Soundproofing Your Floors
Whether it’s noisy neighbours downstairs, the rumble of a tube train underfoot or machines that reverberate in your apartment block – we know that noise pollution in your home can be more than just a nuisance. Luckily, there are soundproofing solutions that have been designed to restore peace and quiet to your home.
Floor Soundproofing
A soundproof floor works by dampening and dissipating the sound waves to minimise their impact on your property, and the volume of the noise complaint.
The soundproofing effect can be achieved by a few different methods:
Acoustic Mats
Fitted either under or on top of your flooring, there are several types of specialised acoustic matting which can be chosen depending on your room type and noise disturbance.
Floor Isolation
A floating floor, in conjunction with premium isolating materials, creates cavities across which sound cannot travel.
Acoustic Sealants
High performance acoustic sealants ensure there are no gaps for the unwanted noise to get through your floor.
How to Choose a Floor Soundproofing Solution
There are a number of factors to consider when choosing the best soundproof system, such as:
- How high can the floor be raised?
- What is the floor surface – carpet, laminate, concrete, etc.?
- What is the nature of your noise complaint?
- Do you know the structure underneath your floor?
Get a Sound Survey
Noisy neighbours are one of the most popular noise complaints in the UK – along with barking dogs and loud music. These types of noise complaints, for the most part, are conducted through the air – entering your property through air gaps in the structure of your building. Even the smallest holes will greatly increase the transmission of airborne noise pollution through your floor, and so to find the best soundproof solution, it is advisable to conduct a sound survey to identify the frequency range of the noise source.
Airborne noise pollution is often due to poor workmanship and insufficient acoustic materials, and so the solution may be to simply plug the gaps. However, airborne noise disturbances can also flank your floor and travel through gaps in the wall – or through any home’s soundproof weak point – the windows.
Solutions:
- Acoustic floor insulation between joists
- Acoustic underlay
- Carpets and laminates
- Acoustic mats
- Acoustic sealants
Structure-Borne Noise
Structure-borne noise disturbances tend to be on the lower end of the frequency range and mostly originate from thumping machines, or the rumble of nearby trains and heavy vehicles. Unlike airborne noise disturbances, these soundwaves enter your property by reverberating through the structure and materials of the building itself.
Untreated floors are the main point of entry for structure-borne noise complaints. In severe situations it may be necessary to install floating floors – and, if appropriate, floating ceilings too – to isolate each room from the rest of the property, thus preventing noise transmission.
Solutions:
- Floating floors
- Floor isolation
- Acoustic insulation & underlay
- Noise dampening boards
If you are considering soundproofing your home, it is important to know that your soundproofing is only ever as effective as your weakest point. When soundproofing the floors of your home, you may also want to consider soundproofing other key areas for a more dramatic result: