Hush: How do I soundproof a wall in my home?

Are you looking to make your room quieter to help solve your noisy neighbour problem or cut the amount of sound that you can hear between the rooms in your home? 

Whatever your reason, the good news is that you can improve soundproofing levels in the walls of your home, as this Hush Acoustics article explains…

Insulating your home against noisy neighbours 

The vast majority of UK homes are ‘connected homes’ which usually means terraced houses, apartments or semi-detached houses. Unfortunately, most are not built to a very good acoustic standard, which means sound will usually travel through ‘party walls’ or separating walls with relative ease.

The key to adding soundproofing or acoustic insulation to the walls that separate us from our neighbours is to add mass. Soundwaves find it more difficult to pass through denser materials, such as acoustic plasterboard, or materials that are likely to disrupt their path like specialist mineral wool insulation such as Hush Slab.

Acoustic wall treatments also work best when separation is achieved because sound also transmits through solid materials in the form of vibration. So, it is often necessary to separate the existing structural wall – i.e. the solid/masonry or timber stud wall – from a new wall lining that will usually be created in wall soundproofing projects. This is usually achieved by using resilient bars and creating stud walls which stand independently of the existing wall, separated by a clear air gap.

If you are on good terms with your neighbours and they are also keen to resolve the noise issues, you are in the best position to make improvements because the wall can be treated on both sides. If not, you will only be able to treat your side of the wall, which will never enable the highest levels of soundproofing to be achieved, but it will still make a noticeable improvement when designed and built correctly.

How much of a difference can be made by soundproofing a party wall?

Building acoustics has come a long way in the last few decades, but while it is not possible to 100% eliminate noise from your neighbours, major improvements are certainly within reach. Remember, however, we all hear things differently and our sensitivity and tolerance to noise varies hugely. So, what one person regards as a significant acoustic improvement may not be the same for someone else. The difference that can be achieved, therefore, is unfortunately impossible to quantify easily.

Generally speaking, however, the level of soundproofing that can be achieved by adding an acoustic lining system to a separating wall will depend on (a) how much you want to spend, and (b) how much room space you are prepared to lose.

The more mass and separation you add, the deeper the wall lining becomes. That encroaches into the room, so if space is already relatively limited, you will need to weigh up how important space is versus reducing noise from next door. This is why Hush Acoustics offers a variety of acoustic wall systems, all fully tested, that can be used in residential properties. 

How do I create an acoustic wall lining?

A bespoke acoustic wall lining for a residential property will generally consist of timber elements, i.e. studs and battens, acoustic insulation, acoustic plasterboard and various ancillary products. It could also include resilient bars, which are metal bars used to decouple the wall structure from the new lining, depending on the approach used. 

Slimmer systems like the HD1041 Hush Wall Lining System use resilient bars and are designed to provide a noticeable improvement with minimal loss of space in the room. At the top end of the performance scale are systems such as the HD1055, which will reduce noise further but make more of an impact on room size.

Of course, if you are only able to treat the wall on your side, a bespoke wall lining can always be developed using similar principles to the Hush Acoustics systems.

Don’t forget about flanking! 

Sound is like air or water in that it will leak through whatever weaknesses it finds in a wall or floor structure. If you spend time and money building a wall lining system using proven sound insulating materials which covers the full width and height of the wall, but you don’t take steps to prevent sound paths around the perimeter or other weak points, you will not get the expected acoustic results.

This type of sound transmission is known as flanking. In an acoustic wall lining, this is minimised by using ancillary products such as Hush Isolation Tape or Hush RD Flanking Strip applied to timber or metal studs. Other products including Hush Acoustic and Intumescent Sealant are also invaluable here in being able to seal any gaps around the acoustic wall or floor.

Find out more  

Hush Acoustics is ideally placed to help homeowners, developers and landlords to improve the acoustic performance of walls, floors and ceilings. The company has been designing and manufacturing acoustic building products and systems for residential properties for more than 30 years, so it can provide a wealth of expertise and experience to help you achieve your sound reduction goals.

Find out more at www.hushacoustics.co.uk. 

Hush Acoustics Ltd
Unit 2, Tinsley Industrial Estate
Shepcote Way
Sheffield
South Yorkshire
S9 1TH

Tel: 0114 551 8685
Fax: 0151 944 1146

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