Sound proofing

[wait096]

Hi

I live in a flat conversion (Victorian or Edwardian I think) and we have problems with the noise. In one room we can here upstairs sneeze and they have laminate floors

What can we do (either to our ceiling or their floor or inbetween the two) and what would ball park costs be.

thanks
a sleepy (upstairs have hayfever) Wait096

 

[johnfox]

move

 

[jeds]

There's no magic fix for this. All options are expensive and highly disruptive.

Simplest would be to fix an additional layer of soundcheck plasterboard to the ceiling using resilient acoustic bars. The sound attenuation won't be huge but there will be a difference. You could also do the same but using a proprietary acoustic system. Much more expensive but better result. Both these options are a fair amount of work and disruption and the result will be only partial - in other words you will still be able to hear the neighbours. Just not as clearly as you can now.

Better still you could remove the existing ceiling, add 100mm of acoustic mineral wool between the joists and then re-board with 2 layers of soundcheck on resilient bars. Much more work but much better result.

Both these options depend on the loadbearing capacity of the existing joists. If the joists are at their limit then adding load will make the floors more bouncy and could compromise safety. So this needs to be checked by somebody who knows what they are doing.

Alternatively you could add a secondary ceiling beneath the existing. This would be an independant structure to the existing floor/ceiling fixed onto loadbearing walls. This system gives excellent results but cuts down ceiling height and you of course lose any ceiling features. Covings. ceiling roses etc. It also needs to be properly designed for loadbearing. Not cheap but very effective.

When was the conversion carried out? Anything after April 2006 should have been sound tested under builidng regulations.