Soundproofing the floor in an apartment under a screed:

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Soundproofing interfloor ceilings is a problem that almost everyone has encountered. It is quite difficult to effectively protect yourself from the noise of upper neighbors and therefore, it is necessary to carefully understand how and with what to soundproof the ceiling from the neighbors above. There are several ways to solve this problem and the most popular of them will be discussed below.

First stage

Before you begin any insulation work, you need to determine what type of noise disturbance bothers you the most. Sounds entering your apartment from above can have different origins and different solutions are needed to block them. There are three categories of noise:

Shock
Air
Structural

Impact, as the name suggests, is formed by direct impact on the structure of the house - the stomping of children, the clicking of heels on laminate or parquet, as well as the sounds of a working hammer drill and other similar impacts. Airborne represents loud conversations, TV sounds or music turned on. The greatest difficulty is getting rid of structural noise, since it combines all previous sources into one and is transmitted by all structures of the building.

Types of materials and work for soundproofing a room

Depending on the scope of work, soundproofing a room can be comprehensive or partial. But in the field of materials today there is a wide variety that allows you not only to isolate noise from neighbors above, but also to completely isolate the room from noise, and also help your neighbors below to get rid of their noise.

The most common material for work to reduce noise and vibration in a house or apartment is mineral wool board and plasterboard. Despite its relative cheapness, protection made from such materials allows you to insulate the walls and ceiling from above, both from transmitted vibration and from noise.

The fact is that when installing guide rails, the walls are initially covered with a layer of insulating material, such as polyethylene, which can effectively absorb vibration from the wall or ceiling. The structure of the mineral wool board, which can contain up to 95% air in its volume, dissipates sound waves very effectively.

Not only most masters, but even beginners can achieve such isolation.

What you should pay attention to

All materials used in the work must be environmentally friendly and suitable for indoor renovation work. Some craftsmen and construction organizations carrying out work on professional noise insulation of premises use materials based on polymers or organic binders as an underlying layer, which during operation can emit harmful substances. The use of such materials in an apartment building is unacceptable, since over time this can cause damage not only to the health of the apartment owners, but also to their neighbors who share a ventilation system with them.
Materials must be non-flammable and heat-resistant. Particular attention should be paid to this, since the materials can cover the entire internal area of the room, and, in the event of a fire, the fire will instantly spread throughout the room.
The fastening of all elements should not have a rigid adhesion to the surface of the walls and ceiling, since in this case, vibration can be transmitted through fastening elements, such as dowels or self-tapping screws, to the outer surface of the soundproofing coating, reducing its effectiveness. Pressing of materials must be carried out by special suspension elements having a spring-loaded design. Most manufacturers of soundproofing materials produce similar systems.
All joints and cavities must be eliminated. Channel-shaped guide rails must be filled with mineral wool filler in the same way as the entire volume of the structure. The joints must be filled with sealing materials and only after this can decorative finishing be applied.
When performing comprehensive sound insulation in an apartment building, you should not leave gaps between structural elements. For example, between a double-glazed window and a wall, the window slopes should be equipped with the same sound insulation as the walls themselves. This will protect the home not only from sounds from the street, but will also reduce vibration from the outer wall, which has many weak points, such as the window lintel, which has poor soundproofing.

One of the most common innovations in the field of protection from extraneous noise and vibrations in an apartment building is the use of special sandwich panels for interior work. This type of material has many advantages, including ease of operation. After all, after marking and adjusting the dimensions, to attach them you only need to apply special glue to the leveled surfaces of the walls and ceiling.

Glue, unlike dowels and screws, will also not allow extraneous vibrations to be transmitted to the panel. The material is very light, and the outer surface of the panels themselves can have a pattern or be painted, which will reduce the time and cost of repair work.

Materials

To create a barrier to extraneous sounds, you need to choose the right sound insulator. The final result directly depends on what you use to soundproof the ceiling from its upper neighbors. All insulating materials intended for these purposes are divided into two large groups:

Soundproofing
Sound-absorbing

The former do not allow extraneous sounds to penetrate through them and reflect them back. The latter block the penetration of noise into the room, thanks to their damping inside the layer. In most cases, insulation will protect against impact noise, and absorption works effectively against airborne noise.

Video: floor soundproofing, comparison of materials

Sometimes it is difficult for an untrained user to select the right material, so our editors provide the following video:

Video - an original solution to the problem of sound insulation

The presented video shows a very interesting way of performing floor soundproofing using modern material with pronounced anti-vibration properties “Shumoplast”. If it is possible to purchase, it is quite possible to do this work yourself.

When choosing sound insulation for a floor, you need to consider how much sound travels through the floors. The choice of material and its thickness will depend on this. In addition, you need to take into account the height of the ceilings in the apartment - if they are low, then you should choose a thin sound insulator.

What else you need to remember is that if you want to make a room as noiseless as possible, you need to install a sound insulator not only on the floors, but also on the walls, and even on the ceiling.

Video - an example of soundproofing with mineral slabs

A complex approach

It is worth understanding that effective protection cannot be created using only one type of insulation. To obtain the maximum effect, it is necessary to use different insulators, with different properties and, most importantly, density. This approach will solve all problems at once. However, it also has certain disadvantages.

First of all, this is cost - the price of different types of noise protection varies greatly. The use of several varieties at once greatly increases the cost of creating an insulating layer. The second important factor is reducing the height of the room. There are no solutions with a thickness of less than two centimeters - this is the thickness of the structure made from a special membrane and external finishing. However, this design does not at all guarantee complete isolation from extraneous sounds.

Texound

Recently, a new soundproofing material called Texaund appeared on our domestic market.

With a thickness of 3.7 mm, it is considered one of the highest quality sound absorbers. This material is made on a special mineral basis. It is ideal for flooring in a wide variety of living spaces.

Texaund has the following advantages over other soundproofing materials:

It is elastic and flexible, and also stretches well.
Its installation is clear and simple.
Texaund does not react to sudden changes in temperature.
It is not hygroscopic, not susceptible to rotting and mold formation.
It belongs to the category of self-extinguishing and low-flammable materials.
Ideal and easy to install on a variety of surfaces.
Has an unlimited period of use.
The material has a high absorption coefficient of sound waves.

The only drawback of Texound is that it must be used in combination with very thin insulation or other material.

That is, in order to achieve maximum effect, it cannot be laid directly on a concrete slab without a special substrate.

Texound installation

How to make sound insulation? When doing soundproofing, you want to achieve the optimal effect. To achieve this, you should act according to the recommendations and instructions given by the manufacturer of the selected material.

Texaund must be laid on a special prepared base. So, any roll or sheet insulation is perfect for it. It can be thin foamed polyethylene - plasterboard, plastic, polyethylene foam or plywood.

If the ceilings are high, and it is also possible to make a thick layer of noise insulation, then mineral wool can be used for one of the components.

The concrete slab is cleaned with a vacuum cleaner.
Then the base is laid on it. If it is some kind of elastic material, then it is better to secure it with glue.

Polyethylene foam will only raise the floor by 3-5 mm. The best option is still drywall. This is due to the fact that it will make the floors perfectly smooth and will also cover all the flaws in the slab. This will protect the texaund material from damage. In addition, he himself is a good sound insulator.

Polyethylene foam

After the base is completely ready, coat it on top with special glue, wait 15 minutes, and then carefully lay the texaund, extending 12 cm onto the walls.

When all the material has been laid, you need to use hot air or glue to connect the joints between the sheets. The sheets must create a completely airtight coating, otherwise the soundproofing effect will be reduced.

Then the texaund is covered on top with an additional layer of plasterboard or 10 mm plywood. Without decorative covering, the floors in the room will rise by 23 mm.

Almost any floor covering can be laid on drywall - laminate, carpet or linoleum. It will also create good additional sound insulation. If you increase the number of layers and use modern materials with very different densities for them, the sound insulation of the floor in an apartment under a screed will improve significantly.

Solutions

You should not count on a minimal reduction in the height of the premises. Ceilings will become lower by ten to fifteen centimeters at best. These are the standard dimensions of a plasterboard ceiling and it is this that can become the basis for creating an insulating structure. An insulating material is placed in the cavity of the frame, the frame is mounted on special vibration-damping suspensions, and otherwise, such a ceiling will be no different from a standard gypsum plasterboard composition.

In this solution, both the noise-absorbing layer laid inside the structure and the drywall itself act as insulators. A combination of two types of insulators of different densities will be quite effective protection against airborne noise, and special suspensions block the spread of vibrations from the ceiling.

When choosing how to soundproof a ceiling and looking through various solution options, one cannot help but pay attention to membrane insulation. This is a thin rolled material made from a special polymer. Works great against impact noise, while having a thickness of 3 millimeters. However, for high-quality blocking of extraneous sounds, only a membrane will not be enough. It is necessary, as in the previous case, to combine it with other types of insulators.

Specially designed slabs - sound insulators - have become very popular solutions to the problem of acoustic comfort. Schumanet slabs are the most affordable in price and have good characteristics.

They consist of a fibrous material that prevents the passage of sound. The effectiveness of protection against airborne noise of such slabs is very high. If you combine them in one design with a membrane or other sound insulators, the effectiveness of the solution will increase very significantly.

Preparatory work and step-by-step actions

Before installing soundproofing, inspect the walls for cracks, potholes and other defects. Repairing such damage with gypsum plaster can significantly reduce the penetration of sounds into the room.

Let's also consider how to soundproof the floor in an apartment if there are no cracks or putty does not help. In this case, a frame is built on the wall, which is covered with sound insulation and finished with plasterboard. The structure is secured using rubber layers. The sheets are not pressed tightly against the wall - they leave a gap of 4-5 mm, which is subsequently filled with silicone sealant.

Step-by-step instructions for soundproofing the floor in an apartment:

Soundproof the ceiling and walls - sounds pass through these parts of the room, so insulating the floor alone is not enough.
Level the floor, sweep well and wash.
Seal the perimeter of the room with vibration-isolating pads, attaching them to “liquid nails.” The final height of the spacers should not exceed the height of the screed.
Set the beacons according to the level.
Lay sound insulation tightly and cover with polyethylene.
Seal the top with a dry sand-cement screed, proportions 3 to 1.
After filling a few centimeters of the base with the composition, place a reinforcing mesh.
Pour another 2 cm of screed onto the mesh, then lay a layer of waterproofing.
Level the surface along the beacons, then remove them.
Sand the floor.

In this way, they soundproof a bathroom in an apartment; they work with floors made of wood and concrete; however, there are slight differences in the layout of their installation.

How to properly soundproof the floor in an apartment under a sand-cement screed

Work on soundproofing a concrete floor in an apartment by installing a floating sand-cement screed includes the following steps:

Removing sagging and other irregularities from the surface of the interfloor ceiling that can damage the sound-absorbing layer.
Dust removal - use an industrial vacuum cleaner.
Taping the walls around the perimeter of the room with damper tape. The vibration decoupler should protrude slightly above the level of the future finished floor.
Laying a noise-absorbing layer. The slabs of mineral fiber material must be spaced evenly, without gaps, voids or deformations.
Waterproofing is ensured by laying a polyethylene film with a thickness of 0.25 mm or more. The strips of material are laid with an overlap of 200 mm and an overlap of about 100 mm on the walls.
Reinforcement – ensures the strength and long service life of the sand-cement screed. A polymer or metal mesh with a cell size of no more than 150x150 mm is used.
Installation of beacons to ensure the horizontality of the formed floor. The supports for the lighthouses are made from the same sand-cement mixture that is planned to be used when pouring the screed.
Pouring sand-cement mortar with a thickness of at least 40 mm.
Vibration compaction of the poured mixture is necessary to remove air bubbles and ensure uniformity of the mass.
Drying the screed – depending on the technology, can take from 3 to 7 days. At high temperatures and dry weather, the surface should be covered with film or a layer of wet sawdust to avoid drying out too quickly, which could weaken the strength of the structure.
Pouring the self-leveling mixture, evenly distributing it over the surface using a needle roller.
Laying the final floor covering.
Trimming protruding parts of vibration isolation and waterproofing.

How to properly soundproof the floor in an apartment using a prefabricated screed

Soundproofing the floor in an apartment using the dry screed method can be done with your own hands if you have certain practical skills and the necessary tools. Installation of the system using sound-absorbing boards with a density higher than 70 kg/m3 is carried out in the following sequence:

Dust and debris are removed from the surface of the interfloor ceiling.
Several slabs of mineral wool are cut into strips 10 mm thick, which are laid along the walls around the perimeter of the room to provide vibration isolation. The upper edge of the strips should protrude slightly above the level of the future finished floor.
Sound-absorbing material slabs are laid on the interfloor ceiling in such a way that there are no cavities or gaps between them.
The sound-absorbing layer is covered with GVLV sheets or OSB boards in two layers so that the upper ones overlap the joints of the lower level. The layers are fastened with self-tapping screws of such length that they do not pierce the sound-absorbing layer. Instead of GVLV or OSB sheets, you can use KNAUF Superfloor boards. They have protrusions for connection, which are coated with glue during installation. On the side of the walls, the projections are cut off. After laying, the slabs are fastened to each other with self-tapping screws, and the seams are sealed with putty.
Floor decorative covering is being laid.

The protruding parts of the vibration decoupler are cut off with a construction knife

Materials for prefabricated screed

Noise-absorbing layer

How to properly soundproof a floor in the presence of significant unevenness or large differences in floor level

If there are large uneven surfaces on the floor, the best solution would be to use the KNAUF Superpol system. The procedure for installing sound insulation in this case will be as follows:

Vibration decoupling is done around the perimeter of the room using a damper tape or strips of high-density (more than 70 kg/m3) mineral wool.
Beacons are installed on the interfloor ceiling, which determine the level of backfill.
The backfill is carried out with fine-grained expanded clay, which is carefully leveled and compacted until a dense horizontal substrate is obtained.
Beacons are removed.
GVLV are laid in one layer on an expanded clay substrate.
A noise-absorbing layer is formed. Mineral fiber boards are arranged tightly, without deformations or gaps.
Knauf Superpol panels are installed. At the junction points, the protruding elements are coated with glue and additionally fastened with drywall screws. On the side of the walls, the projections are cut off. The seams between the panels are sealed with putty.
A layer of GVLV is laid on KNAUF Superfloor in such a way that the sheets overlap the seams of the lower level. GVLV is attached to KNAUF Superpol panels with self-tapping screws. The seams are sealed with putty.
The finishing decorative flooring is being laid.
The protruding parts of the vibration decoupler are cut off.

Materials

If there are large uneven surfaces on the floor, the best solution would be to use the KNAUF Superpol system. The procedure for installing sound insulation in this case will be as follows:

Floor elements Price Thickness, mm

1. Backfill Knauf 20	200 ₽	20
2. GVLV floor	200 ₽	10
3. Rockwool Florr first layer and side	200 ₽	25
4. Knauf superfloor 20 mm	510 ₽	20
5. GVLV floor	200 ₽	10
6. Consumables with noise (glue, edges, screws, etc.)	250 ₽	0