It is convenient when developers offer to move in apartments in new buildings in a draft version - with bare walls, floors, ceilings. Such a purchase makes it possible to create an apartment of your dreams using any materials, bypassing the stages of disappointment with the quality of the overhaul. Finishing from scratch is cheaper than reworking, and very significant, especially if you do everything yourself. Noise isolation is the most expensive measure when creating comfort in an apartment. You won't need it unless you're born deaf. In other cases, the cost of materials cannot be avoided.
When to install soundproofing?
Sound conductivity in a high-rise building is a tricky thing. You will always be aware of how people from the next apartment live, or you will endlessly conflict with them because of the scales that your young musician is learning. By protecting one wall from neighbors with soundproofing materials, you can hear them through the floor or ceiling. The whole structure of the house is tied into a single system, so soundproofing will have to be installed all around, not forgetting to isolate the nursery from the living room, the kitchen from the bedroom, as well as the bath and even the front doors.
Noise isolation is the second stage in the arrangement of an apartment in a new building after the installation of a toilet bowl and a sink. It can be combined with the insulation of the walls of the room.
Types of sound insulation
Soundproofing of apartments is divided into two types:
- Sound-reflective (material that returns decibels back).
- Sound absorbing.
Soundproofing materials are used both in new buildings and in old apartments. Some of their types are applicable for soundproofing bathrooms, some for entrance or interior doors. Manufacturers offer a wide range of soundproofing materials, there are plenty to choose from.
- Thin dense materials are heavy and can compete with concrete walls in terms of sound-reflecting properties. Their price is quite high.
- Sandwich panels combine sound-absorbing and sound-reflecting materials. Mounted on the frame, thereby reducing the area of the room. They belong to the middle price segment.
- Mineral wool slabs serve as excellent sound insulation from general background sounds, but do not protect against impact noise. They are the most accessible material.
Preliminary work on the soundproofing of the apartment
Soundproofing an apartment begins with the detection and removal of cracks (potential sound leaks). Detected defects are rubbed with putty or sealant. Particular attention should be paid to communication pipes. They are tightly wrapped with soundproofing material, such as polyethylene foam, mineral wool or fiberglass, and the entry point is carefully sealed.
The socket in the wall will serve as a "mouthpiece" from the neighbors if it is not protected. Before installing the socket socket, a sound insulator made of non-combustible material is inserted into it.
Soundproofing the floor in the apartment
The most popular way at the moment floor soundproofing in the apartment - this is the installation of a "floating" floor.
- The base is lined with a sound insulator (basalt slabs, mineral wool).
- Covered with foil.
- Poured cement strainer.
- Finishing materials are laid.
The second option for soundproofing involves installing the floor on lags. The lag is fastened to gaskets made of a material that dampens vibration. The space between them is filled with densely packed sound-absorbing slabs.
There is another option: to use soundproofing materials of the ZIPS-POL system in the apartment. This system is assembled from sandwich panels fitted with elastomer point supports. The method is convenient for quick do-it-yourself installation.
Important! The legislation of the Russian Federation provides for liability for the lack of shockproof (falling objects, steps) floor protection in the apartment.
Soundproofing apartment walls
When installing soundproofing in a small apartment, a choice arises: either sacrifice space, protecting yourself from noise, or listen to a working elevator and voices on the stairs, preserving the territory. The most rational way out in such a situation is to use thin, but effective soundproofing materials. They are expensive, but worth the money.
Materials to partially avoid noise:
- Cork panels laid without gaps.
- Tufted wallpaper with a soundproofing layer.
- Plaster.
If the area of the apartment allows, you can use less expensive materials for soundproofing, such as fiberglass boards, mineral wool, dense foam. They are fastened with a frame or frameless method.
Important! The metal profile is an excellent conductor of sound, therefore, when mounting the frame, the attachment points are isolated from the bearing surface with vibration-insulating materials, and the profile itself is carefully filled with a sound insulator.
Frameless soundproofing methods are less time-consuming and easier to perform. As a result, less time is spent on the installation of the material. In addition to this, there is no possibility of making a mistake when assembling the frame, which will inevitably entail a redesign of the structure.
For instance:
MaxForte SoundPro – rolled composite material of a new generation. Created taking into account theoretical developments in the field of building acoustics. With a thickness of 12 mm, it provides maximum protection against airborne and impact sound. An indispensable material in small apartments. No glue or chemicals included. It also acts as a fire retardant and thermal insulation.
Advantages:
- Completely nonflammable.
- Not afraid of water.
- Phenol and odor free.
- Easy to install.
- Maximum class "A" for sound absorption.
Video on how to install soundproofing without making a frame with MaxForte SoundPro:
Expensive, but high-quality material is liquid sound insulation. To carry out its installation in the apartment with your own hands, you do not need to have special experience. It is applied to the wall surface before fixing the rough finish sheets (drywall, plywood, OSB) or sheet material that will be sheathed surfaces.
Soundproofing the ceiling in a new building
Noise from the upper apartment can be avoided in two ways:
- Due to the soundproofing of your own ceiling.
- By making the neighbors above you a soundproof floor.
For apartment ceiling soundproofing the same materials and technologies are suitable as for walls. At the same time, materials for the floor for the neighbors will cost you about the same amount, but the height of the room will remain pristine.
Door soundproofing
In a new building, entrance doors, as a rule, are installed the cheapest. They freely let sound and cold into the apartment. To solve this problem, it is necessary to eliminate the gaps between the wall and the jamb, as well as the jamb and the door. This will help:
- The outer skin of the door is leatherette or leather with a layer of insulating materials. The fastening of the skin is done with an overlap on the cracks.
- The inner cavity of the door is filled with mineral wool, foam plastic or liquid sound insulation. In this case, rubber gaskets are glued to the jamb, eliminating the gaps between it and the door.
- Installation of a second entrance door. This creates a heat and sound insulating air layer.
So that the sound of the TV does not interfere with the children's sleep, the sound insulation of interior doors in the apartment is carried out in the same way.
Soundproofing windows
Glass itself is an excellent sound insulator. Sounds from the side of the window can only penetrate into the gaps left during the installation of double-glazed windows. They are easy to eliminate with your own hands - just carefully cover with plaster or putty.
For soundproofing, it is necessary to adjust the frames. Check how tightly they fit, you can use a piece of paper. Clamp the leaf in the sash and pull. They pulled it out without effort - the connection is bad, adjustment or replacement of rubber seals is needed.
When installing windows, you must initially use high-quality materials. If the windows themselves do not transmit noise, then the mounting foam on which they are mounted is an excellent conductor of noise, as it is light, solid, and has a closed cell structure.
Therefore, when installing windows or doors, it is necessary to use a special soundproofing foam, which, unlike conventional mounting foam, has properties important for soundproofing:
- High density, to reflect the sound wave;
- Elasticity, to reduce vibration transmission;
- High-quality filling of cavities and cracks to prevent sound from “leaking” into the room.
Foam has these properties. MAXFORTE SoundFLEX.
Compared to conventional construction foams, the use of MAXFORTE SoundFLEX foam adds over 10dB to sound insulation, which is equivalent to a 2 to 3 times reduction in noise feel.
Soundproofing the bathroom
When choosing a material for soundproofing a bathroom, consider the high humidity of the room and its size.
When using hygroscopic soundproofing materials, additional protection against moisture penetration into them will be required. Otherwise, an unpleasant smell will appear in the bathroom over time, which is difficult to get rid of. This method "eats" a lot of space. In the context, it looks like a 3-layer: soundproofing - waterproofing - finishing.
Other ways to soundproof a bathroom are not much more expensive, but much more effective.
- Polymeric membranes up to 4 mm thick are not afraid of moisture, they are easily glued to wall surfaces.
- Soundproof panels. Kraft paper with mineral filler.
- Special plaster with porous fillers. The maximum effective material layer is 25 mm.
If you have a steel bath installed, which greatly increases the noise from pouring water, you can make it soundproof using polyurethane foam or foamed polyethylene. Materials are applied or glued to the bottom of the tub.
Sewer and water pipes are excellent conductors of sound. They are wrapped with soundproof tape or polyethylene foam, avoiding gaps.
To block out the noise of neighboring apartments, basalt fiber slabs are attached to the ceiling and floor of the toilet and bathroom.
Make sure that all parts of the soundproofing fit snugly together. Leave no loopholes for sounds.
Summarizing
We can say that there is a lot of work to improve the sound insulation of walls in a new building. The cost of the event will cost a tidy sum. Do-it-yourself installation of structures will take more time than with the involvement of professionals. But! For many years, you and your children will have a quiet time without being distracted by extraneous noise. And with pleasure invite guests to a party without disturbing the neighbors.
