Soundproofing floor in the apartment

None of the residents loves when noisy people live in the apartment building next door, who often celebrate something, listen to music loudly, or often make repairs. Today there is no such soundproofing of the floor in the apartment, which would completely satisfy the owners. Just get rid of the unpleasant noise does not work, but this is not necessary. But the insulation of the floor in the apartment, made at a high level, will significantly reduce the noise level, which of course will be good for your health. This can be achieved by various methods.

Sound insulation properties of flooring

To reduce floor permeability for noise, use the following floor coverings:

• thick carpet and carpet;
• cork coating;
• linoleum with a thick base;
• laminated lined with noise absorbing properties;
• polyurethane foam.

Such "soft floors" as linoleum and carpet well reduce the conductivity of sound. Linoleum should be based on foam or felt. Such coatings are easy to install, but despite this, they have a significant drawback. Carpet, for example, is not suitable for all rooms, as well as some varieties of linoleum. Some materials are afraid of moisture and do not fit in areas in which humidity is high, or there is a high probability of water getting on them.

Note! In the bathroom and in the kitchen noise insulation is better to arrange with a floating floor or sound insulation pads.

Laminate is effective as noise absorbing material only in combination with a cork substrate with a thickness of 2 mm. Soft fiberboard also has sound insulation characteristics. This plate is made of coniferous wood with a thickness of 5 mm.

For soundproofing the floor there are certain materials noise insulation.

• Glass wool is fireproof, vibration-proof, durable and elastic material. It weighs little, does not cause metal corrosion. In the sound-absorbing design occupies an intermediate place. Noise is absorbed by interfiber voids.
• Mineral wool reduces the sound of impact by 12 dB. The absorption process takes place with the help of fibers, which are arranged in different directions.
• Polyethylene foam is used to create floating floors. 
• Substrate probkorezinovaya enclosed under parquet, linoleum and other floor coverings. It is fireproof material, needs protection from moisture.
• Extruded polystyrene foam is a durable coating that can last up to 50 years.

Noise isolation floating cement screed

At the initial stage of work on the device in the apartment soundproofing of the floor you need to get rid of the old screed - dismantling should be carried out up to the floor slabs. After this, the new coupler is poured, but it uses a different principle of the device - it will be floating. With this method, the base of the screed will be separated from the walls and floor slabs of the room. First, the overlapping plates are covered with thick cellophane film. This precautionary step will relieve the troubles that may arise when constructing a new screed - water from a solution without a protective film will penetrate through the ceiling to the neighbors below. This work should be taken seriously, especially since cellophane film is cheap.

Then comes the turn of the sheets of foam, which will play the role of sound insulating material. It is laid directly on the film. Since the foam will carry the main sound-absorbing function, you need to choose it thoroughly.

• Of great importance is the density of the material. If the foam sheets are soft, there is a real risk of cracking in the future. The density of the foam should be maximum. Instead, the material can be purchased polystyrene foam, whose density is much higher.
• No less significant thickness of foam plates. Just it will determine the degree of sound absorption and sound insulation. If the foam keeps within, then its optimum thickness should be within 5 cm. If the choice is behind polystyrene foam, then a thickness of this material of 3 cm will be sufficient.

After it comes the turn of the walls. In the hardware store, purchase polystyrene tape, which will be needed for the next phase of work. Instead, you can still use a laminate substrate, which, however, will have to cut into strips with your own hands. In both cases, the acquired material must be laid out thinly against the walls around the perimeter of the room.

The next job is to strengthen the future screed. In order to move around the room does not crack the screed, you need to take the necessary measures. These will be the reinforcement of the surface with a grid of metal, the cells of which will be 10 × 10 cm or 5 × 5 cm. The thickness of the wire from which the material is made must be equal to 3 mm. Acquired mesh is laid on a layer of foam or polystyrene plates.

At the final stage, lighthouses are established, orienting to which, an ordinary tie should be poured in compliance with certain rules.

• Lighthouses on the foam will be difficult to fix. Some factors will prevent this. The properties of the foam do not allow the cement solution to stick to it. In addition, the floor slab is often laid unevenly, so the foam sheets are not always in a static position, which does not allow the beacons to be constantly in the same plane. These difficulties can be overcome by cutting holes under the beacons or applying modern fixtures that can be adjusted. The second option is more practical, since when it is used, contact with the overlap is small, which has a positive effect on the final noise insulation characteristics.

Note! The thickness of the screed should be more than 5 cm. At a lower value, the cured solution is likely to crack.

• For sound insulation to be of high quality, special attention should be paid to the process that accompanies the drying of the screed. As long as the construction “breathes”, it cannot be disturbed until it is completely set. Until the screed completely acquires a light gray color, it is forbidden to step on it. Whatever the density of foam or polystyrene foam, it can still crack under the pressure of a person’s weight. When the screed gains its performance, the noise insulation material will not be threatened.

As you can see the work is simple, but to a certain extent time-consuming. Therefore, to simplify the work it would be nice to have a concrete mixer.

How to soundproof wooden floor?

Tearing wooden flooring under noise insulation can be different. Of course, if it is overdue, the dismantling should be done carefully, but if replaced, it is possible not to stand on ceremony. After dismantling the wooden floor need to inspect the logs. If the state of the boards is normal, they need to be left, but since they probably lost some of their properties over time, you will have to work on the lags.

• The first thing you need to process boards impregnated with antiseptic properties.
• Then comes the turn of the reinstall, followed by fixation. It is carried out using U-shaped brackets. The same parts are used when installing plasterboard. Using slats, the logs are leveled in a horizontal plane, after which they are fixed to the floor with brackets. Operations are carried out similarly to the installation of a metal profile for drywall. Before fastening the bracket to the lag, the latter is pressed with special force to the overlap.

After installing the lag, insulation of wooden floor implies repairing the existing space between the boards with mineral-based insulation. Cheap foam, unfortunately, in this case does not fit. Although he has the best sound insulation, he has one drawback - it is vapor tightness, which does not allow the underground to be aired. As a result, the boards begin to rot quickly, and the wooden floor will soon become unusable.

At the end of the work on sound insulation of wood flooring is arranged. Placed boards that are pressed between each other, and screwed with screws to the logs. If desired, boards can be replaced with OSB plates, which are installed quickly and reliably. They are stacked on each other in opposite directions. If you use sheets with a thickness of 1.2 cm, the overall double layer will have a thickness of 2.4 cm. Such a floor design has not only good sound insulation, it is able to withstand considerable loads.

Video

This video shows how to make sound insulation of the floor using modern construction materials Rockwool:

This video will tell about floor insulation using floating screed: