Soundproofing a Wall

 

Person installing Silent Cloud™ Rubber Acoustic Wall Panels, emphasizing soundproofing with a cordless drill in a workshop. Dark panel with sound-wave graphics highlights noise reduction and vibration damping features.Noise travels through walls as airborne sound and structural vibration. Effective wall soundproofing must add mass, create separation, and absorb sound:

- **Increase mass**: Heavy, dense materials block airborne noise. Use high‑mass soundproof boards (e.g., SBx boards) or mass‑loaded vinyl membranes to add weight. Doubling a wall’s mass gives roughly a 6 dB improvement in sound reduction【927422641098439†L762-L799】.
- **Decouple the wall**: Build a new stud wall separated from the existing wall using resilient clips or GenieClips. Fill the cavity with acoustic mineral wool to absorb sound. This isolates the new wall, reducing vibration transmission and improving low‑frequency performance.
- **Damp and seal**: Between layers of board, apply damping membranes to dissipate energy. Seal all gaps, edges, sockets and joins to prevent flanking noise. Don’t overlook doors and windows – use solid core doors with seals for best results.
- **Thin‑space options**: Where space is limited, consider direct‑to‑wall systems using a combination of resilient membrane and high‑density boards, but performance will be lower than a fully decoupled wall.

Choose a solution based on your space, budget and performance requirements.