poor joining of panels, small thickness of ceilings between floors. Repairs, noisy festivities, loud TV or music sound ... All extraneous sounds can be left outside the door if you make good soundproofing in the apartment.
Soundproofing your home depends on what type of noise you want to eliminate. All noises are divided into two categories: vibrational (those that arise under the influence of shocks and propagate exclusively in a solid medium) and acoustic (which are transmitted in the form of vibrations by air). Impact noise can be well “felt” on yourself during repairs at the neighbors. Acoustic noise is what you hear during a noisy neighbors party, music, laughter, loud conversations. The soundproofing of the apartment should be comprehensive. That is, the walls, floor and ceiling are subject to special finishing. In addition, doors and windows should protect your home from extraneous noise as much as possible. It is best to take care of the soundproofing of the dwelling at the stage of its construction, however, since this option is not suitable for an apartment, it is possible to ensure silence in the room with the help of special sound-absorbing materials.
Remember that the best effect is achieved only with an integrated approach to solving the problem of excess noise in the apartment. Use only quality materials and, if necessary, seek professional help.
Most often, residents of new buildings and panel houses complain about poor sound insulation in an apartment. This is not accidental, since it is in panel houses that sound insulation is at a very low level. Therefore, we decided to collect all the information on this topic and write a detailed article.
Soundproofing in a panel Khrushchev
One of the distinguishing features panel Khrushchev remains extremely poor soundproofing. And no matter how much they struggled with this, the sound insulation in panel high-rise buildings leaves much to be desired. And all due to the fact that in Khrushchev they used large-format panels that they tried to make as dense and thin as possible, in addition, it was necessary to achieve weight reduction and thinning of the supporting structures. Plus, holes and crevices are inevitable in large-panel construction. And here you have the problem of poor sound insulation, in all its glory.
In the first Khrushchev type K7, II-35 - the thickness of the floor slabs was 120 mm, and the thickness of the inter-apartment walls did not exceed 10-12 cm. On the contrary, in the II-03 series, the floors had a thickness of 220 mm + 50-100 mm of slag + the floor along the logs on elastic gaskets. That is, while old technologies were used with slabs of 200-220 mm each and backfilled with slag or expanded clay, gypsum screeds, as in modern Khrushchev large blocks and brick buildings, soundproofing was present.
Soundproofing in panel buildings
Let's first understand how sound insulation in panel houses differs from sound insulation in brick or monolithic houses? You need to know that in monolithic and panel houses, for example, the sound of a perforator will be heard throughout the house, almost as if they are drilling in a neighboring apartment, while in brick houses shock noises spread much worse, however, airborne noises in prefabricated houses do not spread much worse than shock noises, in contrast to monolithic houses. The thing is that thick monolithic walls are preferable to other materials as protection from street noises or, say, from singing in a neighbor's apartment. However, if the tenants of one of the apartments started repairs, life in a monolithic house turns into hell, just like in panel houses. On the contrary, walls made of brick or foam concrete transmit sounds to a much lesser extent by design, but they save less from ordinary household noise.
With panel houses, in general, everything is much more complicated - here you need to look objectively at the manufacturer of the plates, the thickness of the product, design features houses and quality of construction. Therefore, each series and year of construction of panel houses has its own characteristics in sound insulation.
In none of the new prefabricated houses, floors do not meet the standards!
Therefore, soundproofing is done at the very first, rough stage of work!
With regard to sound insulation of residential premises in Russia, very strict standards apply. And they are much tougher than similar norms in the West, especially in Italy or America. But the trouble is that none of the builders of developers even thinks of sticking to them. The main task of builders is to build cheaper and sell more expensive. They also save on soundproofing, because at first glance it is almost impossible for a non-specialist to evaluate it. And if in project documentation include all the necessary measures for soundproofing, this will immediately lead to an increase in the cost of construction by 30-40 percent!
Soundproofing standards in panel houses
The acoustic ecology of a dwelling begins with knowledge of sound insulation standards, which are described in the set of rules for noise protection SP 51.13330.2011 (updated version of SNiP 2003). Sound insulation of enclosing structures (ceilings, walls, partitions, doors, etc.) is the ability to prevent the spread of sound, reduce the pressure of noise on people in the room. Noises in houses are divided into two types - depending on the characteristics of education. To protect against each of them, the set of rules provides for its own standards and indicators.
Airborne noise!
The so-called airborne noise arises in space and, thanks to sound waves, penetrates through walls, floors, ceilings. This is the sound musical instruments, TV, player, neighbor conversations and so on. In accordance with the mentioned document, the standard for protection against airborne noise in an economy-class panel house is sound insulation at the level of 50 dB.
Impact noise!
But much more often the residents of the house are worried about the so-called shock noise. It is formed due to the mechanical impact on the floor slab in any way - from the steps of people, the movement of furniture, repair work. The transmission of impact noise in the house is determined by a special device that measures the sound pressure level. The higher this figure, the worse the situation with the audibility in the building. In panel houses, the sound pressure level of 60 dB is considered the permissible limit.
The difference between shock and airborne noise!
Impact noise for residents of houses is much worse than air. Firstly, according to the laws of physics, sound waves gradually fade in the air, and therefore, most often, such noise disturbs only immediate neighbors who are unlucky enough to live next to “singers” or “screamers”. Whereas impact noise, with certain design features, can “please” the whole house. Secondly, in most cases, the level of impact noise is not regulated by law (the ban is imposed only on repair work at an unspecified time). If you can complain to the appropriate authorities about too loud singing or watching militants, then you can’t find a council on a neighbor from above, walking around the apartment in high heels.
Causes of poor sound insulation of panel houses
The most common cause This is low quality work. Enclosing structures must be designed so that during construction and operation, even minimal through cracks and cracks do not occur at their joints. If such nevertheless formed, then, according to the rules, they should be cleared and filled to the full depth with sealant. seams internal walls and partitions made of bricks, ceramic and cinder blocks must also be filled and plastered on both sides. However, often in panel houses, these works are done carelessly. But only new settlers who accept apartments without finishing can detect such flaws. But the poor quality of the termination is not the only reason for the violation of sound insulation. It happens that the technology of installation of inter-apartment and inter-room partitions from modern materials when using which it is necessary to strictly follow the manufacturer's instructions. But that's not all. Many panels used for inter-apartment partitions have internal voids. Conducted tests in sound chambers - everything is normal. But during the tests, they do not take into account that sockets will be installed in the walls and hidden wiring will be made. Now imagine that the socket fell on the void - that's it, nothing is left of the soundproofing!
Soundproofing screeds in a panel house!
Oddly enough, the noise "hell" is often organized by the residents themselves and their neighbors. First of all, those who buy apartments without finishing or make overhaul. Often, when making repairs, apartment owners save centimeters in low dwellings and do not lay a soundproof layer under the floors.
Often, "homemade" violate the technology out of ignorance. “The floor slab in a panel house does not provide the required insulation. For good sound protection, a “floating floor” is required. Such a floor should not have rigid connections with the bearing part of the ceiling, walls and other building structures. Concrete screed must be separated along the contour from the walls and other structures of the building by gaps 1-2 cm wide, filled with soundproofing material, such as SoundGuard soundproofing sealant. Contrary to popular misconception, this is not done for downstairs neighbors. A properly made floating floor is the main protection against impact noise! Increased audibility can also be formed in the process of redevelopment of the apartment. Often, property owners move the kitchen, expand the bathroom or toilet. If next to the bedroom of one apartment, as a result of the "creativity" of the residents, there is a bathroom of another apartment and the sound of the drained water prevents the neighbors from sleeping, it is pointless to blame the builders and the quality of sound insulation in the panel house.
How to make soundproofing in a panel house?
1. Decide for yourself what is more important to you: to lose a few cm in return for comfort or to put up with and endure noisy neighbors? The time and money spent on soundproofing measures will return to you a hundredfold in the form of cheerfulness in a few months, healthy sleep and good mood.
2. Take soundproofing seriously as a separate project. Most of our clients are beginning to understand that it is impossible to live in this nightmare, just by making expensive designer repairs and moving into an apartment. Many of them have been arguing with neighbors for more than one year, they endure, and someone is even forced to sell housing or dismantle everything and make new renovation with effective soundproofing.
3. Soundproofing is done at the very first, rough stage of work.
4. It is necessary to strictly, scrupulously adhere to the technology of work. You can not exclude a single stage, even if it seems insignificant to you.
5. The performance of soundproofing work in any case requires certain losses in usable area and height of the room. It is recommended to contact specialists at the design stage. Even if you are not going to order installation from them, you can and should get recommendations on the necessary design in order to minimize these losses and choose the most effective option soundproofing your room.
6. Soundproofing in the room begins with the walls, after the walls they make the ceiling, then the floor.
7. From shock noise (stomp, repair noise, music), metal-frame is the most effective. Frameless soundproofing mainly solves the problem of combating airborne noise, protects from a loud TV behind the wall, a crying child, a barking dog or loud neighbors.
8. Soft and light materials (glass wool, polystyrene, etc.) are not soundproof, despite the fact that some manufacturers write so on their packaging. These are sound absorbers! However, it is part of the structure and performs its function - it removes the rumble ("drum effect") inside the structure and works on sound absorption.
9. THE MAIN RULE IN SOUND INSULATION IS MASS AND MULTILAYER. Therefore, the heavier and more layered the material, the less sound it will let through. Today, this is the ideal material for soundproofing. Square meter weighs almost 20 kg (m2 of drywall, for comparison, is less than 10 kg)
10. The metal parts of the frame MUST NOT touch the walls! All metal parts must be glued with vibration damping tape.
11. Particular attention should be paid to sockets and switches. For them, you need to use special ones. Such a seemingly trifle can nullify all efforts for soundproofing.
12. Walls, ceiling and floor should have a perimeter gap of less than 5mm.
13. Gaps, seams, joints MUST be filled with soundproof sealant.
14. Use for soundproofing only materials that are safe, environmentally friendly and hypoallergenic! Ideally, materials made from natural materials in which there is no chemistry, resins, glue.
Do-it-yourself soundproofing of an apartment in a panel house! Simple Tips!
1. Electrical sockets
An electrical outlet mounted on an inter-apartment wall is very often one of the most likely routes for noise from neighbors. This is easy to verify by simply putting your ear to it (just try not to get electrocuted). The fact is that in some reinforced concrete wall slabs, even at the production stage, they provide through holes for the installation of electrical equipment. Then the builders simply mount sockets in two adjacent apartments, leaving a through channel through which noise can almost freely enter your apartment.
What to do?
Dismantle the electrical outlet and junction box, adhering to the rules for electrical safety. You may be able to see the bottom of the neighbor's outlet box when you do this. Install instead of the old junction box -. Then seal the hole. For this operation, it is recommended to use the services of an electrician. Note: Do not use mounting foam to seal the hole without subsequent plastering. Mounting foam is not a soundproofing material and, moreover, has a high combustibility.
2. Risers of the heating system.
The risers of heating and water supply pipelines, according to building codes, must be laid through interfloor ceilings using vibration-isolated sleeves. For this, the overlap is embedded metal pipe larger than the riser diameter. The gap between the two pipes must be filled with non-combustible sound-absorbing material and sealed with a non-hardening sealant. In practice, this is often not done. Builders either do not close the gaps in the sleeve mineral wool, or simply do not use sleeves, sealing the riser directly into the ceiling with cement mortar. After many years of operation, gaps necessarily appear between the riser pipe and the floor slab. The sound from the neighbors below and above can easily penetrate into your apartment through cracks and gaps. In some cases, unwanted odors also penetrate through such cracks.
What to do?
If the riser is laid through the overlap in the sleeve, it is recommended to seal the gap between the sleeve and the riser with heat-resistant silicone.
If the riser is laid directly through the ceiling, around the pipe it is necessary to clear and remove the damaged layer of cement mortar as far as possible (preventing penetration into the neighboring apartment). Then it is recommended to wrap the base of the pipe with soundproofing material (for example,) and cement the broken area of the floor and / or ceiling. Excess insulating material is cut off and the joint is sealed silicone sealant.
3. Joints between floor slab and wall
In places where the floor overlaps adjoin the walls, deep cracks often appear. This is due to poor-quality construction joints and the low quality of the floor leveling screed. Cracks and cavities formed over time can serve as a good conductor of sound from a neighboring apartment.
What to do?
Remove the skirting boards around the perimeter of the room. If possible, use a chisel and a hammer to make a 30-50 mm wide seam along the walls in the floor to the entire depth of the screed. Fill the seam with fresh cement-sand mortar. After the cement mixture has dried, seal the joint with SoundGuard Seal 310 non-curing silicone sealant.
If parquet is laid in the apartment and partial dismantling of the screed is not possible, then simply carefully fill the expansion joint between the wall and the edge of the parquet flooring with silicone sealant. Then fix the skirting boards in place.
4. Joints between "Wall-ceiling" and "Wall-Wall" slabs
Long-term operation of panel houses, as a rule, leads to the formation of deformation cracks between reinforced concrete slabs of walls and ceilings. These cracks are "life companions" of almost all residents of panel houses. Very often they hide behind wallpaper and do not violate appearance residential apartment. However, these cracks can serve as a channel for noise from the neighboring apartment.
What to do?
Remove old wallpaper. Expand the joints between the concrete panels. Fill the resulting voids and cavities with gypsum putty or cement mortar. After the putty has dried, coat all wall-to-wall and wall-to-ceiling joints with SoundGuard Seal 310 acrylic sealant. After removing excess acrylic sealant, you can paint or paste over the room with new wallpaper.
5. Electrical installation boxes
Mounting boxes for connecting electrical cables are usually located under the ceiling in the central part of the inter-apartment walls. Often they are hidden under the wallpaper, but they are easy to detect by "tapping". Very often, mounting boxes are installed in through holes in the walls and closed with thin plastic covers.
What to do?
Soundproofing mounting boxes it is recommended to produce by analogy with electrical outlets, but always with the involvement of a specialist electrician. It is not recommended to twist electrical cables yourself.
Block-type multi-storey buildings, along with panel ones, have one significant drawback - poor sound insulation. Residents of such houses constantly experience discomfort due to the noise coming from the street and from neighboring apartments.
Do-it-yourself soundproofing will solve the problem.
Silence is the key to peace
It is difficult to talk about a quiet life if extraneous sounds are heard from everywhere - both day and night. The neighbors' television, barking dogs and other noises and sounds interfere with a good rest in the early morning. Constantly chattering neighbors cause irritation, often scandals arise for this reason. Poor soundproofing can easily ruin your mood.
Even if you ask your neighbors to be quieter, it is unlikely to give anything, so you can’t do without good sound insulation in a city apartment. How to improve the sound insulation of the apartment?
It is not necessary to entrust this task to professionals, as their services are not cheap. Much cheaper to buy necessary materials, study the basic principles and perform soundproofing of the home on its own.
Soundproofing is a rather troublesome business, but the efforts made are worth it in order not to experience discomfort due to third-party noise in the future.
On a note! Based personal experience numerous residents of panel houses who made soundproofing of apartments, mineral wool is the best sound insulator.Other materials can be combined with each other and supplemented with mineral wool, but no other sound insulator has such a high level of sound absorption, and besides, it is cheap and practical. The choice can be stopped on one of the varieties of wool, for example, basalt, or fiberglass.
Cotton-type soundproofing materials are sold in various versions: in the form of plates (very convenient to use), in rolls, in the form of mats. The main thing is that it should not be a half-rigid variety: although such a material has a smaller thickness, it has a lower degree of noise absorption.
It is precisely the parameter of thinness that is lacking in insulators based on cotton wool. Thin sound insulators make it possible to economically use space, but in terms of creating comfortable living conditions, they also heat-insulate surfaces. Taking into account the fact that drywall will also be used to mask the batten and insulator, the living space will decrease by about 10 cm from all surfaces for which you will soundproof.
All surfaces need insulation, although many believe that it is enough to take such measures only for walls - this is a delusion. The floor, ceiling and other surfaces of the room also cannot be ignored. In addition, it is pointless to count on complete sound insulation, since when building panel-type houses, they do not adhere to the rules for protecting the structures of the structure from extraneous sounds.
Important! Structural noise waves transmitted by vibrations through the constituent structures of buildings cannot be completely eliminated by anything - they can only be reduced.If someone starts repairs on other floors, the echoes of the work will inevitably be heard in your apartment.
Start of soundproofing works
Starting work related to soundproofing should be from minor, as it seems to many, details. Namely - from sockets, pipes, communications and slots. Noise penetrates through them almost unhindered. You will be surprised, but the main source of sounds from neighboring apartments can be an outlet. Gypsum grout will allow you to forget about annoying sounds.
Defects such as cracks should be eliminated by covering with putty. All holes in the walls must be carefully soundproofed, dismantling the boxes if necessary. Pipes are wrapped with insulating materials that have the property of absorbing vibration.
Also pay attention to sealing the heating risers, or rather, the areas where they are connected to the walls. For this purpose, it is worth using special sealants with elastic properties and resistance to temperature extremes. With their help, you can easily seal the docking points.
Important! Don't ignore preparatory work if you want to achieve high-quality sound insulation in your apartment.The second task is to calculate the amount of insulating materials: you cannot do without certain losses when using them.
When insulating surfaces, the space and, in particular, the height of the room will decrease by several centimeters (from 10 to 20).
As a rule, the ceilings in panel buildings are low, so you will have to forget about a massive chandelier.
To perform sound insulation, you will need a rolled mineral wool (or material in the form of plates), a fiberglass floor mat, 10 cm wooden bars, and noise-absorbing tape in order to isolate the material from the walls.
In addition, you need to stock up on a profile to create a frame for drywall sheets, you will also need fasteners, a hacksaw, drywall, for arranging a subfloor - GVL boards, a tool for tightening screws, putty, a spatula, and scissors for cutting insulating material.
Soundproofing the ceiling
Let's start isolation from extraneous noise from the ceiling. The first task is to install frame base for fixing drywall.
Important point! It is necessary to fix the corners not docking with the ceiling surface, but through a noise-absorbing tape to prevent the transmission of vibrations coming from the upper floor.If the budget allows this, put a thin film under the frame to increase the level of sound insulation. There are several varieties of such membranes on the market, for example, Texound vinyl film. Such protective film should not only provide sound insulation, but also absorb vibrations.
After completing the design of the frame, fill the cavities between the profiles with mineral wool as tightly as possible. Soundproofing work should be carried out with safety glasses, otherwise the pile from cotton wool will clog your eyes.
After filling the cavities, the ceiling is sheathed with plasterboard.
Lighting is designed after the completion of soundproofing work. The following technique will help to make the decrease in the height of the room less noticeable: instead of a chandelier, the light source should be placed in the plinth on the ceiling. Naturally, the plinth must have a massive lower element attached to the wall and be hollow inside.
Soundproofing the floor
The first step is the dismantling of the skirting boards encircling the floor. Dismantle them carefully so as not to damage, as they will then be installed in their original place. If flooring serves as an old budget material, for example, linoleum, sound insulation can be done on top of it.
The new coating is disassembled, and after the soundproofing work is completed, it spreads again.
Noise insulation of the floor begins with the flooring of the layer, consisting of fiberglass. Be sure to wear gloves and take care of eye protection. This material consists of tiny fibers that irritate the skin.
Wooden bars are laid on the fiberglass layer - at a distance identical to the width of the insulating plates, leaving a margin between the tips and the walls.
Wooden bars do not need to be fixed - rigid fasteners will make it possible for noise to be transmitted through the wood, since its sound absorption level is low.
The next step is laying mineral wool in strips between wooden elements and sealing with gypsum fiber boards, which are laid in a double layer.
Important! Lay the joints of the plates with the walls with sound-absorbing tape.It remains to lay the top coat of your choice on the draft soundproof floor.
Wall soundproofing
The most common mistakes
Soundproofing walls is the main stage in soundproofing an apartment. Noise isolation of walls provides the most reliable protection against extraneous sounds. How to soundproof a wall from neighbors?
When doing this work on your own, mistakes are made that adversely affect the final result.
Let's deal with the most common of them:
Wrong choice of soundproofing material
- . Some apartment owners use polystyrene foam, carpeting and polyethylene for sound insulation, which are characterized by a low level of sound insulation. The widely advertised "soundproof" wallpaper, cellulose-based plasters, in fact, have very low soundproofing parameters. Take into account that
it is necessary not only to absorb the noise waves that have penetrated into the rooms, but also to protect the premises from their penetration
Wrong choice of fastening method for soundproofing material
- . When performing sound insulation, one has to fight against noise vibrations coming from the outside and spreading through the ceilings adjacent to the walls. For this reason, attaching an insulator to them will not reduce noise, since these surfaces act as sources of sounds.
When fixing drywall, it is unacceptable to use suspensions
- - sounds coming from the walls will pass through them. Profiles for fixing drywall must be attached to the floor and ceiling surface.
3. It is necessary to use rubber gaskets, serving as an obstacle to the penetration of sounds; You can make them yourself or buy them at a hardware store. In addition, you should leave a distance of 4-5 mm between the profiles and the side walls and then seal it with a silicone-based sealant.
4. There is no sound insulation of engineering communications. Water pipes and other similar structures should be covered with soundproofing materials or located at the maximum possible removal from isolated rooms.
5. Uninsulated windows. Double-glazed windows must have maximum width, in addition, it is necessary to make the insulation of the three contours of the window sashes. remember, that sound insulation largely depends on the quality of the profile and only then - on the characteristics of the double-glazed window.
These are the most common soundproofing errors, but in reality there are many more. In order for the sound insulation to turn out to be of high quality, it is recommended to consult an acoustics specialist and follow his recommendations in the work. But if this is not possible, then be sure to take into account the described errors and try to avoid them.
Peculiarities
Having learned about the most common mistakes in soundproofing walls, we get down to business: this process is identical to the work carried out in relation to the ceiling.
The frame base for drywall is attached to the walls through a damping tape that absorbs sounds from the side of the neighbors, from the bottom and from the top side the profiles are also in contact with the room through the substrates.
The level of sound insulation is affected by the thickness of the mineral wool or the number of layers of different materials.It is advisable to put a film under the insulation. If the room is spacious, it is recommended to leave a small cavity between the drywall and mineral wool for air circulation. Due to this, damping and dispersion of noise waves will be more effective.
Sheathe the walls with drywall and do the finishing. These measures will ensure the reflection and absorption of noise waves.
Walls - just like other surfaces - can also be soundproofed using ZIPS panels, which are fastened with vibration-isolating nodes, but this will require making a large number of holes. The disadvantage of ZIPS panels is the high cost compared to other insulators.
For soundproofing walls, ecowool is also used - a material based on cellulose. Ecowool is mostly used for thermal insulation purposes, but the soundproofing properties of this material are acceptable.
In some cases, it is enough to perform only soundproofing of the floor or ceiling (if the neighbors are noisy from above or below); in the event that you yourself like to listen to loud music and often invite guests, complete soundproofing of all surfaces is necessary.
Follow the nuances of soundproofing installation, perform the work in stages and use only the right and high-quality soundproofing materials, and you will definitely achieve the best result.
Soundproofing an apartment in a panel house with your own hands will provide you with living without extraneous noise, and the neighbors will not hear what is happening in your apartment.
An integrated approach to soundproofing will allow you to enjoy the silence in your apartment.
