Manufacturers of housing insulation products are constantly improving their products, offering increasingly advanced methods of insulation and increasing acoustic comfort. Sound insulation of a room is always considered separately, since it is distinguished by the mechanics of action and the range of technologies used. Although many materials for soundproofing an apartment are also good heat insulators, they have one significant flaw. It is expressed in insufficient resistance to steam and hydraulic effects, while often a water barrier is a prerequisite for the protection of insulation materials. For this reason, sound insulation at a basic level should be considered as an independent measure to protect housing.
Soundproofing directions of the apartment
For residential premises, materials are used to create a complex insulating barrier, in which partitions, floor coverings, floors, joints, etc. are involved. Some of the building structural elements are initially selected with the expectation of providing noise comfort, however, it is not always necessary to calculate all the acoustic factors in advance perhaps. For this reason, even after the commissioning of the facility, sound insulation of the apartment with your own hands can be performed. Materials for such work are selected from a wide range with an orientation to a specific place of application. For example, for engineering communications use flexible membrane products, and for walls - plasterboard panels, which can also be used to level the surface.
In this case, it is necessary to take into account the difference between structural and directly insulating materials. The border is not always distinguishable, since these qualities can be adjacent to each other. But formally, the section is based on the absorption coefficient of sounds - from 0.2. And the fact that they are more likely to relate to finishing rather than structural products also facilitates the process of installing noise insulation for an apartment with your own hands. What materials have a sufficient noise absorption coefficient? It can be both traditional natural and synthetic coatings. For example, the first group includes fiberglass, mineral wool, mineral slabs, as well as a wide range of composite and plastic products. Natural materials for sound insulation are represented by basalt granules (bulk insulator), perlite, chamotte, fibrous and wood-particle panels.
Classification of insulation by structural characteristics
One way or another, any insulating material should fit into the place of its operation according to technical parameters. In this regard, we can distinguish the following types of materials for noise insulation of an apartment:
- Tiled. These can be panels and blocks of various shapes that hold the geometry and are usually mounted to wall surfaces. Typically, these are products made of polystyrene foam, which are effective in eliminating sound vibrations, but have a significant thickness.
- Roll. Usually laid on the floor on the basis of the substrate and can also act as a damping layer, which is especially valuable when laying wooden slats. The main materials for soundproofing floors in an apartment of this type include mineral wool and synthetic products made of flexible foam. Some roll coatings are provided with a foil lining for protection from the outside.
- Loose. As already mentioned, basalt chips fall into this category, but other natural granules can be used. The complexity of the application of this method of soundproofing is that it requires a special tight and hollow niche. For example, it can be organized during the installation of a partition made of plasterboard panels.
- Foamy. A special type of sound insulator in the form of polyurethane foam, which is sprayed in the target area, hardens and forms a hermetically sealed area with its structure. The optimal method for point noise insulation in joints and holes, but we must keep in mind that this type of foam is unsafe ecologically.
Material for soundproofing walls in an apartment
The basis of the noise barrier, which must be made of a thick puff membrane type construction. Cladding is mounted with rigid connections along the contours or through point anchor fasteners. As a material for soundproofing walls in an apartment, you can use:
- Drywall sheets.
- Wood fiber panels.
- Other sheet materials that allow rigid fixation to the walls.
If space permits (the thickness of the panels reduces the usable area), it makes sense to leave an air buffer zone between the insulation barrier and the wall base of 3-5 cm. Alternatively, you can fill this gap with another insulator like fiberglass mineral wool elastic plates.
The installation of a frame-sheathing partition as part of a room with zoning is also practiced. In this case, a crate of thin wooden battens is mounted, as well as supporting profile frames that strengthen the partition. In such a configuration, it is desirable to use thin material. For sound insulation of the apartment in terms of capital walls made of brick or concrete, it is worthwhile to use a covering on the rel. In this system, the possibilities for internal insulation of the space between the wall and the casing are expanded, and in the construction with indentations more than 5 cm thick, laying of communications is also possible.
Soundproofing ceiling
Another important direction of insulation, the need for which will depend on the noise sources in the apartment on the top floor, and on the ducts passing on this section. The object of application of sound-absorbing material will be the ceiling, although walls can also be used as a mounting base. In this case, it is desirable to use rolled materials for sound insulation. In the apartment, a hinged frame is preliminarily performed, according to which the ceiling decoration will be further implemented. The soundproofing tab, in turn, is made close to the base of the ceiling. You can use the technique of mounting solid panels, but this is an impractical solution, since the height of the ceilings will be reduced even more in addition to the suspended structure. The rolled material will be located between the profiles of the frame and will not affect the height of the structure.
An important condition for the implementation of such an insulator circuit is the need to cover the absorbing material. This must be done due to contact with electrical communications that provide power for lighting. It is possible to use modern refractory materials for noise insulation in an apartment, but in this case, the fibers of the matte coating, for example, will reduce the effectiveness of acoustic resistance over time.
Soundproofing floor
If the floor is also one of the sources of extraneous noise, then the so-called floating coating design is used. Usually it is used when the floor below is a workshop or other room with a high noise level. A dense base of polyurethane foam materials is used. Soundproofing floors in an apartment of this type can be laid at different levels depending on the technical conditions. In particular, one of two common acoustic protection schemes can be applied:
- Laying is performed on top of the structural platform (concrete screed). In essence, a lining is formed under the decorative coating. By the way, if it is planned to lay the laminate in the future, the substrate is also selected based on the requirements for the damping properties of the mounting surface.
- The material is stacked at the lowest structural damage. As materials for soundproofing the floor in the apartment under the screed, use rigid plates on a synthetic basis. For example, dense expanded polystyrene. Theoretically, natural coatings can also be used, but there is a risk of their biological destruction against the formation of mold and fungi. But these risks largely depend on the particular type of isolator.
If there is no possibility of a dense structural barrier, then as an alternative it is worth using a damper tape made of polyethylene. It separates the screed from the walls and the decorative coating, without making significant changes to the floor structure. In the apartment, modern materials for soundproofing like a buffer tape are rolled around the perimeter of the entire site up to the walls. The material should not be interrupted and leave gaps. Mandatory tape should cover the corners between the wall and the floor.
Soundproofing of openings
Sound insulation of windows and doors is worth considering at the stage of designing openings. To achieve a high level of isolation from sound waves in this case will also help tight fitting frames with door frames, which eliminates the formation of cracks, but this is not enough. What materials are required for soundproofing an apartment with your own hands in the openings? At a minimum, it is worthwhile to provide all kinds of rubber seals and fabrics of a special format. This hardware is laid at the junction between the supporting window and door structures with sills, narthexes and walls. In the case of the door frame, it is important to close the keyholes, but for this, fittings are specially selected as part of the lock mechanism.
As for the windows, the noise reduction effect is achieved by increasing the thickness of the glasses, that is, the optimal configuration of the glass unit with fasteners and elastic linings is thought out in advance. By the way, today special models of window systems with noiseproof canvases of glasses are produced, where the possibility of integrating ventilation ducts with silencers of sounds and vibrations is also possible.
If we are talking about old designs, then additional inclusions and overlays will help. This is especially true of wooden frames and doors, which in themselves reduce the level of sound insulation in the apartment. What material can compensate for these shortcomings? In the window frames, you can install triplex glass that does not require updating the supporting frame structure. Although in this case it will not be out of place to update the seals with acoustic properties. The sound-absorbing qualities of wooden doors are enhanced by new upholstery made from soft layers of natural materials like felt.
Sound vibration isolation
Not always in materials for isolation from noise, a vibration factor with a vibration effect is provided, which also causes discomfort and can contribute to the additional propagation of acoustic waves. Not so long ago, specialists from Samara State University developed an innovative method to prevent noise vibration. I must say that to a varying degree it is the vibrational sound effect that many finishing materials reduce, but in this case we are talking about the targeted elimination of this phenomenon.
What materials are required for soundproofing an apartment using this technology? The principle of operation of the proposed method is based on the isolation of sound waves through a multilayer barrier with channels filled with a gas or liquid medium. That is, if in the previous methods more or less traditional forms of coating finish were considered, then this time the network of channels with circulating gases and liquid acts as an active damping coating. Vibration reduction is achieved precisely through the use of a multilayer reflector with adjustable resistance. A key design feature is the pumping of media in the channels provided by the compressor unit. It includes a circulation pump and a regulator that controls the current parameters of the movement of gas or liquid. The intensity of the decrease in the propagation speed of sound waves is also affected by the structure of the tile base in which the channels are located. For its manufacture, polystyrene and its derivatives are used in various output formats.
Material selection options for sound insulation
The selection of soundproofing material should be made based on the nature of the prevailing sound effects. Different sources of sound should be stopped by special materials focused on structural, impact or acoustic noise. But this is not enough to choose the optimal solution for a particular place of operation, therefore, in evaluating the materials for noise insulation of an apartment, it is recommended to take into account the operational properties comprehensively:
- Noise absorption level. The average user can be guided by the European classification of insulation efficiency. If the material is marked BFT, this indicates its high class precisely as a sound absorber.
- Completely eliminate noise effects will help only soundproofing means. They do not soften, namely, they prevent the propagation of sound waves in an isolated zone.
- Belonging to toxic materials. It is advisable to use environmentally friendly modern materials for insulation of the apartment. In ceilings, as well as in the composition of floor and wall structures, for example, the increased content of aragonite is unsafe for humans. It is used to increase the strength of insulators, but during long-term operation in a residential building it also poses a threat to health.
- Flammability of the product. Also not the last property to be taken into account. Like all cladding in an apartment, insulators should at least not support combustion, and even better suppress it.
- Biological security. Until recently, in the choice between natural and synthetic insulators, one could face a dilemma - environmentally friendly, refractory and expensive or biologically protected and cheap material. Today, the separation by these properties is not so obvious, however, the artificial structure still retains primacy as the least attractive environment for the natural development of fungal and mold microorganisms.
Specialized solutions from manufacturers
Industrial manufacturers of insulation materials also do not specifically address the issue of noise protection of urban apartments, offering their own developments with unique sets of operational qualities to solve such problems. At the moment, a list of the best materials for soundproofing an apartment can be represented as follows:
- "Tekhnoelast Acoustic". A line of insulators with a lining design that can be used for different surfaces. The family contains rolled linings to reduce impact noise, as well as integrated soundproofing and waterproofing fabrics based on fiberglass. A feature of this tool is the presence of a metallized film, which provides mechanical protection of the insulator itself and increases the basic protective qualities.
- PhoneStar A multilayer panel of mineral particles that trap sound waves in the full range of frequencies perceived by the human ear. This option is good as a universal solution for the complete isolation of residential premises from outside noise.
- Knauf Superpol. Special floor coverings that are structurally integrated into different concrete screed systems. If you need multifunctional sound insulation in an apartment made of modern materials for leveling and creating a damping effect under a decorative flooring, you should prefer this option.
- Ecover Light. Slabs of lightweight hydrophobized structure based on gabbro-basalt stone wool. Among the operational qualities, in addition to sound absorption, insignificant compressibility and the absence of the shrinkage effect, which many tile insulators sin, are noted. The offer of this brand is advantageous for its versatility. It is suitable for continuous coating, and for spotting small areas without interfering with the design.
- Soundguard Standart. Massive panels that are suitable for capital noise reduction in the walls. The thickness of 12 mm is explained by the presence of quartz filler, which has undergone heat treatment. The result is a highly efficient insulation for a long period of operation.
Conclusion
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