Ceiling soundproofing science
Understand what makes the best soundproofing solutions
What does soundproofing sound like?
Turn the volume of the video down to match the noise you’re dealing with for the best results. This video is a digitally recreated noise issue that is then decreased artificially. This is designed to give you a more practical understanding of decibel reduction.
We have a whole selection of dB reduction videos over on our YouTube channel and one for every system we offer.
Bronze ceiling
Silver ceiling
Gold ceiling
What is a MuteClip Isolation Clip?
It’s best to think of the MuteClip as a mini shock absorber reducing the transfer of noise vibrations from your wall to a new isolated frame. The dual-density silicone backing makes contact with your wall and surrounds the metal bushing to isolate the clip. This ensures your new system is decoupled from the existing structure.
Ceiling Soundproofing Materials Explained
Acoustic Plasterboard
Acoustic plasterboard looks the same as regular sheets, however, it has an increased mass.
What is it for?
Reducing airborne vibrations
How does it work?
The higher mass in acoustic plasterboard allows it to reflect airborne soundwaves and insulate a space.
Where is it used?
Acoustic plasterboard can be used on walls and ceilings. It is often used as the structural base to preformed wall panels.
Acoustic Mineral Wool
Mineral wool that has a minimum density of 45kg/m3 is considered acoustic. It is available in different densities and thicknesses and is a fairly rigid material.
What is it for?
Reduce airborne noise
How does it work?
The open structure allows sound vibration to travel through and the micro-friction created between waves and fibres exhausts the sound into other forms of energy, like heat.
Where is it used?
In any open cavities between joist and stud work.
MuteClips
Isolation clips with dual density silicone that support a metal channel, used to support a new wall or ceiling partition.
What is it for?
Airborne noise
How does it work?
Dual density, vibration damping silicone, wraps the screw butt to prevent direct contact between the wall and the metal supporting channel. This isolates vibrations and is the most effective solution for space used.
Where is it used?
Walls and ceilings
Tecsound
Tecsound is a visco-elastic membrane which comes in different weights and with the option for a self-adhesive back.
What is it for?
Reducing airborne and impact
How does it work?
Tecsound has a very mass, for reflecting airborne sound waves. The visco-elastic quality allows the material to flex and absorb impact vibrations.
Where is it used?
Tecsound is a versatile membrane used on walls, floors and ceilings.
Acoustic Sealant
As a general rule, a 2-5mm gap should be left around the perimeter of installed soundproof panels. Into this gap, the acoustic sealant is squeezed.
What is it for?
Flanking transmission
How does it work?
By leaving a gap between materials, vibrations cannot pass from one structure to the next. However, an air gap cannot be left either. Acoustic sealant doesn’t set solid and is the perfect, flexible, material to seal the gap.
Where is it used?
Walls and ceilings
Isolation Strips – Rubber Crumb
Isolation strips can be used on top of wooden joists before the floor is fitted and on stud work to act as a barrier between the wall.
What is it for?
Reducing flanking transmission
How does it work?
Made of the same rubber crumb as underlays, this non-resonant rubber reduces the transference of vibrations between flanking structures.
Where is it used?
Tops of floor joists and outside or stud work.
Understanding the decibel scale
Decibels are how we measure sound but due to the logarithmic nature of the Decibel scale, it isn’t the most intuitive concept to grasp. If you are interested in soundproofing the key thing to take away from this article is that reducing sound by 10dB is a perceived halving of the sound you hear. Lets take a look at some examples….
10 dB reduction
20 dB reduction
30 dB reduction
40 dB reduction
Airborne noise
Sound that uses the medium of air to travel through. Common example include talking, music and TV.
Impact noise
Sound generated by two materials coming into contact, sound vibrations travel through the materials. Common examples are footsteps and washing machines.
Flanking Transmission
Decoupling
A method of soundproofing which reduces points of direct contact between two surfaces or places a vibration resistant material between them. Common examples are isolation clips (MuteClips), secondary stud walls and isolation strips on stud work.
Mass addition
A method soundproofing that uses materials of high mass to reflect airborne noise within a space. This prevents sound escaping a space or entering a space.
Absorption
A method of sound control which uses materials with open structures, such as foams and loose woven fibres, to damp sound. This reduces the reflection of sound waves within a space which would lead to reverberation and the amplification of sound.
How to reduce impact noise
How to reduce airborne noise
How to reduce flanking transmission
Conclusions
Where can I find a soundproofing installer?
You can find a soundproofing installer using our UK wide network. Simply fill in our form and your local soundproofing installer will be in touch.
How to Soundproof an alcove
Alcoves can be soundproofed with the same materials that are used for regular walls. Alcoves should be approached methodically and it is good to plan your install before starting. The back wall should be treated first, with the usual 2-5mm gap around the perimeter of acoustic boards. This ensures that flanking transmission is reduced and resultant gaps can be filled with acoustic sealant.
As the diagram illustrates, the additional walls can be treated in synchrony, ensuring that the correct overlap is created at corners. Once again, the acoustic boards should not make contact at corners and gaps created can be filled with acoustic sealant.
Depending on your available space and the severity of your noise complaint, the full MuteClip double system can be used to great effect. If you have a smaller space, slimline alternatives can be installed instead. To get more advice about which system is best for your room, contact our technical team.
RSJ Soundproofing System
As an RSJ is made from steel, a rigid material, it can conduct sound vibrations through your building. We used a multifaceted approach to treat this issue which inhibits sound traveling along the RSJ and radiating out into your room.
To dampen vibrations traveling along the metal, a layer of self adhesive Tecsound can be used to cover the metal joist. This has impressive vibration dampening qualities thanks to its elastic makeup.
Around this, acoustic mineral wool is packed to reduce reverberation in cavities and isolate the structure from the final layer which is acoustic plasterboard. Acoustic plasterboard has more mass than regular plasterboard and provides resistance to airborne noise.
How to soundproof a pipe
Noise from your plumbing, like downpipes can be easily fixed with one material. Tecsound F55 AL uses three different soundproofing materials in one self-adhesive pipe wrap.
The inner layer of aluminum is self-adhesive and wraps around your problem pipe. The middle layer is a vibration dampening membrane of Tecsound, which is visco-elastic. This reduces the transmission of vibrations along the pipe.
A final layer helps absorb noises that try to radiate out of the pipe. The acoustic felt has an open structure that traps soundwaves and reduces reverberation.
How to soundproof a socket
Sockets are naturally weak areas of walls as the air gap can easily transmit airborne noises like talking and music. To improve the sound resistance of sockets, an acoustic insert can be placed behind the facing. This creates a barrier to airborne noises and improves the overall performance of your wall by reducing flanking transmission.
Our reduction figures in dB denotes the improvement made to the wall, floor or ceiling. Brick walls already have a resistance of around 40dB and most sites show this figure in addition to the improvement figure obtained for the soundproofing system. This is why some sites show systems which achieve a reduction of over 60dB for a wall; it’s the resistance of the existing wall and their system combined, but we only show the figure for the system.
As every wall, floor and ceiling will resist sound differently, and the tested structure may have an especially high resistance to sound to begin with, we prefer to show the improvement figure achieved by a soundproofing system. This makes it easier for you to compare our systems and get a realistic idea of how much noise each soundproofing system will resist.
If you have any questions about data, how to read it or which soundproofing intervention you need, please get in touch with our team who will be happy to help.
dB: Decibel, which is used to measure the level of sound.
dBA: A-weighted decibels, these take into account human sensitivity to different frequencies of sound.
ฮdB: Delta decibels, which represent the change in sound level before and after the soundproofing intervention.
ฮLlin (Delta L-linear): This represents the change in sound levels on a linear scale. For example if the baseline noise level is 60dB and after soundproofing it had reduced to 50dB the ฮLlin would be 10dB.
ฮLw (Delta L-weighted): Arguably more important than the former, this represents the change in dB after soundproofing using the A-weighted scale. This therefor takes into account the human perception of sound reduction by emphasising the frequencies which the human ear is most sensitive to and de-emphasising others. In essence, ฮLw provides a more meaningful measurement of sound reduction.
Resistance to fire for our most popular system materials. Euroclass ‘A-F’ rating is for the ability of the material to catch fire, A1 and A2 rates the material as non-combustible. The ‘s’ rating, (1-3), is for the severity of smoke with s1 being the lowest. Lastly the ‘d’ rating is for droplets, d0 meaning no droplets.
Our most popular materials have the following resistance to fire:
Acoustic Plasterboard: Euroclass A2-s1, d0
60kg/m3 Acoustic Mineral Wool: Euroclass A1
100kg/m3 Acoustic Mineral Wool: Euroclass A1
Tecsound SY50: EN 13501-1:B-s2,d0
Tecsound SY70: EN 13501-1:B-s2,d0
Tecsound SY50 ALU: EN 13501-1:B-s2,d0
