Soundproofing a room within an apartment is usually to block noisy neighbours and can be done with high mass. Soundproofing that uses high mass materials can block noise by reflecting it back to the source.
How much does it cost to soundproof a room in a flat?
It costs in the region of £36 per m2 to soundproof a room in an apartment. This is if you want to soundproof the ceiling, wall and floors. I’ve costed all of this up on our bronze systems. For the very best room soundproofing, it costs £81 per m2 at the time of writing in 2023.
What is the best room soundproofing for flats?
The best soundproofing for rooms in apartments isolates the room. This is the idea of a ‘room within a room’. While this is an exaggeration, we are indeed decoupling the fabric of the building from the new soundproofing materials. This is done quite easily with a MuteClip system.
I explain exactly what a MuteClip is in the video below, but, simply it is a device that attaches to the existing wall and holds new soundproofing panels physically away. This stop vibrations traveling from one material directly into another material with ease and is the best soundproofing for space used.
How to soundproof a flat from noisy neighbours upstairs
To soundproof your apartment room from noisy neighbours above you, you need to decouple the ceiling. This means you reduce the points of contact between the existing ceiling and your new partition so fewer vibrations are able to travel through.
We do this with a MuteClip, and it massively reduces the contact surface area between the existing ceiling and the new soundproofing partition. Really, the best way to reduce impact vibrations from above is by treating that floor, because the vibrations never get into the building in the first place. However, for apartment room soundproofing, this isn’t usually possible!
Why you can hear your noisy neighbours in a flat
Sound can travel in weird ways, but it’s usually down to flanking transmission. Flanking transmission is when noise gets over, under, or around a partition using other means such as pipes, wires, cracks, and holes.
This is why you can hear your neighbours clear as day when there’s a wall between you. Often sound travels well along a metal pipe and can allow conversions to travel between flats. Luckily, there are ways to soundproof pipes and prevent this from happening!
Is cheap room soundproofing good for flats?
Yes! Our cheaper room soundproofing still uses our best technology and materials. The only difference is that we reduce the number of layers in the systems. We still make sure to add mass, decouple and isolate the room which are the three core soundproofing principles.
Many so-called cheap soundproofing solutions for rooms only offer high mass. While high mass can block noise, it does not work very well just by itself. This is why even our bronze systems offer the best soundproofing technology.
| Bronze Wall | Bronze Ceiling | Bronze Floor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| System size | 60mm | 34mm | 10mm |
| System cost | £34 | £52 | £23.58 |
| Sound reduced | 14dB | 11dB | 10dB |
Are flats noisy?
Flats are only noisy if the structure of the building has a low mass, cavity spaces or many flanking paths. Stud walls are a big source of transmission and can mean you hear your neighbours easily. If the stud wall cavities also haven’t got acoustic insulation inside them (which they most likely don’t), then the sound issue gets even worse.
The main issue in flats tends to be from neighbours above you. The impact noise from footsteps can cause thudding, creaking of floorboards and flanking transmission. These issues can be fixed with good soundproofing but it’s best to soundproof at the source of the noise (the floor) instead of the ceiling below if possible.