How to soundproof a wall (the 3 best acoustic wall solutions) 2022
This blog looks at the most effective wall soundproofing solutions when looking to soundproof a home against the unwanted noise of noisy neighbours. A recent study highlighted in The Express details how more than 250,000 noise complaints were made in the UK in the last 12 months, with loud music accounting for 50% of all complaints.
If you are looking to meet or exceed building regulations Part E for new builds and conversions, we will also highlight the wall soundproofing systems needed to achieve this.
Also included is The Soundproofing Store's top tips for the effective soundproofing of party walls.
Effective wall soundproofing solutions will add mass to the walls and absorb sound vibration and energy. To achieve this you need to consider three important criteria when soundproofing a party wall.
Wall soundproofing case study - key questions
Our client (Mr and Mrs Wheeler) contacted us due to being disturbed by the noise coming from nextdoor within their mid terrace house.
1.What level of noise is being heard?
The noises they could hear from nextdoor were described as medium levels of conversation. We asked Mrs Wheeler to clarify the levels and types of noise and she explained it was low levels of conversation, whereby you could hear the odd word, but not the whole sentence.
The Soundproofing Store further clarified if the noise being heard from next door was just the airborne noise of people talking, or could Mr and Mrs Wheeler also hear impact noise, such as footsteps and doors banging.
Mrs Wheeler explained that it was only airborne noise she was experiencing coming from her neighbour's house, although along with the conversations and talking, she could also hear their TV.
2.What is the makeup of the wall?
The Soundproofing Store then needed to ascertain which room within the house Mrs Wheeler was looking to soundproof and what the makeup of the wall was.
It was within the lounge where they were being disturbed the most and Mrs Wheeler confirmed that her wall was a solid, brick party wall.
3.Is there a chimney in the room?
The next important question was to check if there was a fireplace within the lounge. Mrs Wheeler confirmed that there was and when we asked her to do a simple ear test next time she heard the noise, she confirmed she could only hear the noise coming from the alcoves of the wall within the lounge and the noise through the chimney was much quieter.
This is often the case, due to firebricks containing more mass than standard bricks and having two layers of them often provides enough 'natural' soundproofing. Meaning the sound coming through the alcoves often can't be heard through the chimney breast. However, this isn't always the case and we discuss later within this article on what to do if you can hear noise coming through the chimney breast, or if indeed there are weaknesses, e.g. the chimney has been removed from your neighbour's house.
The next stage is to select the best wall soundproofing solution
Once the right questions have been asked and answered, The Soundproofing Store can then discuss with Mr and Mrs Wheeler the best wall soundproofing solution options for their noisy neighbour problem. Highlighted below are the 3 most effective wall soundproofing options for this particular noise issue.
The best wall soundproofing solutions for an existing wall
Highlighted below are the top 3 wall soundproofing solutions. With each system we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each wall soultion, to help Mr and Mrs Wheeler and all of our customers make an informed choice.
Option 1: The ReductoClip™ Independent Wall System
Installing the ReductoClip™ Independent Wall System
The ReductoClip™ Independent wall system is the slimmest and highest performing independent wall solution, delivering the highest level of soundproofing for your home. Often used in recording studios and night clubs, as well as domestic properties, the ReductoClip independent wall system will result in an approximate 80-90% noise reduction with a loss of space of 120mm.
The new wall layers used are efectively creating a 'room within a room' system (50mm timberstud), 10mm away from the wall. ReductoClip / furring bar and two layers of plasterboard and Tecsound. These materials are extremely efficient at blocking airborne sounds travelling through. This is because their weight and density increase the overall mass, which, (as mentioned above) is crucial for soundproofing against airborne sounds.
Because these layers are fixed onto the ReductoClips and furring channels instead of directly to the frame, sound vibrations cannot easily pass. The clips act like shock absorbers and absorb the vibration energy, stopping the vibrations (sound) from travelling into the new wall layers.
The ReductoClip Product Overview
Advantages of the ReductoClip™ Independent Wall System:
Creates a 'room within a room' isolated from the original structure, which offers the highest level of soundproofing possible
The perfect solution for soundproofing against loud noises, recording studios or band practice rooms
Can be used on solid, or stud walls
The thinnest independent clip system on the market (by up to 15mm)
Dual rubber clips for higher performance, due to being able to absorb different sound frequencies
Exceeds Part E Building Regulations
Outperforms resilient bars by up to 7dB
DIY install
A proven performance of airborne noise: 65dB on a solid wall and 60dB on a stud wall
Disadvantages of the ReductoClip Independent Stud wall System:
The system takes up 120mm of space from the original wall, and although is the thinnest independent wall system available on the market, can still sometimes be too much space to lose in domestic properties.
Needs someone with good DIY skills, or a tradesperson with experience of fitting new timber stud frames and plasterboard to fit the system
Can't mount heavy items on the wall
1. A timber stud frame is built in front of the existing wall, de-coupling the new wall from the existing wall to minimise the transferral of sound energy
2. The inside of the frame is insulated with an acoustic mineral wool. Subsequently, the ReductoClips and are fixed onto the frame
3. Finally, a new wall layer, of 15mm acoustic grade plasterboard is added to the frame
4. A specialist material called Tecsound SY100, is added to the acoustic plasterboard
5. A second layer of 15mm acoustic grade plasterboard is added to the frame, sandwiching the Tecsound SY100 between both of the acoustic plasterboard layers.
Learn More ReductoClip™ Independent Wall System
How to install the ReductoClip™ Independent Wall System
Was the ReductoClip™ Independent Wall System the chosen system for this case study?
Although offering superior soundproofing, Mr and Mrs Wheeler felt they (understandably) didn't have the space to lose from the alcoves within their lounge for this particular wall soundproofing solution. It was also decided that the levels of noise they were experiencing, although having a negative impact on their everyday enjoyment within their home, wasn't excessive enough to warrant the high performing capabilities of the ReductoClip™ Independent Wall Solution.
The ReductoClips are installed directly to the existing wall, instead of building an isolated frame.
The ReductoClip™ System can also be installed directly to a solid wall, bypassing the process of building an independent stud frame in front of the wall you are soundproofing. It has a total build up of 60mm.
Advantages of the ReductoClip™ Direct to Wall System:Disadvantages of the ReductoClip™ Direct to Wall System:
Can’t be used for excessive noise levels, or music studios
Needs a competent DIYer, or tradesperson with experience of fitting platerboard to a stud frame
Can not mount heavy items on the wall
1.
ReductoClips are attached directly to the wall
2. Furring channels are attached to the ReductoClips
3. Acoustic mineral wool is added to the wall (between the bars)
3. A new wall layer, of 15mm Acoustic grade plasterboard is added
4. The specialist material (Tecsound SY100), is added to the acoustic plasterboard
5. A second layer of 15mm acoustic grade plasterboard is added to the frame, sandwiching the Tecsound SY100 in between.
Learn More - ReductoClip™ Direct to Wall System
Was the ReductoClip™ Direct to Wall Soundproofing System the chosen system for this case study?
The beauty of the ReductoClip™ Direct to Wall soundproofing system is that it still offers a dramatic noise reduction, with only 60mm loss of space. When this system was discussed in more detail with Mr and Mrs Wheeler, they decided the noise from their neighbour's probably didn't warrant the performance of this system and they were also keen to use a system with the lowest possible space loss to the alcoves within their lounge.
The Soundboard 4™ is a direct to existing wall system and is very easy to install, taking up just 30mm of space. It is ideal for medium levels of airborne noise, such as the odd clear word, low noticeable music and TV noise.
In human terms the SoundBoard 4 delivers a good halving of the above level of noise. Similar to turning a TV from 20 down to 10.
The SoundBoard 4 is constructed from 4 layers of different high mass soundproofing materials to block a wider range of sound frequencies. The different layers that make up the SoundBoard 4 work by adding mass to the wall and by improving the walls ability to absorb sound energy. The final layer is an acoustic grade plasterboard meaning that following the easy DIY installation, you are then left with a plaster boarded finish, ready to add a skim coat of plaster to and decorate. Due to the weight of each board it must be installed using a suitable Hammerfix screw and although an easy DIY installation, it does require two people to lift, hold and fix to the wall.
SoundBoard 4 Product Overview
Advantages of the SoundBoard 4™ wall solution:
Ideal for situations where space is of a premium. For a more slim-line solution, such as where space cannot allow for the ReductoClip™ Independent or direct to wall systems, the loss of space with the SoundBoard 4 is only 30mm
Can be fitted directly to solid or stud walls
Thinner and a straightforward DIY install, meaning minimal disruption to your home
The SoundBoard 4 is constructed from layers of mass-loaded vinyl for blocking airborne noise, a closed cell foam to absorb vibration and then bonded to a final layer of 15mm acoustic grade plasterboard. This means there is only one board to install straight onto the wall, rather than multiple layers or build work
Acoustic grade plasterboard is higher in mass than regular plasterboard, and can be skimmed and decorated as normal
Passes Part E Building Regulations (as part of a system)
Heavy items can be fixed onto the wall through the SoundBoard 4
Installing the SoundBoard 4:
All skirting and coving is firstly removed and any dust is wiped away to ensure the wall is flat and clean
It's recommended to start the installation in the bottom left or right corner
Offer the first
SoundBoard4
to the wall making sure it sits square
Leave a 5mm gap around the perimeter edge of the wall, floor and ceiling (to prevent any flanking vibration)
Attach the SoundBoard4 to the wall by drilling 9 holes per board and fix with
hammer screw fixingsOnce the first SoundBoard4 is in place, apply the second by butting it up tightly to the previous board and so on
Start the second row of boards from where the first ended (to give a staggered joint)
Fill the 5mm gap with
acoustic sealant
and seal between any gaps within the boards
The SoundBoard 4 is now ready for a plaster skim finish, or use of a heavy duty backing paper
Was the SoundBoard 4™ the chosen system for this case study?
The SoundBoard 4™ offers an excellent performance against noisy neighbour's and is ideal for medium levels of noise, such as the odd clear word, music and TV noise. Therefore, we know the SoundBoard 4™ will deliver a good halving of the noise being heard by Mr and Mrs Wheeler. The simple direct to wall installation meant that Mr Wheeler, (a competent DIYer) was able to install the boards himself. What was also important in this instance was the loss of space being only 30mm. In this instance, the SoundBoard 4 ticked all of the boxes in terms of performance and in offering a space saving, cost effective solution.
Things to consider when soundproofing a wall
Plugs and Radiators
If you are unable to, move the sockets to another wall (with the help of an electrician), this would be the preferred option. Alternatively, the best way is to fit the soundproofing across the whole wall and make a small hole in the soundboard 4 and pull the cable for the socket through and then fill with acoustic sealant.
You would then refit the socket on as a surface mounted socket.
Another option is to fit the SoundBoard4 around the socket and fit a socket putty pad in the back box of the socket.
Acoustic Mineral Wool
In an ideal world, we would also recommend adding Acoustic Mineral Wool to the cavity below your floorboards in between your floor’s timber joists for the first 1.5m away from the offending wall. If sound is getting into this cavity it will bounce around, resonate and amplify. It is a bit like shouting down a cardboard tube, by adding the mineral wool, we stop this effect.
Soundproofing chimney breasts
When soundproofing the alcoves of a wall, in most cases the chimney breast doesn't need the same level of soundproofing. This is because chimney breasts are normally constructed of a double layer of fire bricks which are far heavier and denser than the standard bricks (normally) used in the alcoves.
However, there are always exceptions and a top tip of you are unsure is to do a simple ear test by putting your ear to the alcove wall when you hear the noise from next door and do the same at the chimney and compare.
If you hear noise coming through the alcoves and the chimney breast then there are a number of options.
How to soundproof a chimney
Top tips for achieving the best wall soundproofing results
Soundproofing is like waterproofing, it is only as good as the weakest point. An example: If you are in a car and the window is only slightly open, you can normally hear all the sound outside perfectly clearly. Close the window fully and the car becomes soundproofed and all sounds are reduced to a quiet muffle. This illustrates how much sound can travel through any small gaps. This is why it's important to remove all skirting boards and coving before installing the wall soundproofing solutions, to ensure the whole wall is covered.
If you are unable to move the sockets to another wall (with the help of an electrician), this would be the preferred option. The best way is to fit the Soundproofing across the whole wall and make a small hole in the soundboard and pull the cable for the socket through and then fill with acoustic sealant. Then refit the socket on as a surface mounted socket (so it would stick out) .
Another option would be to fit the soundboard around the countersunk socket and fit an acoustic socket putty pad in the back box of the socket.