These days, a quick search of the internet for “wall soundproofing” will bring up a number of interesting suggestions from companies all over the UK, but can the information and claims of some manufacturers on the web be believed? Are some soundproofing solutions too good to be true?
Any reputable company will welcome questions about their products and systems and be able to provide independent acoustic test data to verify their claims of performance. If you are looking to spend some of your hard earned money on wall soundproofing then you should first satisfy yourself that you are opting for the right product from the right company.
As acousticians we would question the acoustic benefit of soundproofing systems and acoustic foams that can be painted as the physics just simply doesn’t stand up. For effective wall soundproofing you require acoustic isolation, a high mass wall lining, appropriate cavity damping, and a surface that can be easily decorated so that your home doesn’t look like a testing laboratory once the system is installed.
For effective wall soundproofing we would recommend our high performance acoustic board, Maxiboard. Maxiboard is a dense, stiff composite that offers improved acoustic performance when compared with standard gypsum based boards or even the so-called ‘acoustic’ plasterboards. It’s a favourite with specifiers because of the reliability of performance that the product offers and at which it passes the dreaded pre-completion tests that is required for Part E of the building regulations.
At SRS we like to keep things simple, therefore our soundproofing for walls and ceilings specification only contain components that are absolutely necessary and, more importantly, an easy installation means greater reliability. For a typical brick or block work walls we would recommend:
- Firstly, SRS Maxi Resilient Bars are screw fixed to the wall, horizontally, at 600mm centres
- 25mm, 45kg/m3 Maxi Slab is installed between the resilient bars
- Maxiboard is screw fixed to the resilient bard using 3.9x30mm Maxi Screws
- 9.5mm dry-lining board (or 12.5mm plasterboard, if you like) is installed over the Maxiboard ready to be finished and decorated using conventional plastering techniques.
Please see the datasheet for full installation.
Maxiboard allows maximum performance whilst minimising the loss of room space - Typically only 60mm is lost for a brick or masonry wall.
Maxiboard is a versatile product that can be used on walls and ceilings. It can also be used to box-in noisy pipes and services, and can be used to fabricate enclosures for noisy machinery.
If you would like advice on how to improve the sound insulation performance of your separating wall then please call our industry leading technical department on 01204 380074 or get in touch using the details here: Contact SRS. All the advice that we give comes from trained acousticians and is completely free of charge with no obligation.
A demonstration of Maxiboard can be seen below:
