A comfortable stay in the apartment is not provided exclusively by freshly renovated and comfortable furniture, sound insulation is an important factor. Plastic windows will help protect your home from extraneous sounds from the street, and noise insulation of the floor will help reconcile with loud neighbors.
The types of sounds that enter a city apartment can be divided into certain categories:
- Indoor These are the sounds that our home appliances make (refrigerator, system unit and other devices);
- In-house. They arise when people move inside the apartment, during which various sounds are made, doors creak and slam;
- Intra house. In this type of noise, you can include sounds that come from neighboring apartments, from a stairwell or from an elevator shaft;
- External These are the sounds of cars, the screams of children and the barking of dogs penetrating the dwelling from the street.
By the nature of the propagation of noise, they are distinguished into the following types:
- spreading in airspace;
- transmitted through structural elements of the house (shock, spectral shock and vibrating).
In order to ensure total protection of the home from the penetration of any type of noise, in addition to triple glazed windows, it will be necessary to insulate the walls and floor, but such a solution will significantly reduce the internal volume of the room, so the sound insulation of the floor is considered the best solution. High-quality floor insulation will significantly reduce the spread of sounds that penetrate the room through wall panels and floor slabs.
Types of sound insulation and their characteristics
Soundproof materials are distinguished by structure:
Fibrous materials. They are used to combat vibrating and shock noises, as well as insulation. To ensure reliable sound insulation, it will be necessary to lay carpets with a thickness of at least 50 mm, and it should be remembered that fibrous products have a shortened service life and eventually lose their volume, unevenly sagging.
These products include ecowool, mineral wool and special cardboard impregnated with mineral compounds. The ability to absorb noise is within 1.2 dB per sq.m. When using fibrous materials, the height of the floor should be accurately calculated so that extra centimeters do not affect the comfortable height of the ceiling.
Layered materials. These soundproofing products are made of several materials that are stacked on top of each other, forming a layered “pie”, and the thickness of such material usually does not exceed 20 mm. This technology allows for sound absorption within 1.7 dB per sq.m.
Laminated products are used to insulate concrete screeds. During installation, strict adherence to the instructions is required. Disadvantages: the price is above average, poor resistance to humid environments, and therefore the service life is reduced.
Bulk materials. The use of such materials for floor noise insulation equipment is associated with high time and labor costs. Shungizit or other filler needs to be raised to the floor, tamped after filling, while ensuring sound insulation does not exceed 0.6 dB per sq.m. From the pros: low cost.
Granular materials. Roll materials from 4 mm thick, which are based on large granules, usually made of rubber or cork. Usually, for the equipment of a noise insulation carpet, two layers of this material are required. The lower layer provides protection against vibration, and the upper, with a denser structure, protects against other noise.
Foamy materials. These products are most often used for insulation, since polystyrene and polystyrene work poorly as a soundproofing pad. Used as an insulating cushion when pouring screed with cement-sand mortar.
Modern popular noise isolators
For the organization of sound insulation for floor screed materials of various types are used: sheet, roll, bulk. The most popular modern products that limit sound permeability include the following brands:
Schumanant. Sound-absorbing roll material 3 mm thick. It is a membrane of elastic polystyrene, which is designed to protect the room from shock sounds. Traditionally, this product is used as a substrate for the installation of bulk floors. The technology of overlapping with the obligatory sizing of neighboring paintings with adhesive tape. Ability to reduce the impact of impact noise - up to 30 dB.
Tescound. Insulating roll material up to 3 mm thick. It perfectly resists rotting, mold and mildew formation, is very durable, but at the same time flexible, which allows installation with maximum convenience. Provides good isolation from structural noise. Ability to reduce the impact of structural noise - up to 28 dB.
Shumostop. 20 mm thick sheet material. It is butt-on, in the place of contact with the wall it is necessary to use a special self-adhesive layer. After finishing laying the sound insulation of the floor under the screed, it is required to cover the insulating carpet with vapor barrier with fixing on the walls. Ability to reduce the impact of structural noise - up to 28 dB.
Izover. Roll material from mineral raw materials up to 20 mm thick. Easy to install, it is recommended for soundproofing floors without screeds in country houses. Provides perfect sound absorption. Ability to reduce impact noise - up to 27 dB.
TechnoNIKOL. An innovative bitumen-based material with a foil layer, recommended for use in new buildings and for insulating layer equipment in old prefabricated houses. This production technology allows you to effectively deal with vibration waves and provides reliable protection against sound and heat waves. Ability to reduce impact noise - up to 23 dB.
Which sound insulation is better depends on the specific operating conditions, therefore, before buying, you should study all the options that are present on the construction market.
DIY sound insulation installation
The technology of laying the sound insulation of the floor in the apartment under the screed or under the wooden floors does not cause much difficulty even for beginners. It is enough to watch a video on the Internet, read the forums, carefully study the instructions for using specific material, after which you can easily assemble a soundproof carpet with your own hands.
When planning the use of certain materials, it is necessary to take into account the height of the ceilings in the apartment in order to maintain a comfortable living space with the minimum height of the “pie” made of noise-insulating gaskets and the topcoat itself.
Concrete floor
To organize sound insulation of the floor in the apartment under the screed, you will need to carry out the following operations:
- Initially, it is necessary to carefully remove all debris and dust from the concrete base, eliminate cracks, chips, sag and treat the surface with a primer.
- When sticking the damper tape, it is necessary to beat off the contour at the bottom of the wall. The height of the belt must exceed the planned height of the final screed by 50 mm. The same material is used to isolate risers (pipe wrapping is fixed with tape). Insulation of the wall is necessary to ensure sound insulation from structural types of noise. Recommended materials: Isocom, Tepofol, Izodom. When using certain types of rolled materials for noise insulation of floor screed, it is recommended to use them, bending the edge of the insulation at the point where the floor adjoins the wall to the required height.
- The insulating material is laid on a prepared base. If roll products are used, adjacent layers are overlapped; if sheet products are used, butt. The joints of the rolled materials are glued with tape, if there are gaps between the sheet products, they should be filled with mounting foam or insulation residues.
- To ensure protection of the lower floor from leaks when pouring cement screed, it is necessary to waterproof the floor, for which they lay a reinforced film with a thickness of at least 80 microns, bending the edges at the points of contact of the base with the wall to a height not less than the height of the previously installed damper tape. The cloths are overlapped, the joints of the cloths are sealed with tape.
- When laying a cement mortar on such a base, adhesion is impossible, therefore, to give the necessary strength to the screed, it needs to be reinforced. As reinforcement, a wire mesh is used, which is overlapped and tied together with a steel wire. In addition, it is recommended to add fiberglass to the solution, which helps strengthen the screed.
- To obtain the estimated height of the screed, beacons are arranged, it is important not to damage the waterproofing.
- At the last stage, the screed is filled with cement mortar. When working on the prepared floor surface, special plywood bridges should be used so as not to damage the previous layers.
- When using a dry screed, thinner insulating materials can be used, since shungizit or other similar filler already have noise insulation properties.
- After the screed has dried and polished, it is necessary to remove excess damper tape and film, after which the joint between the floor and the wall should be closed with soundproofing sealant.
- On the prepared screed, you can lay the finish coating.
Wood floor
To ensure sound insulation of the wooden floor, the following steps should be taken:
- When you need to insulate the surface of an existing floor, you will have to disassemble the finish coating to examine the condition of the lag. If problem boards are found, they should be completely replaced; if the logs are in excellent condition, it is recommended that they be treated with antiseptic compounds and evened if necessary. When installing new wooden floors, they also begin by installing a lag.
- As an insulating material for wooden floors, it is recommended to use mineral roll or sheet products. Such material is not subject to decay, does not burn, is not an allergen, moreover, it combines thermal insulation properties, as well as the ability to absorb noise. They put insulation in the gaps between the lags, completely occupying the space, after which the finishing coating is laid (parquet board, floor board, plywood).
- In addition to rolled and sheet mineral materials, ecowool can be used to warm a wooden floor. To fill the gaps between the ecowool lags, use a special device that blows the material, completely filling all the voids.
To equip a soundproofing carpet in wooden floors, it is not recommended to use polystyrene foam or polystyrene foam, as these materials do not allow fumes to pass, which leads to the formation of foci of rotting wood.