Acoustic Plasterboard options
Posted: January 15th, 2018, 12:30 pm
We have a set of recessed shelves in our living room, directly above a similar set in the neighbour's flat below. We can clearly hear their tv when it is on. It's not too bad if we also have our telly on, but if you have people round and are just chatting then it is noticeable.
The back and sides of the shelves are thin, and sound completely hollow when knocked. To try to reduce the noise seepage, I'm proposing to line the shelving unit with something - the more solid the better. A bit of Googling threw up this;
https://www.insulationsuperstore.co.uk/ ... -24mm.html
Looks like it would do the job, but is bulky and I'm not sure how I would go about cutting it. Also expensive, but less of an issue for a small job. And it doesn't have finished edges so there would be extra work to cover those. Easier to get, cheaper and easier to handle would be this;
http://www.wickes.co.uk/Knauf-Sound-Pan ... m/p/224657
(There's also a 15mm option). What I'm not sure about is whether the second option would be good enough? Does anyone have any experience of using it and whether there would be a noticeable reduction in sound getting through?
In order to line the unit I'll need to cut the board into 12 rectangles, from roughly 30x30 cm up to about 70x70 cm. I was planning on using drywall screws to attach it to the existing wooden walls of the shelves, but I am wondering whether using some kind of adhesive might be a better way, possibly even trying to leave a small gap between the wood and the plasterboard. I feel that an air gap would also help prevent noise transfer. The insulation superstore website recommends using this to seal around the edges of the board;
https://www.insulationsuperstore.co.uk/ ... -tube.html
That product describes itself as a 'sealant and adhesive'. Would something like that be good enough to attach the plasterboard to the walls, bearing in mind each piece of board would be sitting on the shelf below it.
So I'm basically asking if anyone has a view on the best product to use, and also the best way to fix it to the existing walls to reduce noise.
Thanks in advance,
StepOne
The back and sides of the shelves are thin, and sound completely hollow when knocked. To try to reduce the noise seepage, I'm proposing to line the shelving unit with something - the more solid the better. A bit of Googling threw up this;
https://www.insulationsuperstore.co.uk/ ... -24mm.html
Looks like it would do the job, but is bulky and I'm not sure how I would go about cutting it. Also expensive, but less of an issue for a small job. And it doesn't have finished edges so there would be extra work to cover those. Easier to get, cheaper and easier to handle would be this;
http://www.wickes.co.uk/Knauf-Sound-Pan ... m/p/224657
(There's also a 15mm option). What I'm not sure about is whether the second option would be good enough? Does anyone have any experience of using it and whether there would be a noticeable reduction in sound getting through?
In order to line the unit I'll need to cut the board into 12 rectangles, from roughly 30x30 cm up to about 70x70 cm. I was planning on using drywall screws to attach it to the existing wooden walls of the shelves, but I am wondering whether using some kind of adhesive might be a better way, possibly even trying to leave a small gap between the wood and the plasterboard. I feel that an air gap would also help prevent noise transfer. The insulation superstore website recommends using this to seal around the edges of the board;
https://www.insulationsuperstore.co.uk/ ... -tube.html
That product describes itself as a 'sealant and adhesive'. Would something like that be good enough to attach the plasterboard to the walls, bearing in mind each piece of board would be sitting on the shelf below it.
So I'm basically asking if anyone has a view on the best product to use, and also the best way to fix it to the existing walls to reduce noise.
Thanks in advance,
StepOne