Sound Proofing – Adding Resilience to Walls
To ensure you provide the best sound proofing solution possible, you need to incorporate a layer of resilience to anything you add to a party wall. Fixing acoustic plasterboard direct to the wall will make very little difference to your overall soundproofing reduction and may still lead to sound insulation test failure. There are a number of options for party wall soundproofing solutions, from slim line stick on solutions to the thicker independent stud structures, obviously the latter will provide much better sound insulation values; however, they are usually more difficult to install.
When it comes to a resilient bar solution, many people fix the resilient bars directly to the wall; however, this is not as good as a two-stage resilient clip system, which uses both clips and bars as part of the acoustic solution. Firstly, you install the clip to the wall and thereafter the bars to the clips. This provides a more acoustically robust system whilst still saving on space in comparison to an independent wall lining. This is probably due to the much higher level of resilience that the resilient clip incorporates as part of the system. The vibrations of sound transmission are absorbed much more effectively with rubber than with the direct fixed metal of resilient bars. In effect the mass of the new soundproofing surface that you are adding is much better isolated than is the case with resilient bars. Finally by adding two layers of 15mm soundboard to the resilient bars it should provide a robust solution to both timber and masonry walls.
Getting the soundproofing design right from the word go, is key, and APT Sound Testing can help in all areas of acoustic design and sound insulation testing. For more information on our UKAS accredited sound testing or acoustic design services, please contact us at info@aptsoundtesting.co.uk or call us on 01525 303905.