Dealing with noisy neighbours can be extremely stressful as everyone wants to feel happy and content within the confines of their home. It may feel like you’re overreacting sometimes, or that noise is a minor issue in the grand scheme of things, but that is not the case.
Studies have shown that exposure to excessive or unwanted noise can impact negatively on both your mental and physical well-being. From smaller issues such as irritability and fatigue, to more serious issues such as high blood pressure and cognitive impairment, sound has a huge part to play when it comes to your health.
That’s why it will come as no surprise to discover that last year (2021/22) saw nearly 450,000 complaints made to councils in the UK about noisy neighbours, averaging out at one every 70 seconds.
This huge rise in complaints has been influenced by the introduction of working from home and hybrid working during the pandemic, as more and more people find themselves spending a much greater amount of time at home.
And the leading cause of noise complaints? Loud music, which was responsible for 19% of complaints against noisy neighbours.
The Noise Act 1996 specifies that night-time occurs between the hours 11pm and 7am. Excessive noise outside of these hours is classed as anti-social behaviour and will warrant a response from authorities.
However, if you are suffering due to noisy neighbours, there are measures that you can take to massively improve the soundproofing qualities of your walls.
There are two categories of noise that may need combating; airborne noise and impact noise.
Airborne noise refers to sound such as talking, television, music or appliances, and impact noise is structurally borne, such as footsteps, doors slamming or music bass.
The type of noise that you are trying to combat will influence which soundproofing system you need to install as they require different materials. Soundproofing your walls is very effective against airborne noise.
Soundproofing is all about adding mass that has a greater ability to absorb sound energy and vibrations to an existing surface, such as stud and solid walls. Using a combination of materials that possess different soundproofing qualities is the most effective method for soundproofing your house.
Before you begin looking for wall soundproofing solutions, it is important that you check for any gaps or weak spots in the existing structure as this can be the main cause of sound transmission between neighbouring buildings.
Sound will always search for the easiest escape route, so if there is a weak spot the noise will still find its way through despite your new solutions.
We offer a range of soundproofing solutions that will help you to combat airborne noise coming through your walls from neighbouring properties. Solutions offer varying levels of protection, so to help you decide which will work best for you, here is a breakdown of our products and how they combat airborne noise.
Karma AcoustiWall 2 is a 24mm thick system for walls, allowing for superior noise reduction on block, brick or stud walls. This is perfect for combating muffled conversation, and due to its thickness, the AcoustiWall 2 is almost undetectable when mounted on the wall.
The Karma AcoustiWall 2 has an airborne rating of 46 dB, which exceeds Document E Building Regulations. This figure isn’t a measure of the reduction that the product gives, but is the figure that you would get following a soundproofing test.
The product features a layer of fire retardant sound block plasterboard made of mass-loaded vinyl, adhered to a laminated acoustic layer. Sound block plasterboard has a much higher density core than standard plasterboard, meaning that the sound energy gets trapped between the boards as it passes through, resulting in a reduction of airborne noise pollution.
The acoustic layer is a 9mm soundlay that is a high performance barrier mat made up of CMS WB7.5 and a 6mm layer of class 0 acoustic foam. CMS WB7.5 is a weight-enhanced high density, barium sulphate loaded, thermoplastic polymer that traps the sound energy and reduces vibrations.
Class O is the best building regulations designation for materials that protect against the spread of flames, and due to its high density, it also possesses excellent sound absorbing abilities.
Karma AcoustiWall 3 is a 30mm thick system for walls, allowing for superior noise reduction on block, brick or stud walls. The AcoustiWall 3 is slightly thicker making it perfect for blocking out clear conversation.
The Karma AcoustiWall 3 has an airborne rating of 60 dB which exceeds Document E Building Regulations. This figure isn’t a measure of the reduction that the product gives, but is the figure that you would get following a soundproofing test.
The product features a layer of fire retardant sound block plasterboard made of mass-loaded vinyl, adhered to a laminated acoustic layer. Sound block plasterboard has a much higher density core than standard plasterboard, meaning that the sound energy gets trapped between the boards as it passes through, resulting in a reduction of airborne noise pollution.
The acoustic layer is a 15mm soundlay that is a high performance barrier mat made up of CMS WB7.5 and a 6mm layer of class 0 acoustic foam. CMS WB7.5 is a weight-enhanced high density, barium sulphate loaded, thermoplastic polymer that also traps the sound energy and reduces vibrations.
Class 0 is the best building regulations designation for materials that protect against the spread of flames, and due to its high density, it also possesses excellent sound absorbing abilities.
Essentially, the combination of these high mass and high density materials creates a superior barrier that absorbs sound energy, protecting you from any unwanted airborne noise coming from your neighbours.
The IsoMax Clip System has been designed to reduce sound by decoupling layers of plasterboard from their adjoining structures, allowing vibrations to be isolated. This system can help combat excessive talking, music or television noise.
The IsoMax Clip System, made up of the IsoMax Clip and IsoMax Channel act as shock absorbers within structures. This can be either a stud or solid wall. When the sound hits the decoupled layer of plasterboard it will begin to vibrate, however, since the plasterboard is isolated it will absorb most of the vibrations, meaning they are unable to reach the main structure.
The system creates a room within a room, so the gap between the original wall and stud wall absorbs the sound energy. This gap needs to be filled with acoustic materials such as mineral wool.
This system is more advanced than the soundboards, and requires more materials. If this is something that you feel would benefit you, speak to one of our specialists who will navigate you through the materials you need, and best practice.
