Sound insulation of the floor in the apartment under the screed
The absence of extraneous noise in the apartment is the key to a comfortable stay. In order not to disturb the neighbors from below, it is recommended to make a soundproofing of the floor. To do this, perform a screed with soundproofing material. In order to obtain a satisfactory result, it is recommended to select the appropriate means and familiarize yourself with the design technology.
The content of the article
Features
Sound insulation of the floor in the apartment under the screed is carried out by residents above the second floor. An easy way to reduce the noise coming from the neighbors below is to lay carpet. However, this does not completely eliminate the sounds, but only muffles the noise. To ensure reliable sound insulation, a floor screed is arranged in which one of the layers is laid with a special noise insulation coating.
Types of noise and how to drown out
There are several types of noise. Depending on the place of occurrence, sounds are classified as follows:
- External. Such noise comes from outside the apartment: the rumble of voices on the street, the noise of passing cars and other similar sounds.
- House building. Such noise is made by neighbors, a garbage chute, an elevator.
- In-apartment. Such a noise is made by the inhabitants of the apartment themselves, as well as household appliances.
The following types of noise are distinguished in the propagation medium:
- Air. In this case, the noise spreads through the air and enters the apartment through window openings. Glass windows partially dampen such a sound wave, however, in order to provide better sound insulation, it is recommended to install a double-glazed window.
- Shock. This kind of noise occurs when some object falls. A sound wave propagates along the floor, ceiling, walls and other floors of the building.
- Structural. Such noise arises due to the mechanical effect on the ceiling of the structure, for example, when drilling a wall with a drill. As a result, the building vibrates, which is amplified by a sound wave. This contributes to the spread of noise over long distances.
Sound insulation of the floor in the apartment under the screed protects against the noise made by the neighbors below. The materials used to equip the structure have the ability to absorb and dampen noise. To understand how the material reacts to types of sounds, it is recommended to look at the indicator Q - this is the mechanical quality factor:
- For products that absorb noise, this figure is 0.4. This means that when it enters the material, the sound travels a certain distance, after which it fades out without disturbing the inhabitants of the apartment. Such products are recommended for use against structural noise.
- If Q is lower than 0.4, then such materials also prevent the penetration of extraneous sounds into the apartment, but much worse than products with an index higher than 0.4. However, these products protect against house and house noise.
Types of screed
There are several ways to arrange sound insulation of the floor in the apartment under the screed.
Floating technology
To equip a "floating" screed, use cement, cement-sand or gypsum mortar. Such a rough coating together with sound insulation is done as follows:
- The floor is freed from the old coating, masking defects, cleaned and primed.
- A film is laid on the building base for waterproofing the surface.
- A damper film is fixed on the walls around the perimeter of the room so that the height of the material is higher than the height of the screed.
- Perform surface reinforcement.
- On the waterproofing coating, beacons are fixed at a distance from each other less than the length of the rule.
- The mortar is poured onto the building base and the product is distributed over the surface using the rule.
- After solidification of the composition, the material is ground.
For arrangement of sound insulation, soundproofing material is included in the design.
The advantages of this type of screed are durability and reasonable cost. Disadvantages - a long period of solidification, the complexity, the need for additional equipment in the form of a concrete mixer or a construction mixer, the complexity of execution.
Dry and semi-dry screed
Semi-dry screed is equipped as follows:
- Prepare a building base.
- Cover the waterproofing coating.
- A damper tape is fixed on the walls.
- Beacons are fixed on the surface.
- Lay a layer of building material.
- Perform surface reinforcement.
- Pour the solution and distribute the product over the building base using the rule.
- Wait for the product to solidify and perform surface grinding.
This method of screed in comparison with the "floating" method has such advantages as high drying speed and ease of arrangement. The disadvantage is that the material cracks after solidification.
Dry screed is equipped as follows:
- Prepare a building base.
- Lay out a waterproofing coating.
- On the walls around the perimeter of the room, a damper tape is fixed.
- Beacons are fixed on the floor.
- Expanded clay is laid and distributed over the building base using the rule.
- Drywall is fixed - with the help of glue the sheets are connected together and fixed with screws.
The disadvantage of dry screed is the high cost of materials. Advantages - durability, reliability, ease of arrangement.
Cork
To isolate the floor in the apartment, use cork. Advantages of such material:
- environmental friendliness is a natural product, therefore, the composition contains no harmful chemical compounds;
- hypoallergenicity;
- the possibility of laying the material in a thin layer, which allows not to raise the floor level;
- simplicity of laying.
Disadvantages of cork coating:
- high price;
- lack of fire resistance, which makes the material combustible;
- vulnerability to pests.
Because of these shortcomings, cork is rarely chosen for floor insulation.
Material selection
There are 4 types of materials for sound insulation of the floor under the screed:
- mineral - expanded clay, cement and other similar means;
- polymer and plastic - polystyrene, reflective products and liquid polymers;
- silicate - the same as glass wool;
- wood-shaving - fiberboard, sawdust and plywood.
Main characteristics and properties of soundproof materials
To choose a reliable soundproof coating, it is recommended to familiarize yourself with the characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of materials.
Styrofoam
Sound absorbing material. It is recommended to use a product with a thickness of more than 5 cm to equip the screed. Only such a material has sound-absorbing properties. It is also worth choosing a dense product. This material will last for a long time without loss of performance. Polyfoam provides sound and heat insulation of the room.
Mineral wool or glass wool
Sound and heat insulating material. Such a product raises the floor to a certain height, so it is not always suitable for arranging screeds. The lack of funds is the lack of moisture resistance.For this reason, the material is not used in rooms with high humidity. Advantages of mineral wool are environmental friendliness, fire resistance, hypoallergenicity.
Texound
Modern soundproofing product for floor screed in the apartment. The thickness of the material is 3.7 mm. The product has flexibility and elasticity, so it does not deform even after prolonged use. Other advantages of the product:
- simplicity of laying;
- high installation speed;
- fire resistance;
- resistance to mold and mildew;
- resistance to temperature extremes.
Ecowool
Such material improves the overall microclimate in the apartment, since it has sound and heat insulation properties. A significant drawback of the product - for installation, an inflatable installation is required for spraying the product on a building base.
Manufacturers Overview
To perform high-quality sound insulation, you need to choose high-quality material. Wizards advise using only trusted manufacturers.
Most popular brands:
- Tecsound. The organization is engaged in the production of rolled soundproof materials. Such products are characterized by increased strength and environmental friendliness, since there are no phenol-containing components in the composition.
- Rockwool Acoustic Butts. The company produces material for soundproofing a room from stone wool. The products are easy to install and resistant to fire. For this reason, the products are suitable for soundproofing even a wooden building base.
- Soundguard The company produces slabs that provide soundproofing of the room. The “pie” of the floor includes a frame, drywall and a plate with mineral materials.
Which is better?
It is impossible to say unequivocally which material for screed is better than others. Each product has advantages and disadvantages.
If your budget is limited, mineral wool is recommended. Advantages of the material are fire resistance, hypoallergenicity and high quality. Suitable for surfaces made of wood.
Polyfoam is a good soundproofing material, but does not differ in high strength. For this reason, professionals are advised to use expanded polystyrene instead. This tool is characterized by reliability, durability and increased strength.
If the budget for floor reconstruction is unlimited, then it is worth using materials from Schumanet and Shumostop. These products are suitable for the installation of screed "floating" way.
Surface preparation
Before arranging screeds with sound insulation, the construction base is prepared:
- The old coating and the old screed are dismantled to the building foundation.
- The surface is cleaned of dust and dirt.
- Increase the size of the defects if any, treat with a primer and seal with cement mortar.
- Metal elements are dismantled or treated with an anti-corrosion substance.
- In the presence of large differences, the curvature is cut with the help of a grinder.
- The surface is re-cleaned.
- The building base is treated with a primer for the final binding of contamination microparticles.
Do-it-yourself noise isolation
When performing sound insulation of a floor, they independently act as follows:
- A film is laid on a building base. This is a waterproofing layer of screed. The film is overlapped, 15-20 cm on top of each other, and fixed with construction tape. The material is mounted on the wall a few centimeters above the size of the screed.
- A damper tape is fixed around the perimeter of the room. The material is fixed so that the width of the product is higher than the size of the screed.
- Soundproofing material is laid. After that, reinforcement is performed from above.
- Set beacons. Check the guides with a level.
- Perform the screed in the selected way.
The construction described above is characteristic of a concrete floor. If you want to arrange sound insulation for a wooden building base, proceed as follows:
- Check the status of the lag. If the material has fallen into disrepair, the product is deformed and replaced with another.
- Lags are treated with an antiseptic solution. After that, the material is fixed with the help of U-shaped brackets.
- Soundproofing material is laid between the lags. Boards are fixed to the logs. After that, a flooring is fixed between them.
- Perform the laying of decorative flooring.
Useful Tips
To quickly and efficiently complete the screed, you should adhere to the following recommendations:
- cover wires and cables with protective materials;
- for reinforcement use a mesh of metal with a thickness of more than 3 mm;
- maintain a minimum height of a coupler - 5 cm;
- select a material for screed with high compressive strength to withstand increased loads;
- make the top layer stiff;
- Do not use polystyrene for noise insulation of a building base made of wood, since such a material interferes with air circulation, resulting in reduced wood service life.
The video in this article demonstrates how to perform soundproofing under a floor screed.
Sound insulation of the floor is one of the structural elements that protects the room from extraneous noise. In order for the material to fulfill its functions, it is recommended to choose a high-quality coating and, when arranging the screed, adhere to the technology for performing a rough coating.
