Do you want to protect your home from noise? Check out our tips for choosing the best soundproofing.

A noisy neighbor, a hallway above your house, resonant rooms... Just like thermal insulation, soundproofing is essential to make you feel comfortable at home. So what is the best soundproofing solution to overcome these annoyances? We will help you make the right choice.

It all depends on how much noise needs to be attenuated!

To find the "best" soundproofing for your home, you must start by identifying the source of the noise, its nature, and the walls through which it reaches you. Once these elements are identified, refer to the respective performance index to select the soundproofing solution that meets your comfort requirements.

For external noise (road, rail, air traffic, etc.) and internal noise (conversations, radio, Hi-Fi, television, etc.), this is the sound reduction index Rw of insulation systems, expressed in decibels (dB). which should be taken into account. It indicates the amount of direct noise stopped by the acoustic solution (excluding transmission through the side walls). The larger Rw, the better the sound insulation between two rooms.

For impact noise (movement of people, furniture, falling objects, etc.), the impact noise performance index (Δ Lw), also expressed in dB, must be taken into account. It characterizes the improvement of the sound insulation of the earth by an insulating system. The higher the value of Δ Lw, the more effective the insulation system placed on the ground.

Finally, acoustic correction must take into account the absorption capacity of the material, expressed by the acoustic absorption coefficient αw. Acoustic correction improves the quality of sound perception (speech, music, etc.) by reducing the sound wave and limiting the reverberation (echo effect). The coefficient αw is the average coefficient weighted over all radio frequencies. It ranges from 0 to 1. If it is 0, the material does not absorb sound waves, so the noise is completely reflected by the wall (total reflection). On the contrary, if it is equal to 1, the material completely absorbs the sound wave (total absorption). In short, the closer αw is to 1, the more the acoustic solution absorbs incoming noise and the better the acoustic correction of the isolated room.

Good to know: these three acoustic characteristics are standardized (European standards), so all materials are compared according to a single rule. They are measured in the laboratory for various building applications (walls, floors, ceilings, etc.). However, in order to choose the best soundproofing material, the difference between the performance of a speaker system measured in a laboratory (certified scientific measurement) and its performance measured after installation (measurement on site) must be taken into account. Indeed, the overall acoustic performance depends both on the construction of the building, the nature of the building materials, the materials of the insulators, and the care that has been taken in the installation of the systems. In principle, therefore, it is always recommended to select a performance at least 5 dB higher than the intended acoustic isolation goal to account for both lateral transmission and site conditions.

Did you know ?

To date, there is a requirement to consider sound insulation only when carrying out major repairs (facade, roof, equipment) in a dwelling located in a noise impact zone, such as defined in the Building and Housing Code. On the other hand, all work carried out in old housing should not lead to deterioration of the existing sound insulation before construction. To find the best soundproofing for your refurbishment, at least follow the acoustic regulations for new homes to select your materials and acoustic solutions, and feel free to aim for superior performance for more comfort.

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