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Soundproofing a Party Wall
If you are planning to soundproof your home by treating the separating party wall and nothing else, it is worth pausing first. Soundproofing a party wall on its own is the single most common mistake we see, and it is why so many people spend good money and still hear their neighbours afterwards.
The party wall is only ever one part of the picture. On a recent three bed semi we pulled up the floor and found the perfect illustration of why, which is exactly the sort of thing Quietco looks for before recommending any system.
What We Found Under the Floorboards
Lifting the floorboards revealed a suspended floor void, and shining a torch into it showed a hole in the structure running the whole way through to next door. Noise had a clear, open route into the house that had nothing to do with the visible surface of the party wall at all.
This is what we call the main cause, and it changes everything. No matter how good a wall system is, no matter how singing and dancing the specification, the noise will keep pouring through until that hole is dealt with. So before any soundproofing goes in, the hole gets bricked up and the main cause is fixed first.
Half the Noise Travels Around the Wall
Even with the main cause sorted, the party wall is still only half the job, quite literally. In masonry and concrete construction, around half of the noise you hear is flanking noise, sound travelling around the separating wall rather than straight through it.
The reason is in the physics. Once noise reaches a certain volume, a cough, a sneeze, a loud television, it stops being purely airborne and enters the structure of the building, passing into the floor joists, the ceiling joists and the walls running off the party wall. Sound then travels through those solid materials far more readily than it does through air, which is why treating one wall surface can never be the whole answer.
Treat Every Path Into the Room
This is why we treat the room as a whole rather than a single wall. On this project we had already treated the flanking extension wall, the wall running perpendicular to the party wall and the ceiling, and the suspended floor void was the last piece, tucked down so noise cannot sneak beneath the wall system.
The details finish the job. Every plug socket, light switch, length of skirting, and the finished floor itself, all have to go back in a way that does not punch a hole through the soundproofing you have just installed. Miss one, and you reopen a path for the noise.
Fill out the contact form to book your FREE noise diagnosis call and find out where the noise is really coming from. Get in touch here.
How We Get It Right
The reason our results hold is that we always work in the same order. We address the main cause first, then the direct noise path of the party wall, then all of the flanking areas, and finally the fixtures and fittings, which is the heart of our four step method.
Treat all four and the room falls quiet and stays quiet. Skip any one of them and the whole thing is undermined, however good the wall system. The best place to start is a proper look at your own noise through a free diagnosis.
Fill out the contact form to book your FREE noise diagnosis call and take the first step towards a peaceful home. Contact us here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is soundproofing a party wall enough on its own?
Usually not. Noise also travels around the wall through the floor, ceiling and connecting walls, and often through a fault in the structure, so treating only the party wall leaves those paths open.
What is the main cause in a soundproofing project?
It is a fault in the building, such as a hole through to next door, that lets so much noise through that no wall system will help until it is fixed first.
What is flanking noise?
It is noise that travels around a separating wall through connected floors, ceilings and side walls rather than straight through it. In masonry construction it can be around half of the total noise you hear.
Why does noise travel through the building so easily?
Once noise reaches a certain volume it enters the structure, and sound passes through solid building materials even more readily than it does through air.
Do fixtures and fittings really matter?
Yes. Sockets, switches, skirting and the finished floor can each reopen a path for noise, so they must all be reinstated in a way that protects the soundproofing.
