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Thread: Soundproofing a party wall - anybody done it?

  1. #1

    Soundproofing a party wall - anybody done it?

    I’ve had my house 20 years
    The neighbours during this time have always had a tv hanging in the wall

    Prob is lounges are wall to wall
    Now the front bedroom clearly has had a new edition as constantly woken by huge bass from video games coming from a tv

    I’ve read you can buy mdf soundproofing panels that can be drilled to the wall
    I think they have rubber material etc sandwiched

    I’m at that point - I’ve tried talking to them about it when they moved in but they don’t give a toss

    Has anybody completed or researched the task effectively? Costs?

  2. #2
    Grand Master JasonM's Avatar
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    I wonder if you can get short range emp devices ?
    Cheers..
    Jase

  3. #3
    Master
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    You could get some soundproof plasterboard and reline and skim the wall

  4. #4
    Master
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    If you don't mind properly falling out with your neighbour, make a complaint to your council environmental health department;
    https://www.gov.uk/report-noise-pollution-to-council
    Probably best to carefully consider this course of action first as I would imagine that once you do this, your relationship with your neighbour may be beyond repair.

  5. #5
    Grand Master WORKSIMON's Avatar
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    Firstly, I’m sorry to hear the bother you are having, I know from bitter experience how upsetting this can be. We had our house 15 years before a change in neighbours made it a living hell. The noise came through our party walls as if they were in our house.

    We very successfully used a soft fiber backed acoustic plasterboard that we bonded onto the wall along with fire fixing screws and then skim coated. I think it was about 45mm thick, I will have to look out the name of it but it worked very well. I do know if I did it again we would put a frame up and leave an air gap to help sound reduction. We had to be inventive with the cornice but once painted you could not really see the additional wall thickness.

    For peace of mind it’s worth every penny.
    Cheers

    Simon



    Ralph Waldo Emerson: We ask for long life, but 'tis deep life, or noble moments that signify. Let the measure of time be spiritual, not mechanical.

  6. #6
    Journeyman Hattori Hanzo's Avatar
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    I had the same issue with some neighbours a fews years ago. A taste of their own medicine when I came home off nights soon put a stop to it.

  7. #7
    Master
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    Noise / acoustics is a science and there is never an easy fix in trying to cut out noise on an existing building / house. There are lots of things to take into consideration, you could end up doing a whole load of work and still end up with the same problem. First thing to look for, are there any penetrations to the party wall?
    In a lot of older semi / terraced houses the joists will run into the party wall and any penetration to the party wall will be a weak point and will be a channel for noise.
    You could check out the British Gypsum and Knauff websites for a good start once you’ve determine the above, they have some good standard details. But you will lose internal floor area and every channel will need to be sealed and you will need to reposition sockets skirtings etc
    The best solution will be to resume discussions with your neighbour, have you tried demonstrating how noisy it actually is to them? Tricky situation, but I’d exhaust this first. Good luck.
    Last edited by Cat7; 21st March 2021 at 12:22.

  8. #8
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    When we did the house up we planned a projector, set in TV and in-built flush wall mounted speakers. On that section of party wall we added SM20 panels and acoustic plasterboard. We were getting the work done anyway so no extra cost except the materials.

    https://www.soundstop.co.uk/soundpro...-solution4.php

    Material cost about £550 for 9 SM20 panels, 6 acoustic plasterboards, adhesive, mastic and jointing tape 6 years ago.

    Neighbour has never complained.

  9. #9
    Craftsman
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cat7 View Post
    Noise / acoustics is a science and there is never an easy fix in trying to cut out noise on an existing building / house. There are lots of things to take into consideration, you could end up doing a whole load of work and still end up with the same problem. First thing to look for, are there any penetrations to the party wall?
    In a lot of older semi / terraced houses the joists will run into the party wall and any penetration to the party wall will be a weak point and will be a channel for noise.
    You could check out the British Gypsum and Knauff websites for a good start once you’ve determine the above, they have some good standard details. But you will lose internal floor area and every channel will need to be sealed and you will need to reposition sockets skirtings etc
    The best solution will be to resume discussions with your neighbour, have you tried demonstrating how noisy it actually is to them? Tricky situation, but I’d exhaust this first. Good luck.
    Agree that there could be other acoustic transmission points, so any solution may not work as well as expected.

  10. #10
    I have. We used SoundBoard4 I think from soundproofingstore.co.uk it works well though I “feel” it may have degraded over time.

    You need the boards, sound proofing grouting, special pads that go inside any electrical sockets and an absolute shedload of the screws - each board needs 9 screws IIRC.

  11. #11
    Master
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    Had a simular problem with our neighbour a few years back.I took the floor boards up and foam filled every gap no matter how small,did the Same in the attic.Refitted the carpets with studio quality sound proofing underlay.Made a huge difference.

  12. #12
    Master Paneraiseeker's Avatar
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    If you're going to route of using plasterboard then use sound blockboard p/d. I'd even double board it and use sound mastic all over any gaps...

  13. #13
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    Funnily enough I saw this video the other day

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Beanie View Post
    If you don't mind properly falling out with your neighbour, make a complaint to your council environmental health department;
    https://www.gov.uk/report-noise-pollution-to-council
    Probably best to carefully consider this course of action first as I would imagine that once you do this, your relationship with your neighbour may be beyond repair.
    I’ve done this previously they don’t give too hoots


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  15. #15
    Master draftsmann's Avatar
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    The most effective method is an entirely new wall built on your side of the party wall, with a cavity. This can be a 4” stud wall, the cavity doesn’t have to be much at all, even 1/2”. Stuff between the studs with high density rockwool making sure to leave no gaps and that the cavity isn’t bridged. Double plasterboard. If there is sound transmission through joists as mentioned above the stud wall can be decoupled from floor and ceiling with rubber pads available from music studio suppliers.

    It’s a faff & your room will end up 5-6” smaller but should help no end.

  16. #16
    Master Harry Smith's Avatar
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    This is why we would never again have a semi, even if it was a considerably better house in every other respect. I am obsessed with noise pollution and have got worse with age. There is a dog that barks incessantly all night in the area. I've even been out on my bike in the night trying to figure out where it is located but it is more than a mile away, my Wife never hears it.

  17. #17
    You could rip your house apart trying to solve this issue but at the end of the day you will still be attached to the same inconsiderate wasters and chances are there’ll be other problems. Move to a detached property.

    Alternatively, send in the Dalek.

  18. #18
    Grand Master Saint-Just's Avatar
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    I’d invite the local HD chapter for a drink in a few weeks.
    While they’re here, ask them to have a discreet words in the neighbour’s ear.
    'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.

  19. #19
    Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Justin Case View Post
    You could rip your house apart trying to solve this issue but at the end of the day you will still be attached to the same inconsiderate wasters and chances are there’ll be other problems. Move to a detached property.

    Alternatively, send in the Dalek.
    That seems extreme, by the time you've factored in agency fees, stamp duty, removal cost and probably an increase in property price it could be a lot!

    I agree, some neighbours are super inconsiderate though. Perhaps you could go on holiday for a week and leave the music on 11.

    I've got a 1920's house and I'm pretty sure our party wall is only 1/2 brick thick. I'm considering dropping some insulation either side of the chimney and then I'll feel a little more free to turn the volume up.

  20. #20
    Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by reecie View Post


    Funnily enough I saw this video the other day
    Good video, but you will notice the joists do not penetrate the party wall.
    As my previous, this should be one of the first things to check as it will determine the full extent of works required.
    If joists penetrate party wall you will have to do a lot more work at grd, 1st and attic floor level where the joists penetrate the party wall, than those shown in the video.
    Additionally the works should be undertaken to the whole length of the party wall and any walls coming off of it.

  21. #21
    Master smalleyboy1's Avatar
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    Helped a mate 20 years ago screw timber battens to his party wall that he then put insulation between, layer of plasterboard and skimmed.

  22. #22
    Master Thewatchbloke's Avatar
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    I did it for the opposite reasons, I used to be quite into home theatre and had a rather loud setup. New neighbours moved in next door and they approached me after a couple of months saying my system affected the enjoyment of their property when I had it cranked up. I put a loud film on at the settings I usually used and went around to have a listen and I was shocked at how intrusive it actually was, I've always wondered if my noise was a contributing factor to why the old neighbours moved although they never actually raised it with me!

    To keep the peace (literally) I built a stud wall leaving a 100mm air gap between it and the existing wall. The wall was constructed from 75 x 50 timber and the footplate, header and both side timbers were mounted on an anti vibration rubber mats. The spaces between the timbers were filled with the highest grade acoustic mineral wool slabs and then rubber acoustic sheeting was fitted over the whole wall. Resilient mounting bars were fitted to the studs and 19mm acoustic plasterboard laid on top. A further covering of 12.5mm acoustic plasterboard was then fitted over that and the edge gaps were filled with acoustic mastic. Before any of this was done the floor was lifted in the living room and bedroom above and any gaps or defects in the blockwork/joist joints on the party wall were filled with acoustic mastic then 1m of acoustic mineral wool was placed in the void leaving a 100mm air gap between it and the wall.

    This is an image of how it all goes together.



    I did the work myself and all told the cost was about £1k for a 5m x 2.4m wall, I ordered the sound proofing stuff from this company https://www.soundstop.co.uk, and the timber came from the local builders merchants.

    I wasn't entirely sure if it would have the desired effect but when I went around the neighbours after it was completed you couldn't hear a thing from my system. A point to remember is a system like this won't completely eliminate mechanically transmitted noise such as if you have a staircase abutting the wall next door but it will reduce it a huge amount. However noise from sound systems, shouting and screaming kids etc will be completely eliminated.
    Last edited by Thewatchbloke; 21st March 2021 at 18:19. Reason: Typo!

  23. #23
    Master
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    A decent thread here with some good advice if joists penetrate party wall
    https://quietco.uk/blog/soundproofing-semi-detached/

  24. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by reecie View Post


    Funnily enough I saw this video the other day
    Thank you for sharing that video, I think I will be investigating further!

  25. #25
    Master
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    Gutted to hear this and I could easily be in the same situation if I had different neighbours. Our walls are so bad my neighbours say bless you when I sneeze.
    You have tried to reason but mong neighbours will always be mong neighbours. Are your walls dot and dab? Plater board stuck to block work? If so I’d be tempted to strip it all back and start again with modern materials

    Good luck

  26. #26
    Quote Originally Posted by Justin Case View Post
    You could rip your house apart trying to solve this issue but at the end of the day you will still be attached to the same inconsiderate wasters and chances are there’ll be other problems. Move to a detached property.

    Alternatively, send in the Dalek.
    Or your own estate or small island?

  27. #27
    Master
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    i know you have spoken with them but maybe do what "thewatchbloke" did and although he wanted to see how much he was destroying his neighbours lives with his noise out of curiosity, you could show them the impact of their noise and ask them if its acceptable? offer them something to sweeten the deal, speak to one of the adults when the other isnt around helps etc. The voice of reason often prevails

  28. #28
    Master
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    if i do move house it will be to a detached property - when i bought my semi i had the chimneys removed before we moved in so i dont know if that makes a difference i can hear my neighbours music sometimes or when their on the phone having an animated conversation - it is annoying at times but theyre really nice folk.

    On the other hand they must be thinking its a war zone in my house with all thats going on - they havent said anything though.

    if i dont move i may consider doing something especially if they plan on having kids lol

  29. #29
    It’s the point where I’m considering moving tbh

    Absolute wonkers - chavs - three bed semi two kids a f dog and two adults

    I’ve even considered snipping the cable to the internet...... lol


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  30. #30
    Master
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    I’ve just placed an order with these lot.

    https://www.soundproofingstore.co.uk/walls

    We have had the same neighbour for 18 years and finally I’m going to soundproof a section of the party wall that adjoins her bathroom. It’s not that annoying but I have time now to address this.

    I’m going the clip system on one section and soundboard4 on the other.

    Loses 60mm for the clip system but hopefully it will work ... I’ll let you know when it’s done.

  31. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by Montello View Post
    I’ve just placed an order with these lot.

    https://www.soundproofingstore.co.uk/walls

    We have had the same neighbour for 18 years and finally I’m going to soundproof a section of the party wall that adjoins her bathroom. It’s not that annoying but I have time now to address this.

    I’m going the clip system on one section and soundboard4 on the other.

    Loses 60mm for the clip system but hopefully it will work ... I’ll let you know when it’s done.
    I'd like to know your thoughts when completed!

  32. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by rico View Post
    I'd like to know your thoughts when completed!
    My delivery is week tomorrow then I’ll fit it. Hopefully it will improve things.

  33. #33
    Master Paneraiseeker's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Montello View Post
    I’ve just placed an order with these lot.

    https://www.soundproofingstore.co.uk/walls

    We have had the same neighbour for 18 years and finally I’m going to soundproof a section of the party wall that adjoins her bathroom. It’s not that annoying but I have time now to address this.

    I’m going the clip system on one section and soundboard4 on the other.

    Loses 60mm for the clip system but hopefully it will work ... I’ll let you know when it’s done.
    I'd of gone with resilient bar and some acoustic barrier. Less space lost and cheaper

  34. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by Paneraiseeker View Post
    I'd of gone with resilient bar and some acoustic barrier. Less space lost and cheaper
    It’s was a simple package solution with decent reviews so I’ll give it a go.

  35. #35
    Journeyman
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    I’ve done a couple of cinema rooms over the years and have used a couple of different methods using different materials. If interested PM me and I can give you some details.
    A great source of info is AVforums. A lot of chat there on different methods.

    Cheers
    Duncan


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  36. #36
    I did this 8 years ago when I moved into a bungalow. I was into home cinema and wanted two watch it without disturbing the neighbours.

    I built a free standing wall. Filled with mineral insulation. I used a product called green glue sandwiched between two players of plasterboard

    https://www.greengluecompany.com

    Never had any complaints

  37. #37
    Journeyman
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    I used the green glue option the first time round and also used the tape they make.

    That along with sound block insulation it worked a treat.


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  38. #38
    Quote Originally Posted by Montello View Post
    I’ve just placed an order with these lot.

    https://www.soundproofingstore.co.uk/walls

    We have had the same neighbour for 18 years and finally I’m going to soundproof a section of the party wall that adjoins her bathroom. It’s not that annoying but I have time now to address this.

    I’m going the clip system on one section and soundboard4 on the other.

    Loses 60mm for the clip system but hopefully it will work ... I’ll let you know when it’s done.
    This was the website I was reading - please let us know how it goes I’m really fed up with it


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  39. #39
    Master draftsmann's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by smalleyboy1 View Post
    Helped a mate 20 years ago screw timber battens to his party wall that he then put insulation between, layer of plasterboard and skimmed.
    That will do something but not necessarily much, or enough.

    There’s a difference between “insulation” and “soundproofing” materials. Density, in a word.

  40. #40
    Does anybody think buying soundproofing mdf panels s d drilling them straight to the wall would work rather than the whole frame thing?
    That was my plan - then have it skimmed.


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  41. #41
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sweepinghand View Post
    Does anybody think buying soundproofing mdf panels s d drilling them straight to the wall would work rather than the whole frame thing?
    That was my plan - then have it skimmed.


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    If you read up the sound proofing systems have quite a few damping parts in to absorb the noise. Cut corners will no doubt give lesser results.

  42. #42
    Master draftsmann's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sweepinghand View Post
    Does anybody think buying soundproofing mdf panels s d drilling them straight to the wall would work rather than the whole frame thing?
    That was my plan - then have it skimmed.


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    It will do something, but probably not much.

    The “wall inside a wall” will give the best results.

  43. #43
    Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sweepinghand View Post
    Does anybody think buying soundproofing mdf panels s d drilling them straight to the wall would work rather than the whole frame thing?
    That was my plan - then have it skimmed.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    You can't fix to the existing wall as the noise vibrations wool travel through the fixings. Trouble is bass is a nightmare. It's hard for human ears to hear low frequency so it tends to be loud to be able to hear it. I've read a few threads of where people have payed a lot of money for this sort of thing for it not to give great results.

    There is nothing worse than noisy neighbours. We had it in a new build 2 bed semi. A lovely chap moved in who had youngsters round all the time who liked to listen to hardcore rave until 6am. If it wasn't that it was his PC hooked up to speakers making crazy noises. I think the worst bit was 'waiting' for the noise. Even if there was no noise you would be anxious of it starting.

    I went round quite a few times to ask them to turn it down to which they would but it would slowly creep up. Then again the walls were that thin that you could probably hear them whisper. In the end we moved. Would of loved a detached but budget would not allow. We are in a bigger old council semi now which has thicker walls. Luckily we have a decent neighbour but you can still hear them, thankfully they don't like rave music.

  44. #44
    If it’s weight isn’t a problem, sand is an excellent acoustic insulator.

  45. #45
    Craftsman
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    There is a decent amount of good advice here. Probably the most important bit is to keep your expectations low, there are a lot of modes of sound transfer and you aren't likely to be able to deal with all of them in this instance.

    I'll also say, that a few tubes of Green Glue, a new layer of drywall, and an aggressive application of acoustic caulking to any potential gap between the two sides is going to be the cheapest effective path. Skip the acoustic drywall, two layers of standard drywall w/ GreenGlue is both more effective and cheaper.

  46. #46
    Master draftsmann's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kingstepper View Post
    If it’s weight isn’t a problem, sand is an excellent acoustic insulator.
    Yes.

    I’ve seen it used in a floor void between flats in a converted building for this purpose- the technical term is “pugging”.

    A ballache to remove of course but a damn sight cheaper than dense acoustic slabs. Which themselves aren’t a picnic to handle.

  47. #47
    Master
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    Do they have a letterbox?

    Rob.

  48. #48
    Get one of the cavity wall people round. Ask them to drill the party wall (preferably immediately behind the neighbour's TV) and fill the void. For this to work, they're going to need an awful lot of insulation material and you're going to have to make damn sure they drill all the way through the wall (and preferably the neighbours TV.)

  49. #49
    Quote Originally Posted by mikeveal View Post
    Get one of the cavity wall people round. Ask them to drill the party wall (preferably immediately behind the neighbour's TV) and fill the void. For this to work, they're going to need an awful lot of insulation material and you're going to have to make damn sure they drill all the way through the wall (and preferably the neighbours TV.)
    Is a party wall usually a cavity wall? Even if it was wouldn’t you need a party wall agreement to do this?

  50. #50
    Quote Originally Posted by Kingstepper View Post
    Is a party wall usually a cavity wall? Even if it was wouldn’t you need a party wall agreement to do this?
    No, I'm not suggesting drilling to the cavity and filling. Cavity wall insulation is far too light to act as acoustic dampening. Drill all the way through and fill that void...

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