Major upgrades to acoustic insulation levels are vital if homeowners and tenants are to truly experience ‘comfort’ in their domestic environment, matching the transformation of the thermal efficiency of many UK homes.
With only 25% of UK homes being classed as detached, the lives of millions of people living in terraced properties, semi-detached houses and apartments are made a misery because of noisy neighbours. Whilst national statistics for noise complaints are not readily available, in the city of Leeds alone, a Freedom of Information Act request showed that 23,350 noise complaints were made to Leeds City Council in a period of just over two years up to March 2018. If these figures are typical for a large council area, the scale of the problem UK-wide could be huge.
Effective solutions begin with the soundproofing of adjoining walls using Maxiboard Acoustic Boards from Sound Reduction Systems. Maxiboard is a patented composite soundproof board manufactured from cement and gypsum with a polymeric core. The composite building board produced offers excellent sound insulation performance and is a very strong, high impact resistant board, suitable for taking screws and fixings direct.
Designed to be easily and quickly installed within many different types of buildings, Maxiboard is ideal for soundproofing new and existing walls. It is part of a system in which the boards are fixed to Maxi Resilient Bars to create an isolated frame, between which Maxislab insulation panels sit, with the perimeter sealed with SRS Acoustic Sealant. Standard plasterboards can then be attached to the Maxiboards to deliver a routine finish and décor.
Alex Docherty, Director of Sound Reduction Systems says: “Raising the standard of comfort in UK homes requires a dedicated focus on improving acoustic insulation between adjoining properties. Done well, we can mirror the successes achieved through the uplift in thermal standards over the past two decades and make a dramatic improvement to the quality of UK housing.
“The effects of noise on our home life are not talked about often enough, but we know they can have a massive effect on our health, happiness, and ability to be productive at work. With solutions like Maxiboard, with its ability to transform the soundproofing levels of walls, the solutions are available now and we can offer all the technical guidance required to deliver the best result.”
Maxiboard can be used to meet Part E of the Building Regulations or just to improve domestic comfort from noisy neighbours. In addition to the complementary Maxislab high-density mineral fibre cavity infill panels and Maxi Resilient Bars, additional accessories including SRS Acoustic Socket Boxes allow the acoustic integrity of a wall to maintained where sockets and switches are installed.
Find out more about Maxiboard and the full range of domestic soundproofing solutions from Sound Reduction Systems at www.soundreduction.co.uk.
