How often, being in their own apartment, people are forced to endure loud noises. This is especially unpleasant in the late, or, conversely, too early hours. However, in our time, a simple way has been invented to get rid of extraneous noise that interferes with sleep and household chores. Special soundproof wall panels are easily installed in each apartment, which will help protect the room from annoying noises. They are made from different materials and are selected depending on the specific apartment.
When choosing panels, the nature of the sounds that need to be eliminated is also taken into account. Of course, noise cannot be 100% removed, but you can reduce their level, and they will not interfere with everyday life, sleep and relaxation.
Before we begin to get acquainted with the materials, we will define the concept of "sound insulation".
Soundproofing is a significant reduction and neutralization of sounds and noises penetrating through the walls and ceilings of houses. Soundproofing measures are aimed at reducing the noise level in a particular room.
In what cases do soundproofing panels help?
There are five types of sounds that disturb people in apartment buildings. First, figure out which sounds prevail. So, the following effects are distinguished.
airborne noise
This type is more common than others; residents of almost every apartment building hear it, especially when it comes to a panel building. First of all, this noise comes from neighbors. It includes:
- loud conversations;
- dog's bark;
- working TV;
- sounding music;
- baby crying and more.
Shock
Such noise can also be clearly distinguished in any apartment. It appears due to the direct impact on the structural elements of the house. In this case, vibrations arise that are transmitted along walls, ceilings and floors over long distances. An example of such noise is sounds from renovations, moving furniture, and even from walking.
Structural
Sometimes also found in high-rise buildings. It appears as a result of the fact that rigid communication elements transmit vibrations. Often this effect is fixed in ventilation shafts and pipes. In this case, the rattling is transmitted over long distances.
Acoustic
This type of noise occurs in empty rooms, it is an echo. As a rule, it disappears when the rooms begin to be furnished.
Soundproofing and sound-absorbing materials are selected according to the prevailing type of acoustic pollution in the apartment. Of course, it is not possible to 100% eliminate the noise caused by vibration. With simple airborne noise, the situation is much simpler, it is easy to get rid of it by choosing the right materials.
What you need to know about soundproofing apartments?
There are many offers on the market with very different prices, but how to choose the right sound-absorbing material? It is important that such products have two main properties: soundproofing and sound-absorbing.
Soundproofing means that the material blocks the penetration of extraneous sounds into the room due to their reflection.
Sound absorption - due to its structure, the material absorbs acoustic waves.
For example, the following Ruspenel Comfort product refers specifically to soundproof materials. It consists of extruded polystyrene and fiberboard, on the one hand, the Comfort panel is covered with a polymer-cement composition, which makes it possible to apply any fine finish on it.
To indicate the degree of efficiency of products, a special coefficient RW is used, which is measured in decibels. It shows what level of noise the selected material reflects.Below is a table where this coefficient is indicated for special soundproof panels of various types.
However, recently the production of building materials has taken a big step forward, so now you can safely arrange soundproofing of walls without losing living space. Modern technologies make it possible to create thinner panels, which in terms of properties are not inferior to frame multilayer structures. Previously, the process of installing soundproofing was really complicated. After such processing of the walls, the room was significantly reduced in size.
ZIPS
There are completely ready-made solutions on the market - ZIPS soundproofing systems. They are panels that consist of several materials: dense and light. The hard layer is made of gypsum fiber, the light layer is made of mineral or glass wool. ZIPS has a number of important advantages:
- it does not have a metal frame;
- sandwich panels are easily attached to the walls;
- the material is fireproof;
- the panels are equipped with special locking lamellas, which ensure high-quality joining.
These products vary in thickness. The higher the noise level in the apartment, the thicker the material is taken. They are mounted not only on monolithic walls, but also on plasterboard partitions. The thickness of the ZIPS-Vector panel is 40 mm, the ZIPS-Module is 70 mm, the ZIPS-Cinema is 120 mm.
This material has a drawback - it is heavy. One panel weighs about 20 kg.
How these plates are mounted:
- Before installing ZIPS products, preparatory work is carried out. The bases are completely cleared and leveled.
- Anti-vibration tape ("Vibrostek-M") is used at the joints of the surfaces intersecting with the insulated wall (ceiling, floor, other walls).
- Panels are fastened with dowels through special vibrating units.
- Silicone sealant is used to seal the seams.
- The last component of the system completes the wall cladding - drywall, which is fastened with self-tapping screws 3.9 x 41 mm. Manufacturers recommend using GKLA (acoustic drywall), such as Gyproc AKU-line.
Mineral wool panels
Plates of this type are made from pressed mineral wool. It not only has good soundproofing properties, but also retains heat in the room.
The convenience of such panels lies in the fact that no preparation of the bases is required, that is, there is no need to clean and level them.
A frame is installed on the walls, into the cells of which panels are inserted. Sometimes the product is laid even in 2 layers. When the plates are laid, the entire structure is sheathed with sheets of drywall.
Important! When mounting the frame under any soundproof material, special suspensions with anti-vibration inserts. A dense thin soundproof material is placed under the guides or a soundproof tape is glued.
acoustic panels
Another simple way to get rid of sounds in the apartment is to install acoustic panels. The most famous manufacturer of such materials is Isotex.
The advantages of such products:
- Environmentally friendly - they are made from coniferous wood.
- Providing excellent soundproofing of rooms.
- Easy to install - products are either glued directly to the wall (it must be cleaned and leveled), or mounted using special structures.
Interestingly, Isotex offers panels already lined with decorative material. Some are covered with vinyl wallpaper, there are also options trimmed with linen fabric. The market is represented by a wide range of colors.
Isoplaat boards
Isoplaat slabs are also very popular in the fight against noise in the apartment. They differ:
- democratic price;
- high soundproof properties;
- environmental friendliness of the material (wood fiber);
- providing noise protection and good thermal insulation due to the porous structure.
Panels of this type are installed on the wall in the same way as acoustic panels. They are glued to the prepared surface.
Isoplaat boards have many similarities to acoustic panels, but there is one big difference between them - the thickness. Isoplat products are much thinner, which saves space in the premises.
Panels EcoSoundIzol
These are slabs for sound insulation of the well-known domestic manufacturer "Soundguard". They are made of several types of cardboard: 2 layers are made of flat, others are made of profiled. In total, the product consists of 7 layers. The voids in the panels are filled with quartz sand. This is not the cheapest option, but it has good soundproofing properties. It is important to consider that the weight of the panels is quite large - one element weighs about 10 kg.
The thickness of the panels is different:
- slim - 11 mm;
- standard - 12 mm;
- EcoZvukoIzol - 13 mm;
- Premium - 18 mm.
To glue the plates to the walls, you can use:
- mounting adhesive for plasterboard;
- plastic dowels;
- dowel-nails;
- using wooden bars or metal profiles.
Before installation, the walls must be prepared, cleaned and leveled. After installation, the panels are faced with GKL or GVL using glue or self-tapping screws.
Important! When attaching drywall to self-tapping screws, you need to choose the right length for them - the rod should not touch the base of the wall.
An analogue of these panels from another manufacturer is Phonestar Triplex.
Sound insulation made of polyethylene under the wallpaper
The easiest way to reduce the noise level in the apartment is soundproofing under the wallpaper. In this case, installation of complex structures and other manipulations is not required. There are panels and plates that are glued directly under the wallpaper. They are made of polyethylene or polyethylene foam. Their thickness is about 5 mm, which is very advantageous, because when using them, the dimensions of the room do not decrease.
Recently, sound-absorbing wallpapers have also become popular. There are several varieties of these materials.
Cork wallpaper
This is an unusual way, it allows not only to reduce noise in the room, but also to create an original interior. It is especially worth paying attention to the fact that of all the wallpapers, cork has the highest level of noise absorption. Cork has been proven to reduce the audibility of unwanted noise by up to 70%.
Velor wallpaper
Sound-absorbing wallpaper made of velor has not only good soundproofing properties, but also a pleasant appearance. They consist of several layers:
- The first - paper, is the basis.
- An outer fleecy coating is glued on top of it.
tufting
This is a material based on fabric. According to external characteristics, these wallpapers can be compared with carpet. Tufting helps to significantly reduce the noise in the apartment, and also allows you to keep the heat inside the premises.
Other ways of soundproofing
There are several other popular materials for soundproofing a home:
- Acoustic foam. It is used not only in apartments, but also in places where more serious protection against excessive noise is required, for example, in theaters, recording studios, offices. Acoustic foam eliminates two types of noise: sound vibrations and vibrations.
- Roll soundproofing. Its use is considered one of the fastest and most inexpensive ways to soundproof an apartment. Roll insulation is attached directly to the wall using vinyl wallpaper adhesive. This method allows you to remove almost 60% of extraneous noise in the apartment.
If there is constant noise in the room, then you should take care of the soundproofing of your home. This is really important because loud noises can have a negative impact on people's health.
