Sound deadening insulation is a type of insulation specifically designed to absorb sound and reduce noise levels. It can be used in a variety of applications, such as in residential homes, commercial businesses, and industrial settings. Sound deadening insulation is typically made from materials such as foam, rubber, and fiberglass. Each material has its own unique properties and advantages that make it better suited for certain applications. In this article, we will discuss the best insulation for sound deadening and what factors you should consider when selecting the right insulation for your needs. We will also provide a few tips to help you get the most out of your sound deadening insulation.
Constant noise (from 40 dB and above) is a serious strain on the human nervous system, leading to dangerous diseases. Therefore it is important to protect your home from it in advance and reliably. We tell you how to make a good soundproofing in the apartment.
How does soundproofing work?
Noise isolation is a measure aimed at reducing noise and its effects. It works in two ways:
Reflects sounds coming into the room from the outside (soundproofing),
suppresses sounds coming from inside the room (sound absorption).
For exterior walls are usually selected materials that block the vibrations of sound waves and for the interior – the materials that absorb sound vibrations. In modern practice, multilayer constructions including both sound-absorbing and sound-reflecting materials are used for internal noise insulation.
Types of noise
For quality soundproofing, consider the peculiarities of different types of noise. In terms of its origin, it can be:
- External (sources are located outside the building),
- Internal (sources are inside the building).
According to the method of propagation noise is divided into:
- airborne (transmitted through the air: household appliances, music, conversations, animal sounds, transport),
- structural (from the mechanical action forming vibrations of supporting structures: drill, elevator, perforator, compressor),
- impact (from direct contact of an object with an object: falling of heavy objects, jumping, knocking of heels).
To eliminate airborne noise is usually sufficient to carry out partial soundproofing (windows, doors or walls), but to combat the structural and impact types of noise requires comprehensive soundproofing of the entire room.
Factors affecting noise levels
The intensity of the external sound flow in a home can depend on a variety of factors, for example:
- poor condition of doors and windows (loose fit to the base, the presence of gaps, cracks, old paneling),
- defects in the floors,
- poor quality of internal finishing of walls, ceilings and floors,
- finishing materials with poor soundproofing properties (wood, PVC panels).
If you eliminate all of these deficiencies, then the problem with air noise can be solved or significantly reduced.
But the main factor that affects the noise level in the house is the lack of quality soundproofing with special materials.
It helps to cope with different types of noise, reduces heat loss and increases comfort in the house.
Soundproofing materials
According to the degree of rigidity soundproofing materials are:
- soft (felt and mineral wool products with a coefficient of noise absorption of 0.7-0.95, specific weight of 80 kg/m³)
- semi-rigid (fibrous and honeycomb panels with specific weight up to 130 kg/m³, sound absorption coefficient 0,5-0,8)
- solid (boards with granulated mineral wool or vermiculite with specific weight up to 400 kg/m³, the sound absorption coefficient is 0.5).
Products are available in the form of panels, rolls and boards.
Fibrous.
They are composed of wood or synthetic fibers.
+ Popular, affordable and durable. Do not form cracks and gaps, absorb from 95% of noise, do not burn. They are not afraid of temperature changes and rodents.
– Heavy, voluminous (15-20 cm) and take 10-15 cm of space during installation. They absorb moisture and are suitable only for dry rooms.
Layered
Made up of several layers of different materials bonded together.
+ Their dense and rigid structure well absorbs noises of all kinds (up to 23dB). At the same time the entire structure can be thin (from 3 mm), lightweight and flexible.
– Have a short service life and high cost. Are afraid of fire and rodents. A layer of waterproofing is required.
Granular
They consist of rubber cork, elastic granules, rubber additives and acrylic pigment.
+ They are effective (up to 32dB) and durable, do not require waterproofing. Suitable for rooms of irregular shapes, indispensable for large areas.
– High price, may take a long time to dry, require application of 2-3 layers.
Powdery
+ One of the most budget-friendly and effective. Eco-friendly, hypoallergenic, moisture-resistant.
– Low noise level (0.6dB/1mm), long installation time (1-3 days).
Cellular
+ Thin (5 mm), durable (up to 100 years), do not need waterproofing. Eco-friendly, not afraid of fire, water, mold and mildew, high loads, do not decompose.
– Less effective, expensive and quite fragile. Vulnerable to fire, sun and mechanical effects. Poor protection from airborne noises.
Foamed
They are based on polyethylene, polyurethane or polystyrene foam.
+ Dense, non-toxic, excellent sound absorption (up to 95%), do not require waterproofing, neutral to alkalis and acids. They are lightweight, strong and easy to attach, long life.
– Over time, they can darken, afraid of sunlight and mechanical stress, for mounting require dry and heated coating. Forms toxic smoke when melting.
Combined
+ Combine the qualities of different types of materials. Absorb from 28 dB, not afraid of fire, moisture, high temperatures, rodents and insects. Have a long service life.
– Time-consuming installation, often requiring special skills, and high cost. The surface under them it is necessary to align.
Soundproofing in apartments
Before you begin soundproofing measures in the apartment you need to:
To understand the sources and types of noise,
Determine the “problem” areas (walls, floors, ceiling, doors),
Choose noise control materials,
calculate their required amount.
The first thing to pay attention to the elements through which the sounds most often enter the room:
Treat the joints and cracks in the walls with putty or sealant;
Insulate and seal heating pipes and water pipes in places of contact with the walls,
insulate holes for sockets and switches, junction boxes with mineral wool or fiberglass,
Seal cavities with cement mortar,
Remove cracks and defects windows and doors.
Noise isolation of the walls in the apartment
There are two key schemes of noise insulation of the walls:
Frame (insulation material is attached to a metal frame and covered with plasterboard). Less time-consuming, suitable for any surface, but because of the massive construction takes up valuable space.
Frameless (directly on the surface of the wall is mounted absorbent soft material, and on it a solid – reflective). A thin layer of construction practically does not harm the space. But installation is more complicated, and requires a perfectly flat surface.
Regardless of the choice of noise insulation scheme is necessary:
pre-prepare the walls (clean them from dirt and dust, treat the surface with antiseptics),
Ensure complete sealing of joints between insulation materials with special sealants,
take into account the vibration and sound insulation of joints and adjacencies.
For additional noise insulation of walls, you can apply acoustic wallpaper or paint.
Noise insulation of the ceiling in the apartment
It is usually performed before finishing work. In the course are lightweight materials that will not come off because of their own weight. Known ways to make noise insulation ceiling in the apartment:
- decorative foam panels: cheap, simple, but ineffective,
- acoustic stretch ceiling with perforated fabric,
- cork covering,
- suspended or stretch ceiling with noise insulation material.
The latter method is the most popular and reliable, but it can reduce the height of the room by 10-15cm and will require more effort and cost than the other methods. Acoustic material is glued to the cleaned ceiling and additionally fixed with dowels. On it install profiles for the frame, mount soundproofing boards, and finally close the entire construction with plasterboard, putty or paint.
Soundproofing of the floor in the apartment
The easiest and fastest, but ineffective solution to reduce noise through the floor is to lay a thick fluffy carpet. Other, more reliable options include:
- “floating” floor: leveling screed is laid on top of the soundproofing material. As a result, the floor has no rigid connection to the walls and floors, which eliminates noise bridges. Noise reduction index (20-40 dB) depends on the thickness of the material (4-20 mm).
- ZIPS floor: consists of sandwich panels of different thicknesses, acoustic triplex and plywood. They can be laid in one day. Due to the overall thickness of the system (5-11 cm) noise reduction index is quite high (32-38 dB).
- wooden joists: soundproofing material is laid in a frame of joists, covered with boards or particleboard and the final coating is installed. A simple and budget solution, but only suitable for dry rooms and can reduce the height of the room by 10-15 cm.
Soundproofing of doors
Among the simple but costly solutions to combat noise penetrating through the door is to replace the entrance door with a new one with a special soundproofing coating, or install a second door. If these ways do not suit you, soundproof the door leaf. There are three approaches:
- Filling with insulating materials from the inside (sintopon, polystyrene, Styrofoam),
- gluing vibration- and noise-insulators from the outside (vibroplast, polystyrene, bitoplast),
- Using both options.
Recently, the method of upholstery entrance door fiberboard and MDF is gaining popularity. But the hassle with them is more and without professional skills is difficult to do without.