What material to use to soundproof a wall in a private house. How to soundproof a ceiling

Almost every person, after a sleepless night, wonders how good the sound insulation of the walls in his house is, and whether the materials currently offered guarantee that after carrying out certain work, the problem of noise penetration into a private house will be solved.

This is a fairly important question, since loud sounds that irritate a person for a long time tire him, and his performance is seriously reduced. It is known that solving the question of how to soundproof a wall will have the most positive impact on a person’s overall health.

Features of sound insulation of a private house

High-quality sound insulation in a private house can be achieved by carrying out a certain amount of special work, even if the walls are covered with corrugated sheets, which you can read about.

This may include:

Replacement of old wooden windows with modern double-glazed windows.
Installation of reliable entrance doors with an elastic seal along the entire contour.
Installation of special external structures with high sound-absorbing properties, for example, insulating the facade of the house with polystyrene foam, which we wrote about.
Special high-quality coatings can be applied.
In a private house, you can install special partitions made of materials that are characterized by relatively low conductivity of perceived acoustic vibrations. Unfortunately, walls are not one of those.
Replacement of interior doors with more advanced ones, equipped with high-quality seals.
Experts may also advise carrying out certain finishing works with special facing materials that have low sound reflecting properties and qualities.

The implementation of all such work, in addition to achieving its main effect, which is expressed in reducing noise levels, will also contribute to a significant reduction in the loss of thermal indicators.

Types of soundproofing materials

There is no definite answer to this question, since soundproofing materials offered by modern manufacturers are divided into types and categories. Each of them has its own characteristic features; ignorance of them can lead to some difficulties in the selection process, as well as in solving such an issue as soundproofing walls with your own hands.

To make a competent and informed choice of soundproofing material, you need to know very precisely what the main purposes it is intended for. It is for this reason that it makes sense to consider all its main types, as well as understand which material is better to purchase.

In order for the soundproofing material to be chosen correctly, it is worth first understanding what type of noise you need to protect yourself from. It can be structural and airy. The latter spreads strictly through the air. These are, for example, the voices of people, animals, or constantly running household appliances. As for structural noise, it is usually the sound of furniture that moves, the stomping of children and objects that fall on the floor from time to time.

All modern soundproofing materials can be divided into several types and categories:

Materials that help create the required acoustic properties in the rooms of the house. They are usually used in theaters and recording studios.
Materials that prevent different airborne noise categories.
Materials designed to reduce the likelihood of penetration of structural, highly irritating noise, which, unfortunately, does not always include stone-look vinyl siding described in.

The last two bases are used to ensure high-quality sound insulation.

Materials of this type can be divided into sound-reflecting and sound-absorbing. The latter are more suitable if there is a need to protect all areas of the house from music noise. As for sound-reflecting materials, they are used if there is a need to provide protection from various sounds that enter the house from the street.

The ideal option would be to install two types of materials at once. Here you need to be prepared for the fact that this will be associated with high costs and a certain reduction in useful free space.

Features of the most common materials

Many craftsmen wonder which sound insulation is best for walls, especially when trying. One of the most popular bases used for sound insulation is mineral wool. It is sold in mats and rolls.

The comfort of a private home is directly associated with peace and quiet, and this can only be achieved through the use of high-quality soundproofing materials and finishing - read about covering a concrete staircase with wood in ours.

Professionals claim that it is able to retain more than 98% of all categories of noise, including impact sounds. Cotton wool can be used to effectively finish all surfaces present in a private home. The disadvantages include the ability to lose all properties when exposed to moisture.

Another fairly common material is cork. It is sold in specially sized slabs; during the installation process they are very easily mounted on a prepared wall surface. If you need to protect rooms in the house from impact sounds, there is no more optimal option. A negative characteristic is that it is slightly overpriced.

The modern market also offers certain new materials that fall into the category of soundproofing, these are thermosoundproofing and ZIPS. The first is a synthetic material that has ideal performance characteristics. Its disadvantage is the need to lay several layers to achieve an optimal result. Speaking about ZIPS, it can be noted that at the moment it is one of the best materials that has ideal sound reflection and noise absorption parameters. The material is very easy to install, but is quite expensive.

Preparatory work

After the optimal material has been selected to protect the room from noise, it is necessary to carry out certain preparatory work, as before. Often, a closer inspection of the walls and ceilings will reveal holes or openings that were previously used to install outlets. In addition, the presence of a large gap or through socket may be the cause of noise penetration into the premises. Sometimes, in order to produce high-quality sound insulation, it is enough to simply carefully seal all such holes.

So, preliminary work includes processes such as:

Moving the socket to a new location and sealing the hole with foam.
Selection. Processing of wooden parts and structures so that they do not rot.
There is no point in soundproofing if the room has old doors that do not perform their direct functions; they should be replaced. This also applies to windows.

Only after this can you begin the process of finishing the walls with soundproofing materials. The best soundproofing of walls will be done very quickly if you follow the instructions.

Main stages of the soundproofing process

Below we will consider in detail the option of protecting a room from noise by using plasterboard and one of the noise-insulating materials listed above.

This process consists of the following steps:

- Along the entire surface of the wall, every 60 cm, it is necessary to secure special guides.
- The space between them should be filled with mineral wool or other selected material.

Soundproofing materials must be laid as tightly as possible. This will help to effectively protect the premises from the penetration of extraneous noise. All this directly suggests that saving on the amount of base used is not worth it.

After laying this layer, the entire structure is covered with sheets of high-quality plasterboard.
All seams formed are carefully sealed and puttied.

Stages of soundproofing walls.

As a result of such work, the surface of the wall becomes so smooth that you can paste wallpaper or paint on it without much difficulty. Of course, the area of the room will be reduced by several centimeters, but this is an excellent opportunity to ensure complete silence in the room.

To ensure that all work related to such a process as sound and noise insulation of walls is carried out at the highest level, you should pay attention to the recommendations and tips presented below:

1. It is worth noting that installation work may vary depending on what materials are used in the finishing process of the room. For example, if these are special modern soundproofing panels, then they can be attached directly to the wall surface. For subsequent finishing work, these panels are covered with plasterboard sheets. All joints must be treated with sealant.
2. When using special soundproofing membranes, other sound-absorbing materials can be used simultaneously. Its installation is quite simple. Initially, a special frame made of metal is attached to the wall surface, and all guides are attached strictly at intervals of 60 cm. If necessary, this structure can be reinforced with an additional layer of high-quality plasterboard, which has a sound-proofing membrane.

Typically, sound insulation is carried out on metal profiles or lathing, which is made of wood. Between them you can additionally lay a special noise-absorbing material. This method is ideal if combined materials are used in the process of finishing the room.
When working with sockets, it is recommended to completely remove all old devices and fill the holes with construction foam. After the soundproofing material has been laid on the surface of the walls, new holes for the boxes can be drilled.

Loud sounds irritate and tire a person for a long time, significantly reducing his performance. High-quality sound insulation of a home has a positive effect on human health. The comfort of the premises is firmly associated with peace and quiet; it is not for nothing that in the Ukrainian language the word “zatishok” means “comfort”. Creating acceptable conditions for living and working is impossible without reliable sound insulation of the house as a whole and its individual rooms relative to each other.

Permissible noise levels are established by sanitary standards in SN 2.2.4/2.1.8.562-96. This document defines the basic concepts, noise classification and standardized parameters for different types of premises. The permissible noise level for night time from 23.00 to 7.00 is 45 dB, during the day - no more than 65 dB. The indicated parameters are averaged and characterize a sound that is safe for health, but not at all comfortable for humans.

Peace and quiet can be ensured in living and working spaces by reducing the acoustic permeability of building structures. A number of factors contribute to high noise levels in a building or structure:

the presence of doors and windows of an old design without sealing elements;
the use of building materials with low soundproofing properties;
the presence of gaps and cracks in structures, as well as voids that may have resonating properties;
the shape of the interior and the materials used in decoration.

Old windows in a private house are one of the main reasons for poor sound insulation of a home

The development of a set of measures to reduce noise levels in living rooms, offices and other premises should be carried out after careful research and consultation with builders.

Planning work to eliminate the reasons that contribute to maintaining a high level of acoustic load should begin with a study of the building as a whole and individual rooms in particular. Particular attention is paid to the condition of building structure elements. Thus, old window frames, wooden frames and glass, installed without the use of seals, do little to prevent noise from entering the premises from the outside.

High-quality sound insulation in a private house is ensured by a whole list of works, which includes:

replacing old wooden windows with double-glazed windows;
installation of reliable entrance doors with elastic sealing elements installed along the contour;
installation of external structures with high sound-absorbing properties or application of special coatings;
installation of partitions indoors made of materials with relatively low conductivity of acoustic vibrations;
replacing interior doors with more modern doors with seals;
Carrying out finishing work using facing materials with low sound-reflecting properties.

Scheme of an entrance door with good sound insulation

Carrying out these measures, in addition to achieving the main effect of reducing the noise level in the room, will contribute to a significant reduction in heat loss.

Good sound insulation in a private house is achieved mainly by applying materials with low thermal conductivity to building structures. Extruded polystyrene foam, polyurethane foam, polyethylene foam, balsa wood panels, basalt wool or other mineral fiber - this is not a complete list of materials used in construction to reduce noise levels in rooms.

Improving sound insulation of floors and ceilings

A significant portion of the noise enters the room from higher levels. Sounds from footsteps on the floor, moving furniture, a working TV, and the like are clearly audible, especially if the floors are thin and made of reinforced concrete slabs. Construction specialists have developed a number of measures that significantly help reduce the noise level from people who are above.

Gluing decorative foam panels is one of the simplest and most accessible technologies for the general consumer.
Installation of a suspended ceiling with filling of the resulting voids with materials with a high sound absorption coefficient;
Installation of suspended ceilings with preliminary application of soundproofing materials.

Soundproofing the ceiling in a house using each of the listed methods has its own advantages and features. The first option is the simplest and relatively inexpensive, and accordingly, the effect from the use of polymer decorative foam panels is minimal. This coating will only slightly muffle the noise of a running TV, the sound of a conversation, and the like. To achieve more serious results, greater costs will be required.

Soundproofing of indoor floors

Noise penetration into residential or service rooms from the floors below occurs through ceilings and some building structures. Reinforced concrete slabs or wooden beams with plank decks without additional coatings are excellent conductors for vibrations in the acoustic range.

Advice. The simplest solution to the problem of soundproofing a surface is to lay carpet, rugs or other similar coverings.

This floor soundproofing does not require any complex repair work. The effect of using this method can be assessed in different ways, but, as a rule, it is insignificant. Other more complex technologies will require significant costs and the involvement of experienced workers. Essentially, a new floor is laid over the existing surface and the resulting gap is filled with soundproofing material.

One of the high-quality floor soundproofing schemes on the second floor of the house

There are actually several technologies - this includes dry screed and the installation of a new multi-layer coating. The listed technologies are in many ways similar, they only involve the use of different materials for sound-absorbing and load-bearing structures. Dry screed consists of screening out small fractions of expanded clay and gypsum fiber boards, which have fairly high sound insulation abilities.

Another method of soundproofing the floor surface is to lay a new flooring supported by wooden beams or a steel profile. A supporting structure is installed on the existing coating and carefully secured to prevent deflection and the occurrence of extraneous sounds. Supporting elements are laid at intervals of 0.5 m, the height of the beams usually does not exceed 50-100 mm. The large thickness of the new floor greatly conceals the free space.

A subfloor made of fiberboard or QSB plywood is installed on the power elements. Sound-absorbing filler is placed in the gaps between the old and new coating. Typically, mineral fiber mats are used for these purposes, which are not susceptible to moisture, insect pests and microorganisms. This technology provides a fairly high degree of sound insulation of the room from the floor.

Methods for soundproofing load-bearing walls and partitions

Vertical enclosing structures have the largest area of all surfaces enclosing the internal volume of a room. There are window and door openings in the walls, which significantly weaken the soundproofing properties of the room. Especially if wooden frames with conventional glazing and solid wood or molded fiberboard doors are used.

The solution to the problem of soundproofing openings is quite simple: it is necessary to replace the windows with double-glazed windows. Double-chamber double-glazed windows of increased thickness have especially high noise-reducing characteristics. For external doors, it is better to install a metal leaf with a cladding made of wooden panels and with insulation made of foam plastic or other foamed polymer materials.

Actually, sound insulation of walls in a house can be done both from the inside and outside.

Each of the proposed options has its own positive aspects and certain disadvantages. External sound insulation is carried out in two ways: using facade curtain systems or gluing the building with foam plastic and applying special decorative coatings to the resulting surface.

Diagram of the suspended facade

From the inside, sound insulation of external walls is done using polystyrene foam, polystyrene foam or polyurethane foam. With this method of reducing the acoustic permeability of walls, close contact of the insulating material with the wall surface should be ensured. Condensation will form in the voids, which will lead to the appearance of colonies of pathogenic fungi. Decorative finishing of soundproofing coatings - plasterboard, plastic or MDF panels.

Partitions between rooms within the same apartment or office play a significant role in creating comfortable conditions for residents or staff. High-quality sound insulation of partitions made of brick or other building materials is carried out in the same way as for load-bearing walls - by gluing foamed polymers or cork panels with subsequent finishing.

Ceiling noise insulation, types of noise, methods for eliminating them, soundproofing materials used, noise insulation technologies for base, suspended and suspended ceilings.

The content of the article:

The hallmarks of comfort and coziness in a home are considered to be a harmonious combination of interior with fashionable furniture, high-tech equipment and a variety of decorative items. However, this is often not enough if extraneous sounds in the room prevent its visitors from experiencing positive emotions. In such cases, it becomes necessary to isolate the enclosing structures from noise penetration from the street, from adjacent rooms or from neighbors above.

Types of noise and methods for eliminating them

There are two types of noise generated in rooms:

Air. Such noises are the result of air vibrations propagated by a powerful source, for example, sounds from the acoustic systems of music centers or simply loud speech. Airborne noise penetrates through cracks, cracks, and even electrical outlets.
Structure noise. They arise from mechanical impacts on the building envelope: moving furniture across the floor, drilling holes, falling massive objects, etc. Since the speed of sound transmission through solids is 12 times higher than through air, these noises travel over long distances. For this reason, for example, hammering a nail in a separate apartment can be difficult to hide from neighbors in the hallway.

Protecting premises from extraneous noise is carried out in two ways:

Complete sound insulation. It must be provided by all enclosing structures of the room - ceiling, walls and floor. This method involves performing a whole range of insulation and finishing work, so it is effective, but expensive. In addition, the installed soundproofing materials occupy a decent volume of the room, so it is advisable to completely insulate it from noise if it is spacious.
Partial sound insulation with suspended ceiling. In this way, you can drown out noise from the upper floors of the house. It involves the installation of special sound-absorbing slabs between the base surface of the ceiling and its suspended structure.

When choosing a method for soundproofing the ceiling of a house, you should take into account the construction material of a particular building. For panel-type houses, the best solution would be complete sound insulation of the premises, since the almost identical density of the materials of their walls and ceilings allows noise from the apartments to spread throughout all the wall structures of the building. Partial isolation, as a rule, does not lead to the desired effect in this case. The walls and even the floors of the rooms of a panel house also need reliable protection.

In brick houses with thick walls, due to the structure of their material, it is enough to partially insulate the rooms by noise by installing suspended ceilings equipped with sound-absorbing slabs. This measure allows you to solve the problem of noise coming from the upper floors of the house.

In monolithic frame houses, sound waves are transmitted through heavy interfloor ceilings and internal light partitions. The external walls of such buildings are constructed from lightweight porous materials that retain heat and reduce noise transmission. Therefore, high-quality insulation of ceilings in such houses will be sufficient.

Selection of soundproofing materials for soundproofing the ceiling

There is a wide range of modern materials for soundproofing ceilings and other enclosing structures. All of them have high technical and operational parameters, the main of which is the sound insulation coefficient. It is measured in decibels and characterizes the value of sound pressure, numerically equal to the loudness of the sound.

For clarity: an increase in sound insulation by 1 dB means its improvement by 1.25 times, 3 dB - by 2 times, 10 dB - by 10 times.

Let's consider the most popular materials:

ISOTEX. These are sound-absorbing plates with a thickness of 12-25 mm. With a minimum value of 12 mm, the sound insulation coefficient of ISOTEX panels installed on the ceiling is 23 dB. The final coating of the slabs is aluminum foil, which reduces heat loss through the ceiling structure. ISOTEX slabs are fixed to the surface using liquid nails and joined together using a tongue-and-groove method, which eliminates the presence of cracks through which sound can penetrate.
ISOPLAT. These are heat and sound insulation boards with a thickness of 12 mm or 25 mm, having sound insulation coefficients of 23 and 26 dB, respectively. The panels are made of coniferous wood and serve to improve the acoustics of rooms, effectively absorbing airborne and structural noise from the outside. ISOPLAAT boards have a rough, wavy inner surface, which scatters sound waves, and a smooth outer surface, which can later be plastered, wallpapered or painted.
Zvukanet Acoustic. Soundproofing membrane 5 mm thick, density 30 kg/m2 and size 5x1.5 m. It is a high-tech solution for insulating plasterboard ceilings, allowing to achieve sound protection up to a level of 21 dB.
Green Glue. This is a plastic, high-quality material that absorbs vibration and sound in frame-type ceiling systems; it is laid between gypsum boards; material consumption is 1 tube of 828 ml capacity per 1.5 m2 of surface area.
Topsilent Bitex(Polipiombo). Soundproofing membrane 4 mm thick, which does not have a critical value in the frequency range. Its dimensions are 0.6x23 m and 0.6x11 m, allowing installation of ceiling sound insulation up to a sound insulation level of 24 dB.
Tecsound. This is a heavy soundproofing mineral membrane with a thickness of 3.7 mm and a size of 5x1.22 m. Its high volumetric weight and viscoelastic properties make it possible to effectively insulate ceilings and walls up to a sound level of 28 dB. Texound is an innovative development of the latest generation and the best protection against high-frequency noise.
EcoAcoustic. Modern thermal and sound insulating material made of polyester fiber by hot processing. Size - 1250x600 mm, thickness - 50 mm, package contains 7.5 m 2 of gray, green or white material.
Ecosilence. Similar to the previous one, it has a thickness of 40 mm and a size of 0.6x10 m.
Comfort. These soundproofing panels reliably protect rooms from structural and airborne noise, allowing you to achieve a ceiling sound insulation level of up to 45 dB. The thickness of the material is from 10 to 100 mm, dimensions are 2.5x0.6 m and 3x1.2 m.
Fkustik-metal slik. Soundproofing membrane consisting of 2 layers of foamed polyethylene 3 mm thick and a 0.5 mm lead plate, the sound insulation level of the material is up to 27 dB, size is 3x1 m.
Schumanet-BM. Mineral slabs based on basalt with a sound absorption coefficient of 0.9. The thickness of the slabs is 50 mm, the size is 1000x600 mm. The package contains 4 slabs or 2.4 m 2 of material.
Acustik-stop. These are noise-absorbing, high-tech polyurethane foam pyramids. Used to insulate the enclosing structures of studio premises. Sound absorption - 0.7-1.0. The size of the panels is 1x1 m and 2x1 m, their thickness is 35, 50 and 70 mm.

Different types of sound insulation can be combined with each other. For example, the combination of a sound-absorbing membrane and slabs of the same purpose allows you to create an effective sound insulation system for the ceiling of a house, reliably protecting against extraneous sounds. The above materials for soundproofing the ceiling can fill the free space enclosed between the base surface of the ceiling and its suspended, suspended or tensioned structure.

Do-it-yourself ceiling soundproofing

The soundproofing system of a suspended frame ceiling is considered the most effective. It is provided by reliable methods of fastening materials, a small number of them with a small thickness of the finished ceiling structure. There are several main soundproofing systems for suspended ceilings.

Ceiling sound insulation "Premium"

It consists of a ceiling frame sheathed with two layers of gypsum plasterboard, 2 layers of Texaund 70 membrane and ThermoZvukoIzola - ceramic fiber cloth in a double-sided polypropylene protective shell.

Sequence of work on soundproofing the ceiling with your own hands:

Apply a layer of ThermoSoundIsol to the base ceiling.
On top of it, secure the first layer of Texound 70 membrane with glue and “fungus” dowels.
Through the resulting layers of insulation, install direct suspensions or suspensions on rods on the ceiling.
Attach metal profiles 60x27 to the hangers and make lathing between them. The structure will be heavy, so you need to use at least five hangers per 1 m2 of ceiling and check the reliability of the fastenings.
Fill the space between the metal profiles with Rockwool or Isover mineral slabs with a density of 40-60 kg/m3.
Cover the front parts of the profiles facing the walls with strips of Texaund 70 membrane.
Attach the first layer of plasterboard to the profiles.
The Texaund 70 membrane must be glued onto the drywall intended for the second layer, and then this entire composition must be secured to the first layer of plasterboard sheets using self-tapping screws.

The maximum efficiency of such a system can be ensured by an air layer of 50-200 mm between the Texound 70 membrane and the mineral plate. However, the thickness of such a layer determines the thickness of the entire Premium system; it is about 90-270 mm. In this case, you will have to make a choice between the silence in the room and the height of its ceiling.

Ceiling sound insulation “Comfort”

The technology for installing ceiling sound insulation “Comfort” is similar to installing the “Premium” system, but has several differences:

There is no air layer between the mineral slab and the first layer of Texound 70 membrane.
Instead of a mineral plate, the space between the profiles can be filled with ThermoZvukoIzol folded in half or three times.

The minimum thickness of the Comfort system is 60 mm.

Ceiling sound insulation "Economy"

The Economy insulation system is installed as follows:

Suspensions are attached to the base ceiling, which are wrapped on all sides with Texound 70 membrane.
Profiles 60x27 mm and one sheet of plasterboard 12.5 mm are attached to the hangers.
The space between the profiles is filled with sound-absorbing materials Izover, Knauf or Rockwool.
The installation is completed by installing sheets of plasterboard with a Texaund 70 membrane glued to them.

The minimum thickness of such a system is 50 mm.

Acoustic ceilings to eliminate noise

An effective means of reducing the noise level in a room is to install a stretch acoustic ceiling, the basis of which is a special perforated fabric that absorbs noise. The thickness of the ceiling structure, which guarantees noise reduction, is 120-170 mm. Therefore, the height of the ceilings often limits the possibility of sound insulation. Rooms with a height of three meters or more are ideal for this purpose.

A very effective combination is a suspended acoustic ceiling and mineral wool slabs located in the space between the ceiling and the structure. This system acts as an absorber for various odors in a refrigerator. The effectiveness of its operation through sound absorption is determined by the thickness of the layer of the manufactured acoustic ceiling.

One of its types is cork ceiling. Its excellent insulating and sound-absorbing qualities are ensured by its natural origin, porous structure and specific molecular structure.

In construction, special soundproofing boards are often used, which can be installed in any ceiling structure. They not only absorb external noise, but also sounds occurring indoors.

Soundproofing the ceiling base

Soundproofing the ceiling can be done without using a suspension system. In this case, foam plastic slabs of various thicknesses can be used to obtain a specific sound insulating layer.

Before soundproofing the ceiling, you need to level it, and then follow these rules:

The panels are attached to the base surface of the ceiling using glue and plastic “fungi” dowels.
Glue is applied only to the center and edges of the slabs. Additional fastening with “fungi” provides 5 pieces per panel.
When purchasing polystyrene foam, you should know that it has different densities, which determine its strength. The density of polystyrene foam is determined by the numbers 15 and 25. Material with a density of 25 is more durable and should be used.
After installing the slabs on the ceiling, you need to wait time for the glue to dry, and then apply finishing touches to them. This can be putty, wallpapering, tiling or painting.

With dense and proper installation of materials, the level of extraneous noise in the room will be significantly reduced.

How to soundproof a ceiling - watch the video:

Understanding which sound insulation for the ceiling is better and having studied the nuances of its installation, you can rid your home of extraneous sounds for a long time. Good luck!

Few lucky people do not face the problem of noisy neighbors above. They either live on the top floor, or have an apartment in a building with five-meter ceilings and thick walls, or they are simply lucky and the neighbors live very quietly. The rest of us have to wonder from time to time what kind of furniture the neighbors are moving now, why they got a horse in the apartment, and why they need to play the violin on a weekend morning.

But the problem can be solved. Soundproofing the ceiling in an apartment will help create silence and comfort in the house.

Peculiarities

Before throwing away your life-saving earplugs, it’s worth studying the intricacies and features of the soundproofing process. Its installation, although it does not require enormous effort, must be carried out after preparation and taking into account all possible nuances of the work.

The main advantage of sound insulation is that extraneous noise from the upper floor will no longer interfere with a quiet life. The second obvious advantage is that the surface of the ceiling will be smooth and beautiful. In this case, you can do the work yourself. This technology is simple enough that a person who has never done this in his life could install sound insulation. Also among the advantages it is worth noting that the work takes place practically without dust and dirt.

The main disadvantages of using soundproofing materials are the time and financial resources that must be spent on installation work. In addition to the insulating material itself, you will need to install lathing and a stretch ceiling, and this is already a significant amount and the need to hire specialists to install the stretch ceiling. If the beauty of the sheathing and sound insulation does not interest anyone and you can do it yourself, since it is a rough layer, then the suspended ceiling fabric is a decorative element. It must be installed by professionals.

A serious disadvantage of sound insulation is that it is “hidden” exclusively in a suspended or suspended ceiling system. If for apartments where its height is normal or average this will go unnoticed, then in small apartments with a low ceiling the extra 10 cm of height that sound insulation will take away is an unaffordable luxury.

If water gets onto the seal from the neighbors' apartment above, the ceiling will be damaged. The material will swell and lose its properties, and the stretched fabric will sag. Repair will cost no less than installation.

You can use materials that do not absorb moisture. For example, extruded polyurethane foam. But despite its large thickness, it is not one of the most effective in the fight against extraneous noise. On the contrary, if installed incorrectly, it only aggravates the situation.

Also, when deciding to install sound protection, you need to take into account the types of noise that occur in the house. Extraneous sounds themselves are equally disturbing and annoying. But knowing their predominant type is important, since to eliminate certain sounds you need a material with different properties. Some will reflect sounds, others will absorb.

There are noises:

Acoustic. This is an echo or reflection of sound from the walls of a room. This problem is typical for spacious apartments, rooms with arched ceilings and high ceilings. This is a rarity in a modern panel house. But if a neighbor plays a musical instrument poorly or listens to peculiar music, he will be heard even without an arched vault.
Air. The quietest type of noise because it is caused by air vibrations. These are the sounds of doors opening and closing, voices, footsteps. They enter from a neighboring apartment in a difficult way: through cracks in the floor and walls, sockets, ventilation shafts.
Drums. Continuous repairs from neighbors, the sound of hammering, stomping - these are types of impact noise. Their source is mechanical impact on the floor or walls in the apartment on the floor above.
Structural. These are sounds that spread through the structural parts of the building: floors, ceilings, walls, ventilation.

The material from which the high-rise building is built is also important. One may be denser and transmit less sound (this applies to a concrete structure with thick floors), another may be made of porous materials through which any noise can easily pass through (blocks), and others may be something in between (bricks).

In a modern panel house, the quality of the material can vary. In one case, the noise is almost inaudible, in another it may seem that the walls and ceiling are literally made of cardboard, the sound insulation is so low. Solid brick has good sound insulation properties. It does not require a complex design and a thick layer of additional insulation.

The situation is more complicated with monolithic frame houses, where hollow bricks and porous blocks are used for internal partitions. They allow a large number of sounds to pass through. Here you will have to try to ensure that the soundproofing of the ceiling gives the desired effect.

Problematic case – new panel houses. They have a large number of cracks through which all sounds leak from above and from neighbors on the side and below.

Soundproofing the ceiling in such a house is not enough. It is recommended to take care of both the walls and a high-quality floor screed.

Contrary to what many people believe, there are quite a few problems with wooden floors. Firstly, wood is a good conductor of sound. Secondly, if the floor is installed poorly, sound will leak through numerous cracks. Over time, wooden floors will begin to creak, and it’s hard to imagine a worse sound than this.

With a high ceiling height (4.5-5 meters), there are practically no problems with sound insulation. Such ceilings are usually found in old houses, and in them all the walls and ceilings are so thick that the sound on the other side is unable to overcome them.

Another thing is a modern imitation of such buildings. In them, the problem with noise is relevant, and one of the common situations is acoustic noise. This does not affect the choice of insulating material. With five-meter ceilings, you can afford to install a layer of any thickness. The features of installation work are more important here. Doing them yourself is already dangerous, and in order to get to the very ceiling, you will need to erect scaffolding.

The best option is a room with a height of about 3 meters. At this height, you can carry out installation work yourself, and the subtraction of 10-20 cm from the height will not significantly affect the interior.

The most difficult case is “Khrushchev” and rooms with a ceiling height of no more than 2.2 m. Even without tension fabric, they look squat and limit design possibilities. When a few centimeters are taken away from such a height, the ceiling begins to visually “press” from above.

The most effective (but least likely) option is to negotiate with your neighbors and, at your own expense, install a thin layer of soundproofing material on their floors. This is much more reliable than protecting yourself from noise only on your part.

Types of materials and their characteristics

Modern soundproofing materials are virtually identical to insulation for walls and ceilings. All the same sheet, slab and sprayed materials are used as a means of protection against extraneous noise in the apartment. The use of foam rubber and wool of various origins is widespread: rolled mineral wool, ecowool, basalt or stone wool, based on fiberglass.

Materials such as polystyrene foam and its modifications in the form of penoplex and polyurethane foam (polyurethane foam) are often used. They are slabs that can be conveniently cut into pieces of the required length and width. These materials tend to be thicker than others because they are coarse and porous. The exception is sprayed polyurethane foam, but it is rarely used in ceiling soundproofing.

Glass can also be foamed. Available in sheet form and in spray cans.

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Soundproofing products based on plant and natural raw materials are gaining popularity: cellulose, cotton, bamboo and coconut fiber. If ecowool is still risky to use under a suspended ceiling, since there is a risk of dust, then bamboo and coconut fiber with their unique properties can compete with cotton wool and polystyrene foam. Literally healthy (antibacterial ones repel dirt, bioresistant), but expensive. Sound insulation is not the most effective.

Also not the most effective material, but suitable for apartments in brick houses and private cottages, is cork sheets. The insulation turns out to be thin and saves in less dire cases.

A layer of plasterboard improves the quality of the cork material, but in this case its advantage is lost - its small thickness.

As an alternative, manufacturers began to produce combined self-adhesive materials. This is the so-called membrane sound insulation. In fact, membrane sheets are glued to the ceiling like linoleum to the floor or very thick wallpaper. The composition contains felt and materials that reflect sound.

Among modern means, liquid insulation is worthy of attention. It is applied to work surfaces with a special gun, but is not used on its own, but serves as a “filling” in the layer between sheets of drywall.

Foam rubber

Foam insulation is almost the same as polyurethane foam insulation. This name has become a household name due to the fact that the main supplier of polyurethane foam back in the days of the Soviet Union was called “Porolon”.

Of course, the insulation material is radically different from that thick, loose yellowish dust collector that many people imagine when they hear the word “foam rubber”. Even its name is appropriate - acoustic foam rubber.

It is actively used for sound insulation in recording studios, large offices, restaurants and other places where silence is necessary for high-quality and productive work. The material is produced in the form of slabs of different sizes and shapes, its outer surface is embossed (wavy or “toothed”).

The advantages of foam rubber are that it is easy to install (self-adhesive or with an adhesive solution), gives a good result, is elastic and flexible, which allows it to be used on ceilings with rounded corners. Easy to cut, does not collect dust.

Acoustic foam insulates not only sounds coming from outside, but also sounds coming from the room. The neighbors will be grateful for this isolation. The disadvantages are that it requires careful handling and is susceptible to burning. In the process, it emits toxic smoke and loses its properties under the influence of ultraviolet radiation.

Mineral wool

Often this material is chosen to make sound insulation and thermal insulation at the same time. But still, it is more intended for insulation than for achieving the decibel standards recommended by SNiP.

Cotton wool reduces noise due to its structure of fibers, between which there are air spaces, and the different thickness of the fibers themselves.

There are three types of wool: mineral, stone and glass wool. Each variety has its own characteristics, fiber size, and technical characteristics.

All types can be used for sound insulation, but the density of the material must be taken into account. The higher it is, the more reliable the insulation will be. For example, cotton wool marked P-75 will be of little use, but PPZh-200 can solve problems with sound insulation for different types of noise.

Stone wool has the highest density. As density increases, so does the price, but sound insulation is not a case where you should settle for half measures for the sake of saving.

The advantages of the material are that it meets all building standards, lasts a long time, does not accumulate dust, does not emit toxins, and is resistant to deformation and shrinkage.

The disadvantages include the thick layer of the entire structure as a whole, the instability of wool to moisture, and the need to use waterproofing. Without protection from water, which can get on the cotton wool when a neighbor’s apartment is flooded, the material will swell, become heavier, and lose up to 70% of its properties. Drying or replacing it will be a separate problem. Over time, mineral wool shrinks.

Expanded polystyrene

The material is known as extruded (foamed) polystyrene. Its predecessor is polystyrene foam, which everyone has seen at least once in their life.

Polystyrene foam can also be used as a soundproofing material, but the results from the use of polystyrene and its derivatives cannot be called impressive. With a slab thickness of 40-100 mm, it still needs auxiliary materials that absorb and reflect noise.

Expanded polystyrene has some advantages. For example, it is suitable for insulation in rooms where the noise problem is not as acute as in thin-walled panel new buildings. It is light in weight and does not put any load on the suspended ceiling.

You can do without installing a frame in some cases. It also costs significantly less than mineral wool or acoustic foam, and is hydrophobic. If water leaks from neighbors above, the material will not be damaged and will not lose its properties. For these reasons, the ceiling is insulated with penoplex.

Penofol is used as an auxiliary element. Penofol is a thin reflective material based on polyethylene foam.

Such layering provides virtually no results in terms of sound insulation. All materials are more focused on maintaining heat in the room.

Cork covering

Many people choose insulation with cork because the manufacturer promises significant noise reduction (about 20 dB). But if you think about it, the numbers are deceiving. And the point is not that the cork is not capable of reducing noise by such a number of dB, but that such a noise level does not exceed the sound of a human whisper or a ticking clock. This is nothing when it comes to regular stomping from above, continuous repairs and other unpleasant sounds.

But low efficiency is not so bad. The problem is that cork materials can insulate against impact noise. That is, they muffle sound only when the insulation is not installed under a suspended ceiling, but on the floor of noisy neighbors above.

In other cases, the effect is achieved only through self-hypnosis and a small air gap between the stretch ceiling and cork sheets. If you have already decided on cork insulation, then it would be correct to combine it with other materials. For example, sheathing with plasterboard. This will increase the chance of finding the desired silence in the house.

The advantages of the material boil down to the fact that it is convenient for installation work. The cork backing is lightweight, easy to cut, and simply attached. The disadvantages of the material, in addition to the fact that it is almost useless in itself, include its fear of moisture and the need to use waterproofing.

Acoustic membranes

Latest generation materials available on the market in the form of thin sheets, plates and strips. The sheets can be record thin – only 3 mm. Maximum – 15. Sheets are laid on the surface of the ceiling (floor, walls) and between materials. They help protect against impact noise. Ideally, the material should also be laid on the floor in the apartment where the noise source is located.

The tapes isolate such ways that extraneous sounds enter the apartment, such as ventilation pipes, drains, cracks, and risers. They are aimed at reducing acoustic and airborne noise. Several companies in Europe and Russia produce membranes. Tecsound, Topsilent, Green glue, Zvukoizol, Schumanet are considered popular.

Each manufacturer has its own secret. Most often, the material consists of several thin layers, has a lot of weight and high density. An acoustic “sandwich” is obtained by combining several layers of foam felt, polyurethane foam or polystyrene. It may also contain components of rubber, eco-fiber, foam glass, stone wool, rubber, foam rubber, plasticizers, mineral and plant components, and reflective materials.

The advantage of the membrane is that it is a roll material of small thickness, which is glued to the ceiling or stretched under it and does not take up much space. This makes it possible to solve the problem with extraneous sounds and not lose precious centimeters in a small room with low ceilings.

Installation of thin roll material is simple and convenient. There is a special glue for it, which is applied like wallpaper. Some types have a self-adhesive backing. The disadvantages of the material are that if there are large differences in the height of the ceiling, it will first need to be leveled. If the rolls are misaligned, they will become less efficient due to gaps in the web.

In addition, the material is heavy. Installation requires at least two pairs of hands. This also means that the base of the ceiling must be well treated and primed to increase adhesion. The price per roll is not the best. European-made membranes cost about 8,000-9,000 rubles. 3 meters per roll.

Other options

There are a lot of alternative options for soundproofing the ceiling. In this case, both specialized and adapted materials are used. Since it is still covered with a decorative suspended ceiling on top, only the quality of the insulation is important, and not its appearance.

Materials used for insulation:

Granular elastic noise plastic. These are small balls of extruded foam with added rubber and an acrylic base. Traditionally used as insulation under a “floating” floor screed, but in compressed form it is convenient to use as a material for a layer between a suspended ceiling and the ceiling of the upper floor.
Acoustic sealant. This is a liquid substance that does not cover the entire area of the problem surface, but rather treats individual areas. These are seams, slab joints, cracks through which extraneous sounds and vibrations enter the room. The product is based on silicone resins and mineral additives. Compatible with any materials.

Panels and substrates, intended for insulation under floor coverings. They give maximum effect if you place them in your neighbors’ apartment above, and then install them under your ceiling. The silence will be almost library-like.
Damper tape. This is a budget alternative to acoustic tapes for treating ventilation shafts, joints and cracks. It costs many times less, and is almost as effective as them. In addition, the main purpose of damper tape in repairs is to prevent cracking of walls, as a rule, after pouring a cement screed. And this is a very large load, which indicates the high density and strength of the tape.

Drywall. Not used by itself. Usually acts as an intermediate component or, on the contrary, covers other materials on both sides. It is usually combined with thin sheet materials or liquid insulation.
Rolled materials based on bitumen. They are petroleum bitumen, cellulose fiber or felt, modifiers. They are mainly used for floor insulation, but are also suitable for ceilings. Due to their small thickness but good efficiency, they are advisable to use in rooms where saving space is important. Can be combined with other materials.

Mastic to absorb vibrations and sounds. It is based on silicones, resins, bitumen, acrylic. Apply in liquid form in several layers.
Spray cellulose insulation. Eco-friendly and effective insulation, but it has several significant disadvantages. This is the high cost of the material and procedure, the need to use special equipment, and difficult dismantling.

Sprayed polyurethane foam. Has the same advantages and disadvantages as cellulose spraying. All materials applied in this way require pre-treatment of the ceiling surface, which will improve adhesion.
Sprayed fiberglass. The most expensive, but also the most effective of the sprayed options. If the financial issue is not urgent, you should give preference to it.

Wood fiber based materials. There can be several types. Plywood is cheap and cheerful, but not very effective, unlike eco-board made from softwood. In difficult situations, when the noise level exceeds 25 dB, ecoplates will not be able to help. Also, they cannot be used in a room with a low ceiling - they will take away 10-14 cm of height. But the slabs have an important advantage: they already have a decorative surface on the front side. There is no need for a suspended ceiling.

Boards with different designs on the outside (imitation of the texture of wood in different colors) are snapped together using the tongue-and-groove principle, like parquet boards. This reduces financial costs for finishing the ceiling and saves time.

The third type is soft fiberboard. They are made from large wood fiber without any additives. The wood is split and then "felled" like wool. It is used as a felt material, but has a large number of positive properties. Among them are antibacterial properties and the ability to disinfect indoor air. However, pine needles can cause allergies.

For allergy sufferers, birch fibers or board materials based on coconut, flax and bamboo are more suitable. Such slabs can be mounted either on their own or under a plasterboard layer.

Eco-slabs made from volcanic raw materials and glue. Particles of volcanic origin that have undergone special treatment (expanded clay, perlite fibers and others) are glued together using the safest glue - PVA. This soundproofing is recommended for use in children's rooms.
Polyester hypoallergenic fibers. Polyester is also used in children's rooms and rooms where people with allergies or asthma live (the material does not accumulate dust).
Multilayer cardboard filled with quartz sand. One “block” of such cardboard weighs about 10-15 kg, which makes it dense, and the density of the material is the key to its effectiveness in combating noise.

Installation technology

Soundproofing a ceiling with your own hands is a completely doable task. But this does not mean that you will not have to face some difficulties.

For example, installation of lightweight porous materials, which is carried out in one hand, requires a flat working surface and preparation. And installation of heavy rolled materials such as acoustic membranes cannot be done alone. Although they have a thickness of 3-15 mm, they weigh about 30 kg. Lifting such a weight with outstretched arms above oneself is not only difficult, but also dangerous.

Another important aspect is that finishing only the ceiling with insulating material is considered partial. An effective system should cover all surfaces of the room's area.

Since sound tends to travel through cracks in walls, ventilation and ceilings, and noisy neighbors may live not only on the floor above, the entire room must be insulated. This is many times more expensive, longer and more difficult than finishing the ceiling, and also affects the useful and visual volume of the room.

But effective sound insulation is often not what is done in your own apartment, but what is located in the same room as the noise source. Only understanding neighbors will agree to lay insulating materials on the floor in their apartment. Even at someone else's expense. All this does not mean that attempts to rid yourself of extraneous noise by soundproofing the ceiling will not work. They are capable of reducing noise by an average of 30 dB.

To understand what result this will give - minus 30 dB of noise - you need to listen to the refrigerator running in the kitchen, and then turn it off for 5-10 minutes. The difference will be felt immediately.

The success of the event depends on two things: the correct choice of insulating material and high-quality installation. The type of house is considered a universal selection criterion. In some cases, the height of the ceiling also plays a role, but here the decision must be made individually - is it worth sacrificing 10 cm of room height or is it better to put up with extraneous sounds.

In a brick house, materials are needed to insulate airborne (acoustic) noise. The structure of brick high-rise buildings is not solid, so the impact sounds fade away as the apartment moves away from the noise source. The brick itself transmits sounds worse. But they have a more common problem with airborne noise. Therefore, it is important to use light-weight but multi-layer structures.

For example, good protection would be sound insulation from plasterboard and cork materials, alternating plasterboard with polyester blocks or wood fiber boards. Drywall with polyurethane foam, mineral wool, and liquid insulation is also suitable.

In a panel and monolithic house, the problem is the same - the spread of impact noise throughout almost the entire house. If the upstairs neighbors start renovations, everyone will know about it. But the lower and upper floors come first. This is explained by the fact that a monolithic house (as is already clear from the name) is a solid structure in which all partitions and walls are of the same thickness. And if the slabs are also hollow inside, this is a double problem.

When choosing a material for sound insulation in a panel and monolithic house, it is important to consider the thickness of the floors. If it is less than 220 cm (and this is often the case, in Khrushchev buildings it is about 120 cm), you first need to eliminate this shortcoming by “increasing” the thickness. Light materials and the creation of “air” layers between the suspended ceiling and the finishing of the ceiling are suitable here. And after eliminating the problems with insufficient thickness of the floors, thin but very dense material should be installed.

The peculiarity of dense material is its heavy weight. Acoustic membranes, cardboard blocks filled with quartz sand, basalt wool, and OSB boards are suitable.

It is important to consider that soft materials predominantly absorb sound, while hard materials reflect it. No single material performs these functions at the same time, so multi-layering is recommended. First, sheathe the ceiling with reflective materials, then install absorbent ones and reinforce it all with an air cushion between the suspended ceiling and the insulation.

From the point of view of installation technology, sound insulation on any surface can be framed or frameless.

Frame

It involves constructing a frame made of steel (less commonly, wood) profiles, on which soundproofing materials are laid. This technology can be afforded by apartment owners with a ceiling height of about 3 meters. Otherwise, the frame structure will “eat up” a lot of the usable area of the room.

Installation is carried out in stages.

Calculation of materials

This is a complex and responsible stage that includes several steps.

Step one is calculating the sound insulation index. It can be determined by the thickness of the partitions and finishing materials. It is better to turn to specialists, since it is easy to make mistakes. For self-measurement, there are the following guidelines: in the daytime, an acceptable (does not mean “non-irritating”) noise level is up to 40 dB, at night – up to 35.

Floors between apartments of 200-220 cm plus floor screed for neighbors above can isolate noise up to 54 dB, provided that they are done conscientiously, in compliance with building codes and regulations.

For comparison, the screams of an adult and the crying of a child are 70-75 dB. No partitions according to SNiP will protect from them. It follows from this that for effective sound insulation it is necessary to “increase” the thickness of the ceiling to at least 60 dB resistance.

For a 220 cm thick floor with a high-quality screed, one layer of cork and plasterboard will be enough for the neighbors above. In a thin-walled panel house you will have to put in more effort.

A simple way to calculate the required protection is to listen to the sounds from the neighboring apartment. The sound of steps is about 30 dB, talking - 45, screaming - 70.

Step two is calculating the absorption coefficient. This procedure is difficult for a non-specialist. It is recommended to select materials with a noise absorption coefficient of 0 to 1.

Step three - calculating the amount of materials. Here we are no longer talking about thickness, but about the total amount of all materials. It is calculated quite simply. It is necessary to measure the width, length and height differences of the ceiling. Multiplying the width by the length gives the total area. Then this figure must be divided by the footage per roll or the size of the slab of slab material in order to calculate how many sheets or how many slabs will be needed for the ceiling. The resulting number is rounded up, plus 10% of the material for stock.

The length of the profile for mounting the frame must take into account the length of one strip and the width of the step. The width of the step through which the planks are mounted should be 30-40 cm plus rubber for spacers in the places where the planks are attached to the ceiling. This is an important point, since metal is an excellent sound conductor. Without rubber gaskets, the frame will only increase the problem of excess noise.

For hydrophobic materials, waterproofing must be provided. This material is also purchased according to the dimensions of the area plus 25% for overlaps and allowances on the wall. To fix it on the wall you need a damper tape.

Preparatory work

They include the selection of tools and materials, processing of the working surface.

Required materials: steel profiles, hammer drill, fasteners, screwdriver, level, tape measure, putty, sealant, sound-absorbing fibrous materials (for cracks), elastic rubber gaskets, metal scissors, sound-absorbing and sound-reflecting material. You will need stepladders or stable tall structures.

Preparing the working surface involves cleaning the ceiling from old lime, paint, and decorative materials. It is also important to make its surface as flat as possible in order to mount the frame without distortions.

Ready-made mixtures are used for leveling. It is important to consider that before leveling, the ceiling must be primed in two layers for better adhesion to the substance, and then allow each layer to dry thoroughly. The leveling layer itself can dry from 1 to 3 weeks. The frame cannot be mounted on a damp ceiling.

Treatment of cracks, risers and joints at the ceiling-wall boundary

Treatment of cracks, risers and joints at the ceiling-wall boundary.

According to building codes, for high-quality sound insulation, there should not be a gap of even a few millimeters between the floor slabs. Otherwise, this creates an unobstructed path for sounds to penetrate between rooms. In fact, this rule is often neglected.

The situation can be corrected by clearing all cracks of debris and dust and filling them with non-hardening sealant. Acrylic will do. Large cracks can be pre-lined with felt or wood fiber materials and then sealed.

With risers the situation is the opposite. When building a house, they are supposed to be isolated from the ceiling with a special nozzle, and the risers themselves are supposed to be isolated from the nozzle with sealant. To save time and budget, the stage with nozzles is skipped at almost any facility. Due to temperature changes inside, riser pipes expand and contract, and gaps and cracks appear between the walls of the pipes and the masonry. This also reduces the effectiveness of sound insulation. Such areas require filling with a non-hardening sealant. The areas treated with sealant must be puttied on top.

Along with sealing cracks, it makes sense to also treat sockets with electrical panels. They are not directly related to the ceiling, but are also sources of noise transmission. It is important to consider two points: the treatment of gaps and cracks around sockets is carried out only after a power outage; the materials must be non-flammable.

Installation of a frame made of profiles

Performed step by step:

Installation of soundproofing material. It has a small thickness and high density, and also levels the surface before installing the profile.
Installation of vibration-isolating suspensions. These are small parts onto which the guide profile is attached. Either a vibration substrate must be provided in the suspension design, or they must be mounted on an elastic rubber pad. Step – from 50 to 90 cm.
Installation of the guide profile. The profile closest to the wall is located a maximum of 15 cm from the wall. The pitch is determined independently - from 50 to 60 cm. Attached to the hangers with screws, 4 pieces per 1 hanger. The guide profile can be increased in length.

Installation of an auxiliary profile. It is laid across the guides. Step – 40-50 cm. The exact distance is selected in accordance with the sheet material, for example, plasterboard.
Filling the profile with sound-absorbing material: wool, slabs, sheets.
Frame installation. Basically, it is made of plasterboard in 1-2 layers. Sheet thickness – 10-12 mm. If two layers of drywall are installed, the joints should not coincide. In order to space the joints, the sheets of the top layer are laid in a different direction. The joints are treated with acrylic-based sealant. They also seal the seam where the drywall and walls come into contact.
If the structure touches the risers, the pipes must be covered with damper tape or similar self-adhesive material.

Installation of decorative covering on the ceiling

When soundproofing without installing a frame made of steel or wood profiles, the materials are attached directly to the ceiling surface. For fastening, dowels and screws, special fasteners with wide heads and elongated legs, and glue are used.

Such sound insulation is used when the ceiling height does not allow subtracting several tens of centimeters from the room, for example, in Khrushchev-era apartment buildings. The second case is the operational condition of the house, which does not allow mounting an overly heavy structure on the ceiling. The third is when materials and technologies were used in the house during construction to protect against noise from the neighboring apartment, but these measures need to be strengthened with additional insulation.

Frameless

Frameless sound insulation is also installed in stages:

The selection and calculation of materials is similar to the calculation for a structure on a frame. If you plan to apply sheets or slabs in two layers, then the amount of materials per ceiling area is doubled. Only plastic dowels are used for fastening panels, since steel ones will conduct sound and reduce the efficiency of the structure.
Surface preparation. Many materials are glued with glue or have a self-adhesive backing, so for frameless sound insulation it is especially important to treat the ceiling surface. But before that, all height differences and unevenness are eliminated. All preparation includes three important steps: cleaning the surface from paint, dust, decorative coating; widening cracks, blowing and filling them with sealant, applying a leveling layer. After the leveling layer has dried, the surface must be primed in two layers.

Installation of material. There are several options here. Can be glued to a self-adhesive backing, glue, or mounted on dowels with a mushroom-shaped cap. It is wide, flat and with perforated holes and holds slab cellular or fibrous material well. The best option is to fasten the products with glue, and for additional insurance, install dowels in increments of 90-100 cm.
Processing of joints. Plates and sheets do not adhere tightly to each other. It is recommended to seal the joints with damper tape or fill them with sealant. You can layer materials in 2-3 layers.

Thoroughly clean plaster, paint and whitewash from the ceiling surface. The better the working surface is prepared, the stronger the frameless insulation will adhere.
If the height of the room allows, choose a suspended frame rather than frameless sound insulation.
The best insulation, especially for the first floor, is not partial (only the ceiling), but complete (walls, windows, doors).
Avoid cheap materials. High-quality sound insulation costs good money. Budget material does not provide maximum effect.

When choosing ready-made acoustic membranes, pay attention to the reviews and reputation of the manufacturer.
Prioritize weight and density over material thickness. 20cm thick foam is less efficient than 4cm thick wood boards.
Combine materials for sound absorption and sound reflection.
Increase the effectiveness of sound insulation by sealing cracks, joints, and treating gaps around sockets, risers, and electrical boxes.

In panel buildings and in a wooden house with thin walls, do-it-yourself sound insulation is a task of paramount importance, along with insulation and installation of new pipes. However, situations are different: sometimes a small area does not allow for full development, sometimes the budget is limited. Let's consider all the options.

To carry out full-scale sound insulation, you need not only money, but also a fairly large amount of internal space. Constructing plasterboard structures filled with wadding materials is certainly one of the best soundproofing options, but the thickness of such a solution can seriously reduce your living space.

In such cases, soundproofing walls can be done using materials. It would seem, how can a thin layer of something prevent the propagation of sound waves? However, modern materials that combine the properties of minerals and polymers make it possible to achieve a significant effect even with a thickness of 3 mm. We are talking about the so-called loaded vinyl, better known as a noise block.

Despite its small thickness, the material is quite heavy - 5 kg per square meter. And as we know, the sound insulation index directly depends on the mass of the layer. Elasticity, resistance to moisture and flexibility are provided by vinyl film, which is produced with the addition of mineral dust - it is this component that provides soundproofing properties.

Loaded vinyl prevents the propagation of sounds with a force of 25 dB. If you double the thickness of the material, the soundproofing effect will increase to 32 dB. However, you should be aware - no material is capable of creating high-quality sound insulation in splendid isolation. This is the nature of sound - when passing through multi-layer structures, it quickly loses strength.

You can attach loaded vinyl to the walls in a variety of ways: with nails, a stapler, or even pushpins. However, it is most reliable to glue the material to the wall. It is best to use a fast-drying glue that can hold a lot of weight.

In addition to the sound block, you can add panels or sheets of cork. This natural material has a unique porous and at the same time very dense structure. In addition to the sound insulation index, cork also has a noise absorption coefficient of up to 0.3 in the range from 0 to 1. Like vinyl, cork by itself will not give the desired effect, but in combination with other material, silence in the room will become possible. It is best if there is at least a small, millimeter layer of air between the vinyl membrane and the cork - it is very important in soundproofing structures.

The life of a large family is certainly filled with a lot of noise of their own making. But there come times when each family member seeks to retire in silence - some for work, some for study, and some just to be alone. In this case, it is necessary to equip the interior soundproofing. You should start with minor work: fill the cracks and cracks, insulate the hole for the socket, do the door trim. Perhaps, after carrying out this work, there will be no need to work on the walls at all - after all, even the thickness of a half-brick partition suppresses sounds up to 45 dB, and this is the volume of a normal conversation.

True, a child’s cry will overcome such an interior wall in no time, so if several generations live in an apartment, it is best to spend money on this repair item. If space allows, comprehensive work on sound insulation and sound absorption should be done on at least one side of the wall- in this case, the next room will also be quiet. If the minimum dimensions of materials are still important to you, in a room where noise often comes from, it is best to place balsa wood panels or cork wallpaper. One of the qualities of a cork is to block sound waves from the source of noise.

A comprehensive solution can be soundproofing the walls, in which ZIPS panels are attached under the wallpaper. ZIPS is a soundproofing panel system, which consists of two-layer sandwich panels with a total thickness of up to 70 mm and a facing layer of 12-13 mm. “Sandwiches” contain basalt fiber inside, which, in combination with rigid gypsum fiber board, makes it possible to dampen sounds up to 20 dB - that is, in combination with the sound insulation index of the partition, almost all household noise. The solution is convenient due to the high speed of panel installation.

Installation begins with preparing the base. Old wallpaper should be removed, pulled out or hammered in all the nails. Then apply sealant to the wall Vibrosil Vibration-isolating tape is glued ( Vibrostack, Texound). A lining made of a double layer of tape must be glued to the ends: under the ceiling, floor, and on the side walls. This is a very important condition for high-quality insulation - the tape prevents the spread of impact and structural noise.

Each ZIPS panel has several (from 4 to 8) vibration units through which the panels should be fastened to the wall. Installation begins from the bottom up - the product is applied to the wall, and holes up to 6 cm deep are drilled through the vibration units, into which plastic dowels are inserted, and screws with a washer are screwed in. Dowels should be driven into the hole as deep as possible. The screw head should be recessed into the surface of the panel by 2 mm. The sandwich panels are joined together using a tongue-and-groove joint and can be additionally fastened with self-tapping screws. If necessary, the panel is trimmed with a jigsaw or a fine-toothed hacksaw, and the wool layer is trimmed with scissors.

The cheapest and most effective way to get rid of noise in a wooden house is to do a set of works to soundproof the floor, ceiling and walls, not to mention small details like pipes, cracks and sockets. Although it is with the small ones that you should start. In particular, sockets in panel houses can be inserted into through holes in the wall, through which you can clearly hear even the normal conversation of your neighbors.

Problematic sockets should be disassembled and mineral wool should be pushed into the hole or a washer cut from the slab according to the diameter of the hole, which is inserted under the socket. For a better effect, the washer should also be puttied. However, sometimes, if the neighbors are very loud, it is better to move the sockets from the wall adjacent to their apartment.

Heating and water supply pipes can serve as an excellent transmitter of sound vibrations if during their installation they did not take care of laying at least a layer of vibration insulation.

This is exactly what happens in most panel houses. Therefore, you will have to fix this error. The best way is to beat the plaster and concrete around the pipe at least a few centimeters deep and fill the space with acoustic sealant. As a quick but less effective solution, simply place a piece of wood wrapped with a layer of vibration insulation under the pipe on the wall side.

A standard soundproofing structure looks like this: plasterboard lathing is placed on the walls and ceiling, the space between the lathing is filled with a layer of 5-10 cm of mineral wool, which is covered with plasterboard sheets. It is important to fasten the sheathing elements strictly through the vibration insulation layer, and leave a small space at the ends so that the sheathing does not adjoin the side walls. This thickness of sound insulation of the walls will block almost all noise.

A floating floor is the fastest and most effective solution for loud neighbors below. The bars are laid on a flat base (through a layer of vibration insulation!), which are not fastened with anything and do not come into contact with the walls at the end. For an additional effect, the bars can be laid on a glass wool mat, but in any case, the space between them is filled with basalt wool. Then GVL sheets are attached to the sheathing in a double layer, and the finishing coating can be laid on top of them.