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Still Hearing Neighbours After Soundproofing
You paid to have your alcoves soundproofed, maybe somewhere between £1,500 and £3,000, and yet you are still hearing the neighbours through them. If that is you, you are far from alone. We strip out a failed soundproofing attempt like this about once a week, so we know exactly why it happens.
This particular property is a 1950s semi with a suspended floor, and it shows the single most common reason people are left still hearing neighbours after soundproofing. The good news is that once you understand what got missed, it makes complete sense, and it can be put right.
The Job Stopped at the Floor and Ceiling
Most soundproofing jobs treat only the part of the party wall you can see, the section between the floorboards and the ceiling, usually the alcoves either side of the chimney breast. The installer takes the system up to the ceiling and down to the floorboards, and stops there.
That looks complete, and for a couple of thousand pounds it feels like a proper job. The problem is what happens above the ceiling and below the floor, which is exactly where most of the noise is still getting through.
Your Party Wall Doesn't Stop at the Floor
Here is the thing that catches everyone out. The party wall does not stop at your floorboards, it carries on down through the suspended floor void beneath, and up above your ceiling too. All of that is still the separating party wall, and all of it is still the direct noise path.
Leave those areas untreated and you have left a large, open stretch of party wall doing nothing to stop the sound, so it simply pours up through the floor void and into your room. Your carpet and floorboards offer almost no sound attenuation on their own. As this guide on how sound travels explains, the floor and ceiling connections between rooms often matter as much as the wall you can see.
Often There Are Holes Too
On a 1950s semi with a suspended floor void, there is usually a second nasty surprise waiting. We very often find holes in the structure down there, and on this project, just below the floorboards, we could put an arm straight through to next door.
That is an open route for noise that no amount of work on the alcoves will ever fix. Sealing these holes is the first step in our four step method, because until they are dealt with, nothing installed on the wall above will perform.
Why This Part Gets Skipped
If treating below the floor and above the ceiling is so important, why do so many installers skip it? Because it is the disruptive part. Soundproofing those areas is roughly 80% of the work, and it means lifting the floor and cutting open the ceiling.
For a lot of people, that feels like too much upheaval, so they opt for the tidy alcove job instead and hope for the best. In reality the whole installation is usually about a week, and you can be back in the finished, decorated room within two. That is the honest trade-off, and it is the difference between a real result and a disappointment.
Get It Right the First Time
The most expensive soundproofing is the kind you have to pay for twice. We treat the entire direct noise path, the floor void and the ceiling included, along with the flanking paths and the fixtures, so the job is done once and done properly.
If you have already had an attempt that did not work, or you are determined to get it right first time, we can help. You can read more about how we work and the results we deliver.
Fill out the contact form to book your FREE noise diagnosis call and we will find out where your noise is really getting through. Get in touch here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why am I still hearing neighbours after soundproofing?
Usually because the job only treated the visible wall between the floor and ceiling. The party wall continues below the floorboards and above the ceiling, and if those areas are left untreated, noise keeps coming through.
Is soundproofing the alcoves enough on its own?
Rarely. Treating the alcoves either side of the chimney is only part of the direct noise path, so on its own it often leaves you still hearing the neighbours.
Why do you need to lift the floor and open the ceiling?
Because that is where about 80% of the work is. Tucking the system down into the floor void and up above the ceiling treats the parts of the party wall that a standard alcove job leaves wide open.
Can a failed soundproofing job be fixed?
Yes. We regularly remove underperforming attempts and treat the areas that were missed, so a disappointing result can almost always be turned into a proper one.
