advice about sound insulation

[dcraven]

i just bought my first house and am renovating it from roof tile to foundations. i talked to my neighbors and they told me the walls are like paper and you can hear everything....... EVERYTHING through them.

even though i don't turn the TV, PC or radio up loud I would like to enjoy films without the worry of my neighbors being ****ed off with me. so iv started looking at some audio insulation as the walls are back to brick at the moment anyway so now's the time to do it.

can anyone tell me a good option for sound-proofing (or at least reducing the noise considerably) iv been googling my heart out but there are SOOO many different types im at a loss. im on a budget of £200 absolute max. so i cant really afford the massively expensive stuff.

im going to get this if no one can suggest something better at a similar price. http://www.wickes.co.uk/General-Purpose-Insulation-Slab/invt/161197

any help massively appreciated, thanks all

 

[ChrisFrost]

Anything lightweight is going to do stuff-all to stop sound. And to be honest a £200 budget to soundproof the adjoining walls of a semi to produce a significant reduction in sound travel is a totally unrealistic budget.

When soundproofing you are trying to get rid of sound energy by turning it in to heat. You do that in three ways...

1) Mass - Heavy walls absorb the sound energy

2) Motion - Walls that can flex will be better at converting stored energy in to heat

3) Isolation - Stopping the remaining energy from traveling to other parts of the structure


When I'm building cinemas in peoples homes I use all three principles.

The best you can do with the limited amount of cash you have is to double line the walls with overlapping plasterboard. Get your plasterer to quote you for Gyproc Soundbloc or an equivalent high-density plasterboard. The Gyproc stuff comes in two thicknesses - 12.5mm and 15mm. Have him dot-n-dab for the first layer and seal the joints properly then use drylining screws to fix the second layer so that it overlaps the joins one on two. Later when your chippie has finished installing the skirting boards you then need to go round with a low-modulus (very flexible) silicon and seal the joints.

I'll be direct and say that even this very economical way of soundproofing is going to blow through your £200 budget really quickly, so you need to think about either doing only the important areas or getting some more cash together.

 

[dcraven]

there is in fact only one relatively small room that NEEDS the sound proofing on one wall, i do not intend to do the entire adjoining wall.

 

[JohnD]

the slabs you show are fairly dense and heavy, I know nothing but I would have thought that a layer of them between the brick wall and your dry-lining would help

BTW I'm sure that fixing the plasterboard rigidly to the wall will not be as good at preventing sound transmission as if you attach the plasterboard to a frame fixed to floor and ceiling.

remember to include the wall under the floor and above the celing as well as where you can see it. Fill any cracks or poor mortar joints with sand and cement first

 

[Deluks]

As John says, a frame fixed away from the wall and double layer of PB. The acoustic PB isn't a whole lot better than the normal stuff, so for a budget build just use normal 12.5mm.

Leave a 5mm gap all the way round this false wall, and fill the gap with acoustic sealant.

The insulation in wickes could be had cheaper from a builders merchant, 75mm rockwool would be a better product to use.

If you are carpeting in there then laying some hardboard down over the floorboards to close off the gaps, and using a thick underlay will reduce sound passage through the floor void.

 

[dcraven]

youv all been a massive help, thanks all, ill post up how it goes, thanks again, happy new year