Do-it-yourself ceiling soundproofing

Who hasn't suffered from noisy neighborhoods, footsteps, or the friction of chair legs upstairs? All this is poor soundproofing of the ceiling? In terms of refurbishment, there are currently no regulations, or even acoustic diagnostics, requiring a comfort level to be achieved and thus the maximum reduction of decibels in a living space. Also, if you can't insulate your neighbors, here are some acoustic correction principles that can be applied to an existing apartment that is poorly insulated from noise.

Eliminate noise at the source

The best solution is to eliminate the noise at the source, i.e. intervention from above (e.g. a simple carpet with a needle punch or a macsound prof 5-20mm resilient underlay under a floating floor can often be sufficient to solve the problem), but this is not always possible, but sufficient for good noise reduction... Therefore, the solution must be sought at home, providing good soundproofing of the walls, ceiling and getting your acoustic comfort.

Create an acoustic suspended ceiling

We will be placing a false ceiling suspended from a metal frame: most often based on drywall, screwed to a metal frame, fixed with hangers to the existing ceiling. The empty space thus created (chamber) is filled with soundproofing in the form of acoustic panels or macsound slabs with a thickness of 40 mm, located next to the frame and acting as a damper.

However, the impact noise is still audible: the vibration caused by the impact is transmitted to the suspensions and the metal frame, which transmit it to the plasterboard lining. To limit these transmissions, there are anti-vibration hangers on the market. However, we note that the best result is the installation of long-span frames (fixed from wall to wall), which allow you to separate the created false ceiling from the floor above. On long-span frames, acoustic plates are placed in the same way and the plates are screwed onto the frame.

Note: Contrary to popular belief, the improvement in sound insulation does not depend on the density of the mineral wool. The densest mineral wool does not provide the best sound insulation performance: with the same thickness and lower density, the wool will give acoustic performance equivalent to mineral wool. The absence of internal fibres, elasticity, fiber length and homogeneity of mineral wool allow to reduce the resonant frequency of the structure by optimizing the mass-spring-mass effect.

What is the best soundproofing for ceilings?

Sound insulators for ceilings are different. The most suitable are:

• Macsound prof;
• drywall with maximum density.

Macsound prof has the advantage of providing heat and sound insulation. In addition, for better soundproofing, there are gypsum boards with reinforced soundproofing, and installing a false ceiling is good soundproofing in certain cases.

To determine the best soundproofing for your ceiling, there are two key things to consider.

• First of all, the nature of the noise you want to reduce (airborne noise or impact noise).
• As well as the main material from which the ceiling is made (concrete slab or wooden floors).

How to acoustically isolate the ceiling in the apartment?

In an apartment, the sound of footsteps or the voices of upstairs neighbors can be annoying. Consider soundproofing your ceiling! To soundproof the ceiling of an apartment, a false ceiling can be suspended from the existing ceiling with anti-vibration hangers to limit impact sound transmission. The created space is filled with macsound prof absorbing sound.

Another more effective solution: installing a self-supporting suspended ceiling. The fact that it is separated from the existing ceiling (the false ceiling is mounted from the walls) prevents the direct transmission of noise: the sound insulation of the apartment is improved.

And how to provide soundproofing of the ceiling under the wooden floor?

For good soundproofing of the ceiling under a wooden floor, it is necessary to act in two stages:

• First, run the macsound prof between and under the wood beams that make up the floor structure. This material will provide double heat and sound insulation.
• Then, for cladding, it is advisable to use reinforced soundproof sheets. Care must be taken when installing anti-vibration hangers to limit the transmission of impact sound to the ceiling. To optimize the underfloor soundproofing, the cladding can be doubled, always using anti-vibration hangers.

Pay attention to diagnostics!

So, how to properly insulate yourself and deal with noise and, in particular, with impact noise, which is easier to eliminate when designing a structure. In addition, during renovation it is sometimes not enough to isolate the “conducted” wall from noise: noise from above can also be transmitted through the walls (indirect or lateral transmission). Then you need to move on to soundproofing these walls. to get adequate insulation and to minimize the insulation work of your ceiling and also to avoid overlapping your soundproofing. The implementation of the "box in a box" principle ensures the quality of insulation and noise reduction. This principle allows you to use all the odds in your favor to "direct the noise" and "leave" it outside.

Acoustic Suspended Ceilings Acoustic Foam Pyramid Acoustic Panels