How to soundproof a bedroom wall
How do I soundproof my bedroom wall against noisy neighbours?
Bedrooms are often a sanctuary within our homes where we go for peace and quiet. Often to unwind after a busy day and with the aim of getting a good nights sleep. This can often be blighted by the unwanted noise from noisy neighbours and these unwanted sounds can in time lead to a range of mental health effects.
Anxiety and stress can often be triggered as a result of a frequent or loud noise. With continued exposure to unwanted noise, a person’s sensitivity to stress increases. People living with noise pollution may feel irritable, on edge, frustrated, or angry. If a person feels they cannot control the amount of noise in their environment, its impact on their mental health intensifies.
Soundproofing your bedroom walls may be the only way to help reduce unwanted noise, especially if relations with your neighbours are strained and your requests for e.g. music to be turned down late at night have been ignored. The below article will take you through the top sound insulation solutions when looking to soundproof a bedroom wall.
Why noises at night appear louder
Firstly, we need to establish the level of noise coming through the bedroom wall. It is worth mentioning that any noises heard at night can often seem even louder. Without the background noise and distractions heard during the daytime, when it is dark and quiet around us at night we are more sensitive to noise (e.g you can hear a pin drop at night but would not notice this during the day time). Also, once a noise is heard, we tend to listen out for it more, which can also make the noise seem louder.
Learn more about why it is important to consider an individuals noise perception when soundproofing a bedroom.
3 points to consider before soundproofing a solid bedroom wall
- How loud is the noise coming through the bedroom wall? e.g. Is it shouting and loud music, or quieter conversation. The answer to this will determine the right wall sound insulation system for your bedroom wall.
- What types of noise are being heard? Is the noise airborne (e.g. voices and music) or impact (e.g. footsteps, banging doors) or a combination of the two. Again, the types of noise being heard will also determine which is the correct soundproofing solution for your bedroom wall.
- How susceptible to noise are you? As previously highlighted, at night peoples sensitivity to noise can be heightened. If you naturally have a high sensitivity to noise, then a higher performing bedroom wall soundproofing solution will be required.
Soundproofing a bedroom wall checklist
- Check the wall for weak points, such as gaps as this will be a weak point for sound to escape through. Treat the walls like waterproofing, it will only be as good as the weakest point
- Improve the walls ability to block airborne noise by adding mass/weight to the existing wall. By adding weight and density, you are making it harder for airborne sounds to travel through the bedroom wall
- Improve the walls ability to absorb the vibration energy (impact noise) by adding resilience to the bedroom wall
- For stud walls dividing bedrooms, use acoustic mineral wool to absorb and prevent any sound from resonating and amplifying between the timber/stud frame
- Using different layers of acoustic grade mass will perform better for different types of sound
- What if my bedroom wall has a chimney? As a general rule, normally it is only the alcoves within the bedroom wall which need soundproofing, not the fireplace. See our blog on
Soundproofing Chimneys if you also have noise coming through the chimney.
3 Proven Soundproofing Solutions when Soundproofing a Bedroom Wall
Answers to the questions above will determine the correct sound insulation solution for your bedroom wall.
For instance, if you are experiencing excessive noises such as very loud music, shouting, babies crying, snoring, very loud TV noise and impact noise you will need a bedroom wall soundproofing solution which can block these excessive noise levels.
Using a lesser performing system against excessive noises, or if the noise you are experiencing isn't excessive, but you are extremely susceptible to noise, will result in a poor performance and disappointing results. Our advice in this instance would be to use the
ReductoClip Independent Wall Solution which is our highest performing wall solution and achieves excellent results when soundproofing a bedroom wall. The ReductoClip Independent wall Solution is also used in the soundproofing of music studios.
Below are 3 bedroom wall soundproofing solutions in order of performance when looking to soundproof the solid party wall of a bedroom.
Option 1: The ProSound™ ReductoClip™ Independent Wall System
The ProSound™ ReductoClip™ Independent Wall System - Is the ideal wall soundproofing solution for all noise problems. This acoustic bedroom wall solution delivers an exceptional performance against excessive noises such as shouting, very loud music, TV noise and impact noises.
The ReductoClip Independent Wall System is extremely effective against loud or excessive noises and will address both airborne and impact noises. This system really is the ultimate bedroom wall soundproofing solution and is based around the proven system of building a room within a room.
The ReductoClip Independent Wall Soundproofing System is designed to completely isolate the bedroom wall. By firstly building a stud frame, (a minimum of 10mm away from the party wall). Attaching the ReductoClips and Reducto Furring Bars to the new stud frame decouples the addition of high mass wall layers from the original bedroom wall. This greatly reduces the transference of sound vibration energy from the adjoining room into the bedroom and vice versa. The addition of high mass wall layers also block airborne noise.
ReductoClip Independent Wall Solution - Key Features
- The new stud frame decouples the new wall from the existing bedroom wall to limit vibration transfer of sound energy
- Ideal for blocking excessive noises through a bedroom wall, such as very loud music, snoring, shouting, babies crying and very loud TV noise and impact noise
- Highest performing soundproofing solution for a bedroom walls and also used for homes cinemas and recording studios
- Adds a high level of mass to the wall, made up of difference densities of material to block a wider range of sound frequencies
- The ReductoClips and furring bars further help to absorb sound energy by working like shock absorbers to “decouple” and absorb sound energy as it passes through the structure
- The ReductoClip independent system offers the thinnest independent clipsolution on the market (120mm thick)
- DIY installation, or anyone with experience of fitting plasterboard can easily install the system
- The final layer of acoustic plasterboard needs a simple skim finish and the bedroom wall is then ready for decoration as normal
ReductoClip product overview
Installation of the ReductoClip™ Independent Wall System
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An alternative to building a stud frame, as per the ReductoClip Independent Wall Solution above, is The
ReductoClip Direct to Wall System. There are certain situations whereby the 120mm build up (although the thinnest on the market) is still too much to lose from the bedroom wall.
Therefore, an alternative option is to bypass the process of building the independent stud frame in front of the bedroom wall you are soundproofing and add the ReductoClips directly to the bedroom wall. This brings the total build up of the ReductoClip direct to wall system to only 60mm.
Although not as high a performing solution as the ReductoClip Independent System, The ReductoClip direct to wall system is still an excellent solution for loud noises such as music, clear conversation, babies crying and clear TV noise and is the perfect compromise on performance v's loss of space within the bedroom.
ReductoClip Direct to Wall Solution - Key Features
- Excellent solution for all noise problems. Loud noises such as music, clear conversation, babies crying, clear TV noise and dampening of impact noises
- If you don’t have 120mm of space, you can install directly onto the bedroom wall, reducing space loss to an incredibly slim 60mm, still maintaining a good reduction in both airborne and impact sound performance
- Although a step down in performance from the full 120mm version, the system offers an excellent compromise on space loss v’s performance
- Adds a high level of mass to the wall, made up of difference densities of material to block a wider range of sound frequencies
- The ReductoClips and furring bars further help to absorb sound energy by working like shock absorbers to “decouple” and absorb sound energy as it passes through the structure
- DIY installation, or anyone with experience of fitting plasterboard can easily install the system
- The final layer of acoustic plasterboard needs a simple skim finish and the bedroom wall is then ready for decoration as normal
Installation of the ReductoClip™ Direct to Wall System
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Option 3: The ProSound™ SoundBoard 4™
The
Pro-Sound™ SoundBoard 4™ System is a thin direct to wall solution, at only 30mm thick. SoundBoard 4 is a good solution where space is at a premium within the bedroom and where the ReductoClip Independent or ReductoClip Direct to Wall Solutions can't be used.
SoundBoard 4 is a good solution for blocking airborne noise, such as clear voices and TV. However, the SoundBoard 4 isn't suitable for impact noise, or bass sounds e.g. bass music, deep voices or snoring.
The Pro-Sound™ SoundBoard 4 utilises 4 layers of three different Soundproofing technologies all laminated together for easy installation.
- The outer facing layer is a 15mm acoustic grade plasterboard which is 50% denser than standard plasterboard
- The second layer is a 3mm high density mass loaded vinyl which was designed to replace lead in soundproofing. This mass loaded vinyl performs differently to the mass in the plasterboard due to the different construction helping to block a fuller range of sound frequencies
- The third layer is a 9mm acoustic closed cell foam designed to dampen and reduce sound vibrations from transferring through the board.
- On top of that is a second 3mm layer of high density mass loaded vinyl.
SoundBoard 4 Key Features
- Only 30mm thick and ideal for reducing standard household noise (that is not excessive) from noisy neighbours. Not suitable for bass heavy music or bassey tones e.g snoring through a bedroom wall
- Fixed directly to your existing wall (no stud frame or clips)
- Minimal disruption to your home - very easy DIY installation with 9 screws per board
- One installed the SoundBoard 4 is ready for a standard plasterboard finish, e.g. skim, or heavy duty backing paper and the bedroom wall can be decorated as normal
Installation of the SoundBoard 4™ Direct to Wall System
How to soundproof an internal bedroom (stud) wall?
So far we have concentrated on the best way to soundproof a solid party bedroom wall, which is usually between neighbouring properties.
However, there are instances when the bedroom wall needing to be soundproofed is to stop noise transferring between internal bedroom walls within the same property, rather than the neighbouring property.
In this instance, the internal wall will be a stud wall. The same principles apply as above with a solid party wall, however the recommendation when soundproofing a stud wall within a bedroom, would be to also add 50mm
acoustic mineral wool between the stud frame.
The 3 best ways to soundproof an internal stud wall
How to soundproof an internal stud wall separating bedrooms
Soundproofing a bedroom stud wall
Thinking about the answers to the following questions will help with the correct sound insulation for the stud wall of a bedroom:
- What type of noise are you trying to soundproof against? Airborne, impact noise, or both?
- How loud is the noise between the stud wall of the bedroom?
- How susceptible to noise are you?
The most effective way to soundproof a stud bedroom wall is to:
- Improve the mass of the bedroom wall, by adding high mass products
- Use different high mass products, as different types of mass perform better for different sound frequencies. Therefore, using a combination of high mass materials will always perform better than using more of the same material
- Dampen, or decouple the stud wall to improve the ability of the stud wall to absorb the unwanted sound energy and vibrations
- Add
acoustic mineral wool between the stud frame which absorbs any sound from getting inside and stops the sound from resonating and amplifying within the void
The best soundproofing options for a bedroom stud wall
Option 1:
The ReductoClip Independent Wall Solution is the highest performing solution, as detailed in the video above
Option 2:
The second option, if space for the independent system doesn't allow, would be the ReductoClip Direct to Wall Solution
Option 3:
SoundBoard 4 is a good performing direct to wall soundproofing panel providing a good performance and slim profile for stud walls
How to Soundproof a Stud Wall Within a Bedroom
How to Soundproof a Bedroom Wall Summary
Highlighted are the main points to consider before soundproofing a bedroom wall and answers to these key points and questions then form the basis of which sound insulation solution should be used.
The top 3 performing bedroom wall soundproofing solutions have then been discussed for both solid and stud bedroom walls.
Should you require any further information, help or advice on the correct soundproofing solution for your bedroom wall, then please don't hesitate to get in touch.
