Party wall sound insulation – block noise
If you get party wall noise, you need sound insulation to reflect it back to your neighbors – where it belongs! Sound insulation doesn’t just concern inner wall insulation, like Rockwool. Soundproofing with insulative materials requires high mass partitions as these reflect airborne noise away. Airborne noise can be music, TV, talking or dogs barking and is most likely the reason you want to soundproof your party wall.
Party wall sound insulation
Party wall sound insulation should be a minimum of 45kg/m3 to have sufficient acoustic properties. Without high mass, materials will not be able to prevent enough noise from entering your home to make a difference. For a party wall, we would suggest a high weight of acoustic insulation, as this will be more effective.
Our sound insulation for inside walls goes all the way up to 100kg/m3, but as a minimum, we would recommend 60kg/m3. Party walls are often solid and made from brick, however, soundproofing offers the opportunity to create a new cavity space and insulate it. Party wall soundproofing often requires a heavy-duty solution which will require a decoupled system. An isolation clip (MuteClip), will create a new partition held away from your existing party wall and the new cavity can be packed with insulation.
Party wall high mass insulation
Party walls need high-mass materials, like acoustic plasterboard and Tecsound, to insulate against noise. These high mass panels can prevent sound from entering your home or leaving it. This means that your noisy neighbours no longer bother you, but also you won’t be bothering them. It is best to use a build up of different soundproofing panels and materials, as each has a resonant frequency.
A resonant frequency is a natural acoustic weakness and on a graph, the performance of the material would dip at this frequency. This happens as the material will vibrate in sympathy with the sound and thus transmit it. By using a variety of high-mass materials, the dip is smoothed out and your soundproofing is improved.
Luckily, in the world of soundproofing this has been made easy for you. Soundproofing panels of two or more materials are designed to smooth the dip and can be installed as a single piece, instead of multiple layers. We have a range of MuteBoards that work well for wall soundproofing and ensure as little space as possible is lost.
Why is insulation important for party walls?
Insulation is important for party walls to help retain heat, but also, to reduce the transmission of noise. If a party wall is not insulated, sound is able to travel between properties more easily. If your party walls need better insulation to reduce noise, acoustic mineral wool should be used. Regular insulation, like you get in lofts, does not have the same mass. Mass is the reason that materials are able to have soundproofing properties, so make sure your insulation is 45kg/m3 or more!
Why is high mass insulation good for party walls?
High mass insulation is good for party walls as it will have acoustic properties and reduce noise. If you suffer from noisy neighbours, then upgrading insulation to acoustic grade is a good start. Mass is one of the three key laws of soundproofing. High mass materials are able to block noise and the higher the mass, the more sound is blocked.
Low frequency sounds, like heavy bass music, have longer wavelengths with more energy and are harder to stop. Ideally, to provide sufficient resistance to sound, the barrier should measure at least one quarter the thickness of a single wavelength. To tackle bass noises, this would result in your house becoming much smaller! This is where the second law of soundproofing, isolation, comes in.
Party wall noise reduction by isolation
Party wall noises can be reduced by isolation technology, which takes up less space relative to the mass required. To soundproof against a wide variety of noises from next door, you would end up with little space in your house. However, isolation technology is the best soundproofing method for space used and is highly recommended for party walls.
The MuteClip isolation system acts as a series of mini shock absorbers and holds new soundproofing panels away from the original wall. This physical separation of rigid materials gives you the highest soundproofing result for the space used. You may also find this referred to as a decoupled wall, because the new soundproofing solution is not fully attached to the supporting structure.
Which insulation should I use for my party wall?
The insulation you should use for your party wall is acoustic-grade mineral wool, we would suggest anything over 60kg/m3. Whilst acoustic mineral wool is anything over 45kg/m3, to achieve results you’ll notice, a heavier bale is suggested. Never just use acoustic mineral wool to insulate your party wall from noise, use the insulation as part of a system. Soundproofing is all about insulating your space from sound sound entering or escaping and to do this best a variety of materials need to be installed.
Using a variety of different materials will protect you from a wider range of noises and distractions. We would always advise installing a full system to resolve party wall issues, as these give you the best performance for the space used!
