Soundproofing Bedroom

[spiidey]

I'm going to be soundproofing an upstairs bedroom, involving soundproofing window (secondary glazing), floor, walls, ceiling and door frame, from a variety of sources including http://www.soundstop.co.uk , http://www.soundservice.co.uk and http://www.1st-4-secondary-double-glazing.co.uk.

In order to do so, I need to first of all strip the room practically bare. I've lifted the carpet, the underlay, the carpet grippers and removed the skirting boards.

I'm left with a room as follows:-



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Numbers in red used to identify walls:-

Walls 1 and 4 are internal walls separating another bedroom (wall 1) and a bathroom (wall 4).
Walls 2 and 3 are external walls - wall 2 has a pitched garage roof partly against it and wall 3 faces the garden with nothing either side of it.

The following pictures show what was/is behind the skirting on each of the walls:-



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My questions are as follows:-

1. Am I safe to assume that all 4 walls have been plasterboarded, and I can safely knock them all in to reveal (presumably) stud walls (walls 1 and 4) and the external skin of the house (walls 2 and 3)?

2. Is the skin of the house (behind the plasterboard on walls 2 and 3) breeze block?

3. Is there a different technique to knocking in a plasterboard wall that is studded behind compared with one which is sitting on breezeblock?

4. Why do the floorboards not meet the external skin of the house on walls 2 and 3 (see pictures below)?



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5. Any tips on lifting the floorboards?

6. How do I remove the plasterboard around the window sill on wall 3 (see picture below)?



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Apologies for the long first post, this is a major project for me and I don't want to start anything I'm not confident with.

 

[Deluks]

A few small questions will more likely get a useful response than war and peace. ~

Firstly, what are you soundproofing against? Keeping sound in or keeping it out?

Secondly, assume nothing!

 

[dhutch]

Cant see any of the pictures as wrok blocks them (ditto the links) but the one thing i do know about sound proofing is that you must get a good fit seal the edges to avoid leakage paths. Ie, like so many things, its largly only as good as the weakest part.


Daniel

 

[spiidey]

A few small questions will more likely get a useful response than war and peace. ~

Firstly, what are you soundproofing against? Keeping sound in or keeping it out?

Secondly, assume nothing!

I did think about breaking it up into more manageable chunks but with so many bits being interlinked I thought it best to post the whole thing (although I accept this may put some people off reading/replying).

The soundproofing is to keep noise out of the bedroom - I'm extremely sensitive to noise so it's all external noise such as cars / lawn mowers / strong wind plus any internals such as noisy water/pipe pumps.

 

[spiidey]

Cant see any of the pictures as wrok blocks them (ditto the links) but the one thing i do know about sound proofing is that you must get a good fit seal the edges to avoid leakage paths. Ie, like so many things, its largly only as good as the weakest part.


Daniel

Agree and that was one of the key things I picked up from the soundproofing websites - tight fits at edges sealed with acoustic mastic or sealant.

This is where sealing around the windowsill may give me problems ...

 

[spiidey]

Can I safely knock down the plasterboard facing on each of the 4 walls?

Given that the plasterboard itself does not touch the floorboards on any of the 4 walls at any point (it's either the timber frame behind it that meets the floorboards on walls 1/4 and the floorboards don't appear to touch the outside skin on walls 2/3 other than at the joists), I presume that means they are not load bearing.

What is the best way to knock out the plasterboard stuck onto the external skin on the two outside walls, and what is the best way to knock out the plasterboard (this bedroom side only) on the studded walls?

Also, what is the best way to lift the chipboard (I think) on the floor to allow access to whatever is underneath that may be causing noise (e.g. water/central heating pumps)?

 

[dhutch]

Im not a builder and being at work i cannot see the hosted photos, but from my knowlage and undertanding as a competant DIYer:

Plasterboard is never load bearing, there is no neat way to remove it, carefull aplication of a hammer is the most common method. Punch a hole in it between the studding (hammer can also be used to find these) and then pull it of with the back of the hammer. Be aware there will be a noggin peice horizontally somehwhere in the middle and most importantly that there may be electrical cables and or plumbing in the void.

Assuming it is plasterboard on the external wall rather than cement plaster the removal technique is simular and equally messy, if its got a frame its really very simular, if its dot and dab (stuck with dollops of adheasive) again, hammer to break through and the remove with pry bar etc.

The floor will be more problematic, as the walls are proberbly sitting on it and it will be interlocked sheets. You can cut around the room and take it up in sections but you will then have issues getting it back down again. It might be easier to go in from underneith by removing the plasterboard of the ceiling below, but clearly this make mess in a second room. There will also not be any pumps in the floor void i would expect, although there may be pipes from/to the pumps which may transmit noise and make it sound like there are pumps there.

I work fast but this is not a small job, it to DIY its a weeks work, not a weekends, two weeks or more if progress is slower.


Daniel

 

[noseall]

You can reduce noise, sounds etc but never banish them completely especially the low frequency noise.

Be prepared for a little disappointment.

Absoulute sound proofing is very difficult to achieve.

 

[flameport]

The soundproofing is to keep noise out of the bedroom.

What are you doing with the window - which will be by far the biggest source of outside noise ?

 

[spiidey]

The soundproofing is to keep noise out of the bedroom.

What are you doing with the window - which will be by far the biggest source of outside noise ?

Secondary glazing with 6.4mm laminated glass with 4 inch cavity from existing uPvC double glazed unit, also possibly upgrading existing plastic air vent on existing window with acoustic vent.

 

[Maxsys]

Get some earplugs