The level of sound insulation of modern apartments, and especially in new buildings, leaves much to be desired. It is quite possible to correct this situation if desired and on your own. It won't cost too much and won't take long. In this article, we will consider the question of how walls are soundproofed correctly.
Varieties of soundproof materials
The modern market offers the consumer a wide variety of soundproof materials. They can be classified into three main groups.
- Hard. Sound absorption by these materials occurs due to the fact that one of their components is a porous filler (pumice, expanded clay, cork, perlite, etc.).
- Semi-rigid. Made from materials based on polyurethane. This group includes polystyrene, expanded polystyrene, etc.
- Soft. Such sound insulation is made on the basis of mineral wool or fiberglass. Soundproofing the walls of an apartment using this type (along with semi-rigid) is most often performed.
How to choose the right material
There are only two types of noise - air and shock. In the first case, it can be music, loud voices heard behind the wall, etc. Impact noises occur, for example, when a drill or rotary hammer is in operation. Typically, soundproofing walls involves protection from airborne noise, and floors and ceilings - from shock. Do-it-yourself wall soundproofing can be done using:
- Mineral wool. This is a very inexpensive material with excellent performance characteristics. Great for protecting against airborne noise. Its only drawback is considered to be a rather large thickness. Therefore, it is advisable to use it in large areas.
- Cork soundproof material. It perfectly protects against both airborne and impact noise. It can be successfully used to insulate the walls of both large and small apartments.
- ZIPS soundproofing panels. Noise insulation of walls using this material is most effective. The main disadvantage of such panels is their rather significant weight, therefore, the complexity of installation.
Preparatory work
Before proceeding with the installation of soundproofing material, the walls must be carefully prepared. All cracks and possible holes must be found and repaired. You should also make soundproofing socket sockets. Of course, before starting this work, the electricity in the apartment must be turned off (in the panel). Sockets dismantledand taken out of the nest. Holes can be insulated with foam, foam or fiberglass. At the final stage, all the cracks are covered with plaster. It is also necessary to seal the exit points of all pipes in the apartment (water, heating, gas). Next, the walls are thoroughly cleaned of dust and dirt.
Insulation with mineral wool
Mineral wool is the material for soundproofing walls, which we talked about above. Its installation is as follows:
- the metal profile is pasted over with a special polystyrene tape that absorbs noise;
- guides are mounted;
- rack profiles are installed;
- pre-cut mineral wool boards are mounted between them;
- an additional profile with a thickness of 2–3 cm is being installed (it is necessary so that a small ventilation gap remains between the soundproofing plates and drywall);
- plasterboard sheets are installed.
Noise insulation of walls with cork panels
In this case, a special quick-setting adhesive is used. The wall is carefully smeared, after which the element is pressed tightly against it. Installation is carried out with an offset of half a plate. The cork sheets should be laid as tightly as possible. The presence of any gaps between the elements is not allowed. Cork panels are aesthetic in themselves. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform additional fine finishing in this case. The exception is the walls of bathrooms. In this room, the plates should be covered with a special varnish-sealant.
How to soundproof with ZIPS panels
Next, we will analyze in detail the question of how to soundproof walls using sandwich panels. Preliminary, along the perimeter of the wall on the floor, adjacent walls and ceiling, special strips-gaskets are glued, the width of which is equal to the thickness of the sandwich panels. In this case, a special acoustic sealant is used instead of glue.
The plates are mounted on the wall using special dowels. Installation should be done from left to right and bottom to top. The panels of the first row are cut along the short and long sides, and all subsequent panels are cut only along the long side. The element is attached to the wall and holes 6 cm deep are drilled through the vibration-isolating nodes already existing in it. Next, dowels are inserted and hammered into them. All subsequent plates are also mounted (spread of joints - at least 25 cm). The tongue-and-groove joints of the panels are additionally fastened with self-tapping screws (step - 15 cm). At the final stage, the joints of the panels are processed with a grinding float. After that, all seams are filled with sealant.
Wallpapering
Wall soundproofing will be even more effective if vinyl foam wallpaper is used as the final finish. Pasting the walls must begin from the window. Using the level, first draw a vertical line on the wall. It will serve as a guide when pasting the firststripes.
Cloths are smoothed over the surface of the wall with a soft roller with medium-length fur. Air bubbles are removed with a special wallpaper brush. Adhesive that has fallen on the surface of the canvas is removed with a clean cloth. Since foamed wallpaper is not a very durable material, pasting must be done with the utmost care.
As you can see, do-it-yourself soundproofing walls is not a very complicated process. With a little effort, you can make living in an apartment or house much more comfortable. The most important thing is to do everything slowly, lay all the elements as tightly as possible in relation to each other and carefully seal all joints.
