Living in a flat or apartment has its advantages, but one common drawback is dealing with noise from neighbouring units, bustling hallways, or outside sources. Whether you’re trying to sleep peacefully, work from home without distractions, or simply enjoy a quieter environment, soundproofing your flat can be a game-changer. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the world of soundproofing flats, offering techniques, tips, and product recommendations to help you transform your living space into a serene haven.
Understanding the Need for Flat Soundproofing
Before diving into soundproofing solutions, it’s essential to understand why it’s crucial for flat dwellers. Flats, with shared walls and proximity to neighbours, are more susceptible to noise disturbances. Common sources of noise in flats include:
· Neighbours Noise: Voices, music, TV, or footsteps from adjoining units can disrupt your peace.
· Hallway Noise: Noise from common areas and hallways can seep into your flat.
· Street Noise: Traffic, sirens, and other outdoor sounds can intrude on your living space.
Now, let’s explore the various soundproofing techniques to effectively mitigate these disturbances.
Soundproofing Walls:
· Independent Resilient clips system: Independent wall structure that sits in front of the wall you are attempting to soundproof, like a neighbour’s party wall; Lining this wall with Resilient Clips as your resilient layer will afford the best soundproofing for wall performance that we know of. It is like installing small “Shock Absorbers” over your wall.
· Independent Resilient bar system: The Independent Resilient Bar Stud Wall will achieve great performance across the whole range of frequencies as it will cope with airborne noise transfer very well. The wall must be independent/ decoupled from the existing wall such that there is a physical air gap.
· Acoustic Panels: Attach decorative acoustic panels to walls to absorb sound waves and enhance aesthetics.
· Seal Gaps: Seal gaps and cracks in walls with acoustic caulk to prevent sound leaks.
Soundproofing Floors:
· Impact Barrier Mat (above floor system): Barrier Mats are the best option for reducing impact noise transfer and when combined with an acoustic membrane and hard flooring above generate fantastic results, this is achieved by increasing floor mass and resilience (springiness).
· DBX board (above floor system): DBX Boards are our most effective sound insulation between floors solution when looking for ease of fit (no need to lift floorboards).
They are effective in :
1 – Blocking airborne noise rising from below (and from your room to the room below) – be aware they are far more effective than rubber mat solutions for this purpose which typically only offer only 5-7dB airborne protection
2 – Decrease the impact sound experienced to the room below with underfloor soundproofing.(not as good as rubber mat solution).
Soundproofing Ceilings:
· Resilient Bar Ceiling System: The resilient bar, or sound breaker bar works by decoupling the new suspended ceiling from the joists. The new ceiling is in effect floating off the joists via lightweight corrugated steel bars. The sound is absorbed as it travels through the corrugated flange of the resilient bar.
· Resilient Clip Ceiling system: The Resilient clip ceiling solution is the best-performing suspended ceiling system available from both an airborne and impact sound perspective. And when an acoustic membrane is brought into the system the airborne performance is increased.
Door Soundproofing:
Install a solid-core door or add soundproofing materials to the existing door to block sound from hallways and neighbours.
Product Recommendations:
Effective soundproofing often relies on quality products designed for flats. Here are some recommendations:
Mass-Loaded Vinyl (MLV): A versatile product that can be used on walls, floors, and ceilings to add mass and block sound.
Acoustic Panels: a variety of attractive and effective acoustic panels.
Resilient clip system: A Resilient Clip suspended ceiling is where the system is attached to the existing joists. In performance terms, it is far superior to a resilient bar system
Soundproof Curtains: Acoustic heavy curtains designed to reduce external noise and enhance privacy.
Double-Glazed Windows: Consult window manufacturers experienced in soundproofing solutions.
Acoustic secondary glazing: Thicker laminated glass with a secondary window unit.
Soundproofing your flat is the key to achieving the peace and tranquillity you deserve. By understanding the sources of noise and implementing effective soundproofing techniques and products, you can transform your flat into a peaceful oasis where you can relax, concentrate, and enjoy your living space without the disturbances of unwanted sounds. Make your flat a haven of tranquillity with the power of soundproofing.