How to Reduce Airborne Noise through a Timber Floor with Rockwool

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7 жыл бұрын

In this video I show you how I have massively reduced the airborn sound travelling between the timber floor in my house - using Rockwool Sound Insulation for Partition Walls and Floors
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A couple of years ago I tried with only limited success to soundproof between the joists in my son's room - using Knauf Acoustic Roll and a soundproofing mat.
So this time I decided to go with a much denser product - Rockwool. It's made from stone with a "non-directional fibre orientation and a higher density" which makes it the perfect product to put between floor joists as it traps soundwaves and dampens vibration.
TODAY'S TOOL KIT
- Rockwool, which I bought from here goo.gl/Tqbejt
- tape measure
- marker pen
- scissors, knife or saw to cut the Rockwool, or
- Bahco Insulation saw geni.us/wqWi8 (Amazon)
- Protective gloves geni.us/mn5ZE (Amazon)
- Face mask geni.us/3Hit6HA (Amazon)
- Chipboard flooring from my local builder's merchant, but here's an example bit.ly/2YHJZma
- Soundproofing mat (optional) goo.gl/e3if0k
As I had ripped up the original tongue and groove pine floor (pretty nasty, low quality 1970s!) I decided to replace this with tonge and groove chipboard flooring, which comes in sheets of 18mm x 600mm x 400mm - as it's quicker to relay and will I think achieve a better acoustic result than the old timber floor.
I'm really pleased with the result. You can still hear a faint noise when the tumble drier is on, but the washing machine spin cycle doesn't penetrate through the floor. As I said in the video, depending on your budget, you can further reduce airborne noise by laying a couple of layers of soundproofing mat before the underlay and carpet goes down.
So what do you do if you want to reduce airborne noise even further? ResponsibleParty pointed out in the Comments feed below that by screwing the chipboard down to the joists, sound and vibration can travel freely between the two.. He continued, "To really reduce sound transfer, you need to somehow decouple the floor from the joists. One way is some sort of rubber spacer--there are many different types available. Another would be some sort of arrangement were the floor is somehow spaced from the joists."
There's lots of info on the Internet about floor decoupling, and it's clearly the belt and braces approach if you want to do everything you can to eliminate airborne noise. But you do just need to remember that decoupling the floor will raise it a fair amount, so there are practical considerations to take into account if you decide to go down this path...
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Пікірлер: 178

@CharlieDIYte 2 жыл бұрын

🛠Charlie DIYte Amazon Tool Store amzn.to/3fcLnY4 - all my tried, tested and much loved DIY tools. You can help support me by Buying me a Coffee ☕ bit.ly/3xuQ3zb or by becoming a Member to unlock a host of benefits - thanks so much 🙏.

@newmmusic 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Charlie your vids are so good, I’ve been following them now for a while whilst renovating/extending my house. I’ve recently done this in my daughters bedroom and used 30mm insulated plasterboard in the room below on the ceiling which is a music/games/TV room and the results are excellent. I’m now plucking up the courage to install new windows myself following one of your other vids. Thanks again, Keep them coming! 👍

@CharlieDIYte 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Joe, I really appreciate you taking the time to send that 👍 Glad it worked well. Great idea putting the insulated plasterboard in, as the drawback of my system is that to work really well the floor needs to be floating to prevent sound traveling through the joists, (but who practically can do that) and your extra measure combined with the rock wool is inspired! Go for it on the windows. Mine are soft wood (couldn't afford hard) and being South facing they've taken a bit of a pounding so maybe wood effect plastic would have been a better idea - just don't feel right though in a period property. Just remember to get the building regs sign off/ fensa certificate 👍

@georgerobinson9110 2 жыл бұрын

@@CharlieDIYte p ppl

@tfair5926 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Charlie, I watched this to be aware of all the options available. You made everything very clear.

@CharlieDIYte 3 жыл бұрын

You're very welcome, however I should also have said that to be truly effective the floor needs to be floating (ie not nailed or screwed to the joists below) because the problem with what I did is that the sound waves travel up through the joists. But that's not always practical particularly if you're only soundproofing a couple of rooms, because you'll inevitably make the floors you're soundproofing raised from the rest. Good luck with your project.

@Ihutchy2116 4 жыл бұрын

Hey great vid, id like to add that you need to decouple the floor and ceiling from the joists and also add mass! The vibrations from the floor above are transmitted through the floor joists to the plasterboard below it is called flanking. The cheapest solution is to lift the floorboards and put a thin strip of cut up cheep camping mat down on the joists before relaying the floorboards, not ideal as the screws/nails holding the floorboards down will also carry the vibration but it will help, then underlay and carpet on top and you will start to notice a difference. You can add mass by putting another layer of plasterboard on the ceiling underneath, if you used a product such as green glue or resilient channel to attach the plasterboard this will help decouple the new surface. make sure all gaps at any stage are sealed with sealant/cork etc as sound will leak from any gaps plus when it is totally air tight this acts as another barrier to sound passing easily through. Do all the above steps and you will be very happy with the results tho dont expect it to stop everything. If you want to go a bit further cheaply run thin strips of timber between the joists above your cavity insulation and then cut and place some thin board on them so they fit snug, make sure you seal all round where the board meets the joist it dosent have to be expensive sealant you are just trying to make sure no air can pass through, if you then sit a layer of something on top of the board like old carpet or something(tho i am not sure how fire safe this would be} it will again help as the sound going through it has to change slightly to get through each different material!! I think the underlay,cavity insulation and if you can afford another layer of plasterboard will be more than enough for most people, but if the problem sound is from the vibration of something hitting the floor above ie footsteps dryer etc.. then decoupling {detaching the surfaces from each other} is important or the vibration will come straight through the floor transmit through the joists directly to the plasterboard underneath, if it is whats called airborne noise people laughing talking then decoupling is not as important!

@matthewmcmahon8980 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot for your comment on this. I'm wondering if you've any tips for outside vibration from buses and trucks. The whole room shakes. I have the floor up at the moment. I'm considering a total decoupling by not screwing the chipboard to the joists at all. Maybe putting some 6mm foam strip taping along the joists. Have also thought about putting 12.5mm plasterboard down over the chipboard to add mass, then underlay and carpet.

@CharlieDIYte 4 жыл бұрын

I never thanked you for this incredibly comprehensive reply 👍

@GigiUK 5 ай бұрын

An interesting and helpful video all these years later, thank you. I am living in upstairs rented accommodation, and would like to eliminate noise travelling in both directions, but more so because I want to use this particular room for music (my poor neighbours!). I say rented because I don't want to (and shouldn't have to) spend too much money on this project, but I feel it's important to do the best job I can even though it's not my property. It's an old building and the floorboards are no doubt the originals (so, 80-100 years old maybe), and I will be filling the gaps with Steicoflex 36, which is a newer and more advanced product than the Rockwool R3. Saying that, I saw in the comments section you mentioned that sound travels through the joists, and my heart sank because I didn't even think about that (it's so obvious that sound does that! Why did I not think of it before? Arrrgh! haha!), and the amount of hours spent on research has left me with a new conundrum because, again, it's not my property, but I want to eliminate sound as much as possible. So, unlike you, I won't be installing new flooring - I will be using the same floorboards. What do you recommend I do? Is there something I can place on top of each joist like a strip of something which goes all the way along each one that obviously isn't too thick in height because I can't raise the floor too much due to the opening of two doors, and I don't want take them off and cut them - that's just opening up a can of worms. Is there anything you recommend that can dampen the sound so that the floorboards don't touch the joists. A special material or rubber maybe? Thank you in advance :) EDIT - I just Googled "soundproofing joists", and this came up: Green Glue Noiseproofing Joist Tape (3mm) and also DB Joist Strip (10mm). I will start researching these types of products. I'll leave this here in case it's useful for your other viewers. Cheers.

@jamiemoulds2050 5 жыл бұрын

Dude thanks ever so much for sharing this video. This gas helped me so much 😊

@ahpala 7 жыл бұрын

Nicely detailed and well explained. I am hoping to do the same at home, this was very useful. Thank you, Charlie!

@CharlieDIYte 7 жыл бұрын

Many thanks for that! Depending on what sound you're trying to suppress, I'd be inclined to combine the Rockwool with an acoustic chipboard goo.gl/jp80UT and perhaps even something like this goo.gl/8WiLmX, for a belt and braces approach. Good luck!

@ianmumford5636 3 жыл бұрын

I have used this 100mm Rockwool below a bedroom floor but it made practically no difference to the noise between floors. You really need something more dense ie. rubber sheet on the floor or another layer of plasterboard for the ceiling. I think that noise also gets transmitted up through the walls, particularly in modern houses with lightweight concrete blocks as the inner leaf of the wall.

@JordonTucker 4 жыл бұрын

Best tutorial i have seen, very good knowledge and very well put together thank you

@laurabrown6073 3 жыл бұрын

One of the Best Ideas of SoundProofing is "SoundProof Curtains" That Stops Outside Noise by 80% (25 Db) Tested. Check Here: livesoundproof.com/best-soundproof-curtains/

@webblab2415 4 жыл бұрын

Rockwool is a trademark exactly as Knauf. Both of them have a wide spectrum of products that you can use, depends just on a purpose. For floor installation, there are PTN, PTE, PTS from Knauf insulation. Each product has its technical list with all necessary data as thermal conductivity or what is in this case more important acoustic absorption coefficient...

@ben_the_cat_guy 3 жыл бұрын

The acoustic rubber matting is really good if you want to keep sound and vibrations inside a room in my experience (I have it under the underlay in my drumming studio and it cuts it down by about half compared to only the floorboards)

@jennyjones2571 4 жыл бұрын

Hi, I’ve got a downstairs room with cavity under the floorboards. It is a very cold room, I was wondering if this system would work to help insulate the room. I would need to suspend the insulation. What are your thoughts on the best way to do this and am I going to cause damp problems for the future? TIA.

@davidcooke3081 3 жыл бұрын

Hi Charlie I know this video is a few years old but just a few comments about Rockwool and Chipboard. I worked in a very noisy computer room for many years. My office was right beside it and there was Rockwool in the office walls. The reduction in sound when we went into the office and closed the door was fantastic so I do know Rockwool will stop noise when used correctly and in the right place. In recent years Rockwool has been mentioned on our safety courses as being a carcinogenic so it seems precautions must be taken when installing it. On the issue of the chipboard floor! I'm amazed its still being used at all. In Ireland where I live it was very popular in the 70s and 80s as flooring but is not allowed to be used here at all for that purpose. They insist on plywood now because chipboard collapses if it gets damp or wet, I've seen it collapse even when it is not wet. The only thing I still see it used for is storage spaces in attics, not allowed to use it for flooring in attics. I enjoy the videos, pick up a lot of tips. Thanks Dave

@CharlieDIYte 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Dave, there's a lot of valuable info there. I agree on chipboard. I remember the disaster it was on my Mum's kitchen units - whenever the dishwasher leaked out destroyed the base of the carcasses that were chipboard. Not sure why it's used so much for flooring in the building industry. The other thing I'd do differently now is not screwing it down as this enables the sound vibrations to pass through the joists into the room. To be truly effective the floor needs to be floating but it's not always practical to do this. Yes I was mindful of the dangers of the rockwool when I recently insulated under our bedroom floor, and made sure I had my mask on for all the cutting.👍🏻

@nathan87 2 жыл бұрын

@@CharlieDIYte The rockwool website claims that rockwool is NOT carcinogenic: "A study showed that there were no increases in risk of onset cancer for users or workers involved in the production of stone wool. In 2002 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) updated its previous monograph and classification of 1987, which lists the carcinogenic level of various MMMF (Man-Made Mineral Fibers), to reflect the latest research into stone wool. Stone wool is now classified as a Group 3 (not classifiable) material." I also believe the fibres are too big to permanently remain in the lungs, so there are no long-term risks similar to e.g. silicosis. It's still incredibly unpleasant to breathe in though, so I would recommend always using a mask.

@kevinoak7558 Жыл бұрын

The chipboard used for floors nowadays is normally moisture resistant and has interlocking T+G edges which can glued, it's extremely strong and doesn't behave like normal chipboard when wet. Elsewhere on this discussion there's decoupling the floor by using rubber strips on top of the joists which makes sense. I'm going to be doing a floor soon for a client and the amount of conflicting information out there is mind boggling!

@bluestar.8938 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you : )

@hn2700 2 жыл бұрын

Its named sound insulation but it just meets the basic standards for noise reduction. It has a density of 30kg m3 aprox. For a more dense better option go for rw45 or rw3 which have 45 and 60 kg/m3 density respectively. Spoke with Rockwool techsupport and thats what they advised. Thanks for the vid great solution for sound reduction between floors.

@CharlieDIYte 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks buddy, that's very useful. Yes and the other thing is not to screw the floor down to the joists if you can help it, as you want it decoupled so that sound vibrations don't travel up through the joists.

@paulreidy8929 3 жыл бұрын

can i ask what thickness i should use between 6 inch joists? 100 or 150mm? also the higher density the better i presume? thanks for great video

@peterrobson7946 6 жыл бұрын

Hi Have same problem but with existing T&G chipboard which squeaks excessively although both screwed into joists and glued along all T&G joints. Looking to replace and was thinking of floorboards rather than chipboard and inserting Rockwool slab as you have done into cavity. Also had suggested could use a joist strip (wool/foam/rubber) as further noise reduction. Do you have a view about floorboards vs chipboard as there seem to be lots of comments that chipboard is cheap solution but poor quality and always prone to noise? Do you have any suggestions about joist strip to eliminate wood to wood contact?

@EIRONA Жыл бұрын

Any advice for a ground floor sound insulation on a suspended floor? I'm about to remove floor boards and place down 24mm ply but not quite sure which insulation to go with to dampen the echo noise as there's a 6 ft void underneath. Thanks

@mickeymumbles3840 4 жыл бұрын

Hi Charlie. Can I ask if you used glue on the tongue and groove boards when fixing them down ? I’ve seen other videos of them squeaking after a while due to no glue.

@jamescarroll5720 7 жыл бұрын

Rockwool is much easier to work with if you use a drywall t-square, and a bread knife. The serrations on the bread knife make it cut much better than any of the options shown here, and the t-square makes square perfect cuts easy. Base on my experience, I will use rockwool for all of my future insulation needs.

@CharlieDIYte 7 жыл бұрын

Good point James. Makes sense - but I would have got into trouble with the Mrs if I'd used the bread knife. Thanks for the comment.

@julierumble3423 3 жыл бұрын

Noisy neighbours in basement will definitely give it a go, thank you.

@qkayani 3 жыл бұрын

How did you get on may I ask?

@pdbennett69 3 жыл бұрын

Hi Charlie, Did you have to inform building control and get a sign off on this? Looking to do this in a bedroom and navigating the building regs information is becoming a blow my brains out exercise.

@kingb882 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Charlie, I’ve recently moved into a mid terrace house and the noise is terrible I haven’t sleet properly in the year that I’ve been here, I can hear noise through the walls and floors of both properties either side next door, there is also a certain point in my bedroom if I walk it makes a clang as if metal has been hit, and the same happens when I hear my neighbour walk next door in their room, do you know why this could be? And would rock wool insulation actually make any difference with this what I believe is impact and airborne noise through underfloor?

@roman2011 4 жыл бұрын

Be awesome if there was a sound test before and after.

@PrinceWesterburg 4 жыл бұрын

Bloody good video old chap! I'm building recording studio things in my house, mainly isolating noisy guitar speakers, but building regs and tech sheets don't give you any indication of what the stuff is actually like. Many thanks :o)

@CharlieDIYte 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks! The key is to float your floors and walls ie don't screw them down to the joists like I did as the vibrations will pass straight through. I worked on a hotel recently and the team there were having to sound proof the penthouse suite and used special wall fixings that have a rubber grommet in them to isolate the vibrations.

@SteS 4 жыл бұрын

Hope I'm not too late and you haven't started. Look up the *White Book* pdf freely available on Gyprocs website. It has dB ratings on there. I use it all the time for work as I'm an Architectural Technician. It's 500 or so pages with details for all sorts but search the separating floor section which is what I use when it comes to one apartment above another or where the client requires high levels of sound deadening. This is where you will find the best solution for your needs. There's also the instacoustic website (link below) that has a variety of methods also. One I use the most is Cellecta ScreedBoard 28mm interlocking composite board that incorporates an 8mm resilient layer which doesn't require screws. This decouples the new floor from the subfloor. I use this method a lot for retrofit which will tackle impact sound along with 100mm ISOver roll for airborne sound but this adds a height of 28mm and only really applicable when retrofitting the entire floor level unless you don't mind a slight step. You will also need a strip around the perimeter if each wall which is available on the Cellecta website. If you want the best solution look at the White Book and go for the highest dB rating for your requirements and scenario or fall back on the other two. *White Book* www.gyproc.ie/knowledge-centre/white-book *InstaCoustic* www.instacoustic.co.uk/products *Cellecta ScreedBoard 28 mm* kzfaq.info/get/bejne/mpiDos6St7mxmnk.html These are my main go to resources for most sound proofing requirements.

@qkayani 3 жыл бұрын

@@SteS wow very indepth thanks

@Zephieish 3 жыл бұрын

Can you use this in upstairs bathroom under floorboards? Or is something else better suited?

@perfectstranger58 8 ай бұрын

Hi, I'm doing it in the bedroom at the moment. I was thinking to put MLV on top of the floorboards and then overboard with OSB or ply. But I started to think that MLV will be a vapour barier, and since the kitchen is below the room, I'm scared I may get conedensation problems between the joists that I will not be aware untill it's too late. Any oppinion about that?

@darranowen9704 3 жыл бұрын

Hi please can you help me .next summer I am having a new shed built in my back garden I am thinking about putting insulation in the walls because I will be spending quite a bit of time out there. I live in the UKso please can you advise me on what is the best thing to insulate the walls withand do I need to leave a gap between the walls and the insulation. Once I have done the insulation I will be putting sheets of board on top.I have been on different websites and they all say different to the other.please can you help and also please can you recommend a good book where I can get advice from thank you very much .

@islamrewards2860 4 жыл бұрын

Have you done anything similar for reducing sound in regards to the wall?

@paulfrost3501 Жыл бұрын

Hi, so this material IS insulation between the floors as well as soundproofing? Thanks.

@enplatformleicester1883 4 жыл бұрын

how do you install around wires and sockets?

@neilm2762 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the helpful guide, ive just layed rockwool and now will be laying a new chipboard floor, i have placed foam/rubber strips along the joists, when installing the chipboard with existing skirting boards, should the chipboard panels run under and past the existing skirting? Hope you can advise, cheers

@SteS 4 жыл бұрын

Guys look up the gypsum white book. It's what I refer to for work as I'm an Architectural technician. It's a 500 odd page pdf available on the Gyproc website. It has lots of different scenarios that will suit your needs with dB ratings and u value also should you need it. There's details of how to upgrade existing ceiling and floors or one or the other.

@sandrinakeffufal6008 2 жыл бұрын

I recently discovered your fantastic channel, and going back to your older videos I can see that you have improved with time - so glad that you decided to do away with the background music which I find quite annoying! Anyway I will keep watching as I love your style :)

@CharlieDIYte 2 жыл бұрын

Sandrina thank you so much. Yes the music was a massive error 🤦🏻‍♂️ I've certainly changed how I do this over the years except they seem to be taking longer and longer to put together now! Can't thank you enough for showing interest in my channel 🙏

@scottmclean4237 4 жыл бұрын

Good video as always now, very informative and great shots. I’m insulating my outdoors garden workshop and want to stop as much noise as poss from power tools , router , table saw ect from annoying neighbours. Is this wool upto the job or would you suggest rigid foam sheets

@qkayani 3 жыл бұрын

Hi Scott, how did you get on with the project? And tips you can share

@PaulFeatherstone 5 жыл бұрын

Great video thanks Charlie! Did you ever use Soundshield plasterboard?

@davidmoseley9617 Жыл бұрын

Charlie, have you ever used joist accoustic tape? Like green glue?

@LoveLife-xy9ir 6 жыл бұрын

yeh add a rubber layer on the joists, about 2 cm, then the chip board on top. Dont screw it down, its important. use a sealant around the edges,,, its also important to leave a gap around the perimeter of the chip board, then really fill it in with sealeant. Depends if youre happy with extra few cms... Thanks for the good advice on Rock wool. looks like the right choice. Kind regards,,, Ad.

@LoveLife-xy9ir 6 жыл бұрын

I meant few cms added to the overall height. cheers

@CharlieDIYte 6 жыл бұрын

Love Life I agree. Should have added rubber and not screwed down the chipboard.

@goodbyetothepeople92 5 жыл бұрын

How is the chipboard held down if you don’t screw them to the joists?

@emmamacaskill6901 6 ай бұрын

Hi, please let me know if those worked? I'm experiencing a major problem from the flat beneath mine and am hearing everything - lots of airborne and impact noise. I need to address it. I'd like to hear from people who've successfully eradicated noises like coughing, crying, footsteps and snoring from a flat below. Is rockwool between the joists the answer?

@bettemasedu 6 жыл бұрын

Hi thanks for this! I wonder how much insulation can i obtain without opening the floorboards? At the moment is rubbish: i think builders put only the normal acoustic roll. Also: i have spotlights on the below floor which obv have a recess: is this safe with the wiring? my hope was to use some insulation foam with holes into the floorboards

@zedman442 7 жыл бұрын

Whoever ran that cabling should have read the book on good notching techniques from "J R I don't give a toss on notching spacing and regs" lol

@CharlieDIYte 7 жыл бұрын

+Zed Man I'd certainly have a few things to say to them!

@homedecore4135 3 жыл бұрын

One of the Best Ideas of Soundproofing is "SoundProof Curtains" That Stops Outside Noise by 80% (25 Db) Tested. Check Here: livesoundproof.com/best-soundproof-curtains/

@guslja 5 жыл бұрын

Hi Charlie, thank you for this video. We will be doing this, but we will be laying down the original floor boards because they are still like new and of gorgeous quality. From experience we know that when the original floor boards are put back in place they start creaking terribly. You mention you put something in the gaps between the floor boards for that reason. What is it?

@amg863 2 жыл бұрын

No he didn't fill the gaps to stop it from creaking it was to stop the sound from travelling through. To stop the creaking you just need to screw down the boards properly.

@matthewhuber7449 5 жыл бұрын

Nice video! Can you double up the layer of rock wool? It looks like you could have got an extra layer in. Would a double layer be preferable to a higher density type?

@georgemoore2928 3 жыл бұрын

No. You shouldn't compress Rockwool into a cavity as it can actually increase transmission across the void.

@mrtango5003 3 жыл бұрын

I really wanna make a soundproofing bed box for my sleep.

@da_great_mogul 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the video. If rigidity is important for sound proofing ability (which I agree, it is) then why not use 50mm indulation boards that work out at around £4.88 per sm versus Rockwool that works out at about £8 per square metre? Perhaps I'm missing something.

@CharlieDIYte 4 жыл бұрын

Not sure I'm familiar with those? Sounds proofing floors is a tricky one because as well as the measures I used here, you really need to incorporate a floating floor that isn't fixed to the joists as sounds vibrations travel through the joists and floor into the room.

@legolasgreenleaf702 3 жыл бұрын

Firstly thank you so much for the video. Has this caused the room to be much more warmer, not so much an issue during winter but I'm slightly worried for some of the hot months in the summer?

@CharlieDIYte 3 жыл бұрын

Not noticeably and in fact I've done this also below our bedroom floor (sitting room below) as I wanted to be able to control room temperature individually with our smart heating system. If it's for sound you're thinking of installing it for, you should consider some kind of floating floor, rather than screwing the floor down like I did, because the sound vibrations will travel up through the joists if you screw it down.

@cuezed 5 жыл бұрын

Can the rockwool be fitted directly beneath the floorboards leaving a gap between the rockwool and downstairs ceiling for the downlights?

@CharlieDIYte 5 жыл бұрын

I guess the question is how you're going to maintain the gap? Might be easier to fit loft caps over the downlight then you don't have to worry if the insulation touches the downlights. Granted, LEDs produce a lot less heat than halogen or CFLs, but you shoudn't just cover downlights with insulation, UNLESS you have special fire rated downlights that are designed to be covered bit.ly/2Yn3ajS

@plasticbob556 4 жыл бұрын

Cut it with a serated bread ,Knauff do a similar accoustic slab

@imictfh 3 жыл бұрын

Excellent video..I've sub'd you. Could the Rockwool you used be used for thermal insulation at the same time too?

@CharlieDIYte 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for the sub 👍🏻 It depends. Internal walls yes, but external walls you'd probably want to use a foam and foil (Ecotherm/ Celotex type) product as rockwool will be a sponge for moisture. Ok if it's well ventilated though, as that's the principle of loft insulation.

@imictfh 3 жыл бұрын

Do you know if Rockwool Thermo Roll (Blue) will be as good for sound reduction as Rockwool Sound Insulation (Grey) - Shown here in this vid? We'd ideally like something for sound reduction first and then thermal insulation..Can we do a combination of both on top of each other?

@botany500kojak 3 жыл бұрын

Check out John Brandt - he is a professional soundproof studio builder. He says rockwool does not soundproof.

@andyl666 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the video. Would it also help to put acoustic sealant in the cracks between the chipboard?

@CharlieDIYte 3 жыл бұрын

Yes but to be truly effective you really need a floating floor that is itself sound deadening. The problem with what I did here is screwing into the joists which allows the sound to travel through the joists into the room.

@andyl666 3 жыл бұрын

@@CharlieDIYte Right ... but all else being equal, would it also improve the soundproofing to also add some acoustic sealant on the joins between the chipboard and around the edges?

@1979com 3 жыл бұрын

What if you did 2 lays of the rockwool. Or will that give poor air circulation? I have 200mm gap in my floor joist and was thinking of putting 200mm loft fiberglass insulation.

@botany500kojak 3 жыл бұрын

I think it was John Brandt or Rod Gervais (both professional soundproof studio builders) that said fiberglass is better than rockwool.

@Guitube99 2 жыл бұрын

I did the same thing but added a Sonopan layer between the rockwool and floor boards. There was barely any sound coming through, very effective. The Rockwool Comfortboard 80 sheets could be even better, I don't know.

@CharlieDIYte 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Guillaume. Yes, great recommendation. Did you have the floor floating (not screwed down) as this is key also to decoupling it to prevent vibrations traveling through the joists.

@Guitube99 2 жыл бұрын

@@CharlieDIYte I did have some screws in there but It would probably be even better without them indeed.

@MikeOwen15 3 жыл бұрын

Hi like the vid. I'm just researching this area for a loft conversion. The main take away for me is complying to UK building regs. BC shared to me that mass needs to be min 10kg /m and 100mm thick for airborne between floors. So this product appears to comply with regs. There appear to be no regs for impact noise. I accept that if you have noisy neighbours, you want a reduction in all noise. Currently looking if the same regs apply to party walls. Anyone know regs off the top of their head for walls?

@smellypunks 10 ай бұрын

The first product used in the video looked like 10Kg/m, the second one looked like 45Kg/m. There are other products on the market which are all the way up to 100Kg/m

@twzsu 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Mate, i try to fix airborne noises in my room, thing is in my floor space between joints is more deep, also in top of that, my rockwool i purchased is not that thick as yours, so probably after install i would still have like 20 cm of air gap to the top of boards. Do you think it will going to work and will not affect soundproofing effect i want achieve? It my first time i am doing this so i will appreciated for any tips.

@CharlieDIYte 2 жыл бұрын

I think the main battle is creating a floating floor that isn't attached to the joists as sound travels through the joists even with the rock wool - so if you screw your for down like I did without dampers underneath the sound can travel though. It's not terribly practical advice as it can lead to a raised floor, but if you can focus on this, that would be time well spent. So new floor in a sound insulating material, with dampers between the floor and joists, you'll have a fab solution.

@Bigfoistchannel 7 жыл бұрын

I've been thinking of using this in our flat to cut down noise from the neighbours below. I have been looking at Rockwool that is 400 mm x 1200 mm. Do you know if 400 mm will be wide enough to fill the cavity between the joists? (really don't want to pull up our flooring and floorboards before I have to...

@CharlieDIYte 7 жыл бұрын

Hi Nick, personally I wouldn't buy any Rockwool until you're sure what the width is between each joist - it's expensive stuff and you don't want to buy the wrong one. You don't need to pull up the whole lot - just one at one end of the room, and maybe one at the other - so you can check that the joist width is consistent across the room.

@Bigfoistchannel 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks Charlie, I was hoping there would be some standardised joist width or something!. I'll try to get a bit of it up and see what the deal is. I was also thinking of putting acoustic plasterboard over the floorboards and sealing with acoustic sealant, do you think that would be effective?

@CharlieDIYte 7 жыл бұрын

Hmmm. I'm not sure about acoustic plasterboard, as this isn't designed to be trodden on. You're trying to reduce airborne noise from below - rather than impact noise (because you don't really care if they hear you), so try Googling "acoustic underlay for airborne noise" or "how to reduce airborne noise through floorboards". Check out this thread goo.gl/L1drf7 as they had a similar issue to sort out. Basically, you're looking at something like their SBM5 product - it's really heavy rubber matting that goes below the underlay. I used this a year ago in my son's bedroom (bought from www.soundservice.co.uk - 2 layers each glued down using the spray they also supply. I've got to say it didn't eliminate the noise from our kitchen, but I didn't rockwool between his joists (I used acoustic wool that was rubbish!). If it was me, and noise from downstairs was a real problem, the first thing I'd do was check that the problem is contained in one room - ie check that the sound isn't coming up through other rooms as well, because you don't want to spend a lot of money on the floor only to find that the noise is permeating up through your ensuite, or the adjoining kitchen! If the walls are brick and your flat is the same layout as downstairs, you may be ok. If you're sure the sound is only coming up through this floor, then if it was me, I'd rip up the floor boards, put Rockwool between the joists, and then lay chipboard (possibly an acoustic one if you can find one that is acoustic for airborne noise, not just impact). I'd lay this instead of the floor boards, because again, in my son's room, I spent hours (days!) re-laying his old floor boards - which I damaged ripping up, and then piping acoustic sealant into all the gaps. In hindsight tongue and groove chipboard would have been quicker and more effective. Then I'd lay 2-4 layers of SBM5 goo.gl/DXdWxv - the more layers you lay the better the soundproofing will be, followed by a felt underlay (or if you've got the budget, an acoustic underlay like www.soundservice.co.uk/quietfloor_plus.html and then your carpet. I must stress though that I'm not an expert in soundproofing, so I suggest you gem up on this on the internet in case the industry professionals can tell you something I've missed. You can get lots of really useful info by phoning up the acoustic companies (like sound service) and ask them for advice. Hope that helps!

@Bigfoistchannel 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the very thorough reply. I was thinking acoustic plasterboard because the website of one soundproofing company I looked at actually had that as one of their solutions (along with rockwool). I'll maybe do a bit more research but I was also looking at the soundproof mat like you mentioned. I'm not exactly sure where the sound is coming from downstairs so we are doing all of the rooms in the flat bar the kitchen and bathroom in which we are intending to put down slate flooring. The people downstairs aren't incredibly loud but the floors are so thin that we can hear any conversation above a normal level, plus they have a newborn which cries occasionally. I'm thinking that rockwool and some kind of underlay should be enough as it isn't loud music or similar. Is there an easy way to find out if the walls are brick (apart from punching them)? As you can probably guess, I'm not an expert on soundproofing either or any type of DIY for that matter! Thanks again for taking time to help.

@CharlieDIYte 7 жыл бұрын

+Nick Parsons We're all learning something here! I hadn't realised there was a plasterboard specifically designed for floors. I'm guessing you were looking at something like Gypfloor Silent goo.gl/4tjI14 I don't know anything about this product except to say British Gypsum are a really good company so anything they produce is going to be decent quality. From what you describe, the measures you're going to take - rockwool plus an acoustic underlay will be more than adequate for the sound you're trying to reduce. You can normally tell if a wall is brick or stud work by tapping it with your knuckles. If it feels reassuringly solid it's likely to be brick, or if it sounds hollow it's probably stud work (ie plasterboard on a timber or metal frame). The only problem with studwork is that sound can travel up through the gap in the wall, so you hear of people insulating walls as well in this sort of situation, but see how you get on with the floors - it's bound to make a huge difference :)

@pauldolton9118 4 жыл бұрын

Hi Charlie, Just been reading up on rockwool and a few articles say its just as bad as asbestos. Have you heard of anything about this?

@laurabrown6073 3 жыл бұрын

One of the Best Ideas of SoundProofing is "SoundProof Curtains" That Stops Outside Noise by 80% (25 Db) Tested. Check Here: livesoundproof.com/best-soundproof-curtains/

@mrbillhicks 6 жыл бұрын

I was having problems with the noise made by the kids in the flat below mine running around. I asked the owner to install some sound proofing, Deckfon acoustic boards, underlay and new carpet etc. She contacted a sound proofing company who wanted to rip up the floorboards and lay Rockwool in between the joists !!! I asked what would be the point in laying Rockwool in between the joists on the ground floor flat ? In my opinion the Rockwool would only be of benefit in the upstairs rooms. Also, the Pole who lives down there with his kids claimed that the problem is due to the fact that English houses are rubbish and that in Poland they don't have this problem because properties are made of concrete... Just to demonstrate how dense this chap is he then told me that the guy who came to install the acoustic boards layed them upside down and that the foam backing should have been on the top !! At this point I decided to end the conversation as I felt that it was moving in a direction I was uncomfortable with...

@DubSalvation 5 жыл бұрын

The Pole actually has a valid point in that houses should be constructed with concrete rather than shitty wood which creaks and lets noise through like you are experiencing. Hes spot on. And you sir are a moron.

@garyknight8616 5 жыл бұрын

Great job Charlie. Just wondering if Rockwool do an exterior product I could use to make an acoustic fence panel. Thanks for your efforts.

@PrinceWesterburg 4 жыл бұрын

Snipers are cheap, put 'Croatian' in your search ;o)

@Xander054 6 жыл бұрын

I’ve just purchased superglass mineral wool acoustic roll. Are you sayings it’s gonna be useless? It’s density is 10kg/m3

@CharlieDIYte 6 жыл бұрын

My Knauf Earthwool acoustic roll was also 10kg/m3... Depends what you've bought it for, and what sound you're trying to deaden mate. All I can say is that in my case it didn't work, because it just doesn't deaden sound like the Rockwool does. As far as I'm concerned, this stuff is really only good for insulation. Granted, it will lessen to a degree the impact of the sound between the floors, which without any sort of insulation in them are just a perfect sound box through which the sound can travel with ease. But if you're really trying to eliminate sound through the floors, you need a product like Rockwool - as thick as possible to match the depth of the floor joists. If you're really wanting to go to town on the sound problem, you should maybe combine this with a high density sound retardent floor board system - and ideally you'd make the floor floating - ie you won't screw the floor boards down like I did, because again that allows the sound to reverberate through the floor joists, through the floor and into the room.

@virtualgeezer 6 жыл бұрын

Yeah we put Earthwool in our bathroom floor and it honestly made no difference to the airbourne noise from the guy beneath us. Rockwall is the way to go as it's much denser and exactly what we plan on using for the next room. Just go with what you can afford, Rockwool RWA45 has a density of 45kg/m3, but you can increase that by choosing RW3 (60kg/m3), RW5 (100kg/m3) or the big daddy of the group RW6 which is 140kg/m3. I found those stats here: www.insulationwarehouse.co.uk/rockwool_rwa45.htm as Rockwools own website strangely doesn't appear to give you the details you need to know!

@CharlieDIYte 6 жыл бұрын

A fantastic reply - thanks for contributing! The floating floor is another good measure, but really hard to implement in practice because you're going to end up with a step between the areas you've done and those that you haven't.

@steveprice9462 5 жыл бұрын

Hi Charlie, you are dealing with sound rising from below. Would this method reduce noise going in the other direction ie from the room above to one below. Thanks.

@CharlieDIYte 5 жыл бұрын

I think insulating between the joists would help to reduce the noise but the problem is the sound travels through the joists and ceiling through vibrations as the ceiling is obviously nailed/screwed to the joists above. So to truly cut out the sound you would have to have a floating ceiling with something like Oscar iso-mounts (kzfaq.info/get/bejne/mqmWdqmp29PLoJs.html) which basically prevent the vibrations from continuing through the ceiling. That combined with Rockwool which is often blown into the void and two layers of plasterboard would be a really good solution.

@steveprice9462 5 жыл бұрын

@@CharlieDIYte Hi, thanks for that. Not sure I can manage a floating ceiling...yes i am sure...I cant. But how about a floating floor in the room above i.e. an interlocking chip board one with the interlocks glued, with a sound insulating underlay like the one you mentioned in the video and make sure the subfloor is not creaky. I could manage that. And the Rockwool of course. I never had these problems in my old Victorian house only this new one...we call it the "paper house".

@CharlieDIYte 5 жыл бұрын

@@steveprice9462 I didn't realise you owned the upstairs - assumed it was noisy neighbours!! Yes that would help massively. The main thing is not to screw down the upstairs floor - have it floating as you say. There are some interesting sound insulated boards on the market - worth doing a bit of research on this.

@smellypunks 9 ай бұрын

That is a 45kg product, the roll you used was a 10kg I would think. Rockwool also do a 60kg and 100kg products (RW3, RW4) which are denser and more expensive but also better. I used RWA45 at 200mm thickness under my ground floor, only time will tell how well it works both for sound and thermal insulation. Cost about £800 for materials to do the full ground floor of my average 3 bed.

@CharlieDIYte 9 ай бұрын

Thanks, that's good to know 👌

@wesleyearl9056 7 жыл бұрын

Which type of rockwool insulation was this?

@CharlieDIYte 7 жыл бұрын

+Wesley Earl There's a link to it below the video. Click on the little arrow to open the Description box.

@stylesg7818 4 жыл бұрын

Stupid question... Would it be possible to poor a thin layer of concrete over the floor board (70 to 100mm). Please reply. Thank you.

@CharlieDIYte 4 жыл бұрын

I wouldn't do that (and I'm not sure why you'd want to) as the wood floor is never solid enough to stop the concrete cracking.

@ivyanddadmetaldetectinguk9192 4 жыл бұрын

Hi, I’m about to do the whole of my flat with rock wool and a acoustic membrane on top. We have horrific downstairs neighbours , what is your opinion on it now it’s been down a while? Many thanks

@CharlieDIYte 4 жыл бұрын

It certainly dampens the sound but to be really effective you need to lay some sort of floating floor if you can (ie not screwed down to the joists) - itself preferably an insulated material, as otherwise the sound vibrations travel through the joists and through the floorboards into the flat. What you're doing should help a lot though.

@bassbytes 4 жыл бұрын

Hi Lee, am interested to hear how it went with the rock wool and acoustic membrane that you were planning to install in your flat. Was it effective? Am considering the same myself.

@ivyanddadmetaldetectinguk9192 4 жыл бұрын

bassbytes Hi, because of time I have so far only managed my living room. It was carpeted but we went for laminate . So I put in the rock wool between the joists, flooring back down. Acoustic sealant between all gaps and skirting. If your in the UK b and q do an acoustic underlay , I can send you the link , that went down , then a fibreboard underlay. The laminate we used also had a built in foam underlay . Just to add when I took the flooring up there was absolutely nothing between the joists ( just straight to downstairs ceiling) from being able to hear every foul conversation we can just now hear a mumble . In a percentage I’d say probably an 80 % improvement. If I had more money I would have used the acoustic matting ( worked out about £400 per room) . The overall cost not including flooring was £240 . Hope this helps 👍

@AJ-ds5gf 4 жыл бұрын

@@ivyanddadmetaldetectinguk9192 I'm in a similar situation to you so thanks for providing an update. I considered going for laminate but thought that carpet would help more to block out the noise. Can you tell me the name of the laminate you used? I'll google it. Thanks.

@satwinderdhariwal 2 жыл бұрын

What about also using sound resillent bars?

@jasonvanbreda4749 4 жыл бұрын

Do you have any experience with blocking footstep sounds from above in wooden 2 storey houses?

@CharlieDIYte 4 жыл бұрын

Hi Jason, no I don't, unfortunately. I'm guessing you're living downstairs and it's the neighbour's footsteps that is the problem? Carpet upstairs would help, but clearly that's out of your control. Ideally the upstairs floor would be uncoupled or floating (because sound travels through the ceiling joists), but again that's not something you can control. You'd have to construct some sort of floating ceiling, made from sound eliminating material.

@jasonvanbreda4749 4 жыл бұрын

@@CharlieDIYte thanks for the reply. I was thinking of using a rigid polystyrene board on the underside of the floor. What do you think?

@matthewmcmahon8980 4 жыл бұрын

Wondering what you ended up doing? Is it madness to not screw the floorboards down at all. You can buy foam strips for the tops of joists and have the floor floating. Chipboard might be better than OSB or Ply because you can seal gaps due to tongue and groove. But they're harder to take up again I guess.

@jasonvanbreda4749 4 жыл бұрын

@@matthewmcmahon8980 haven't done anything yet as I still need to build the house. Have a few ideas. Using very dense fireboard and insulation inbetween.

@matthewmcmahon8980 4 жыл бұрын

@@jasonvanbreda4749 do you.mean fibreboard? Or fireboard as in thick plasterboard. I'm doing a floor tomorrow and going to try out the decoupled floating floor using tongue and groove!

@fionah986 4 жыл бұрын

Did this work at all?

@AndrewHelgeCox 3 жыл бұрын

Could you have gone deeper with the insulation or is the air gap above it important for ventilation?

@CharlieDIYte 3 жыл бұрын

Yes I could have. Ventilation isn't really an issue as this is an internal floor so no condensation issues, but your main problem is to prevent sound pushing up through the floor joists - which i didn't really ameliorate here because I screwed the floor down. It has reduced the noise but to be really effective you want a floating floor (ie not screwed down) made out of insulating material - but this isn't always practical where you're only insulating certain rooms in the house.

@mryan4452 9 ай бұрын

@@CharlieDIYtegreat video! Could I ask if the floating floor is necessary if you are in upstairs bedroom and just want to block noise coming from downstairs? I am thinking floating floor is only necessary if it's the converse, blocking noise travelling downwards?

@olliet7739 4 жыл бұрын

Bugger. Just bought the knauff stuff. Wish I had seen this first 🤦‍♂️

@mariaball8043 4 жыл бұрын

can I lay chipboard panels on top of floorboards

@botany500kojak 3 жыл бұрын

Yes, but I doubt anyone would recommend it.

@kuruderesk 11 ай бұрын

Links to products on this video are broken :(

@CharlieDIYte 11 ай бұрын

Thanks I'll take a look. 👊

@Moultonist 5 жыл бұрын

Could you have simply fixed a new layer of plasterboard to the ceiling below? A layer of 12.5mm plasterboard = 8.35 kg / sq.m. A layer of Rockwool Acoustic RW45 = 4.5 kg / sq.m. So Rockwool is half as effective and inevitable gaps. I appreciate you may have lifted the floorboards for other reasons and took the opportunity to add some Rockwool. Any improvement is welcome

@drivingteacher786 4 жыл бұрын

You not related to Gordan Ramsey by any chance? :-)

@TRYLIKTO 4 жыл бұрын

You will have problems if you didn't put wapper barrier from underneath

@peterroese3920 2 жыл бұрын

The insulation would have made no difference other than cut noise in the cavity… should have used something like a joist hood and floated a t&g 18/22mm sub floor floor over the top. As soon as you screw through the chipboard to the joist that’s how the sound travels.

@CharlieDIYte 2 жыл бұрын

I agree Peter. It did help to reduce the noise but I agree a floating floor is key.

@bradley8uy9ashcroft84 6 жыл бұрын

I'm a qualified floor layer and the Rockwool is gd both sound and thermal qualities but the batons used here do not have foam on them therefore the sound will travel through batons then floor also there is no flanking to perimeter applied so it's a fail for me.. just saying

@joseffelis 6 жыл бұрын

do you work in/around london?

@HalfManThirdBiscuit 5 жыл бұрын

@@joseffelis If he didn't reply it's probably a yes ;)

@debrudda6540 5 жыл бұрын

i heard that denseness in isolation dont matter, u can get the cheapest

@BlueGamerDude 5 жыл бұрын

the way you touch the glass wool.....

@BippyGrace 5 жыл бұрын

Rockwool isn't like fiberglass. You can touch it with your hands without hating your life for weeks afterwards. I always went over my skin with duct tape after dealing with fiberglass to try to get it all out, even wearing long sleeves and protection- never had a problem with rockwool.

@BlueGamerDude 5 жыл бұрын

@@BippyGrace 2:17 but thats fiberglass

@responsibleparty 7 жыл бұрын

This is definitely not the best way to do this. All Rockwool does is dampen air-borne sound. It will do nothing for vibrations and sound traveling through the wood. To really reduce sound transfer, you need to somehow decouple the floor from the joists. One way is some sort of rubber spacer--there are many different types available. Another would be some sort of arrangement were the floor is somehow spaced from the joists. As it is, you've screwed the floor directly to the joists and sound and vibration can travel freely between the two.

@CharlieDIYte 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the comment - you clearly know your stuff! I agree that this is definitely not the best way to soundproof the floor. The problem is, decoupling if done properly will add a great deal of depth to the floor above the joists by the time you've added rubber stud joint isolators and the additional insulation and subflooring above them. A lot of the comments I have received are from people who, like me, are just trying to make a material impact on the amount of air-borne sound coming through the floor in a particular area of the house. As Nick said below "The people downstairs aren't incredibly loud but the floors are so thin that we can hear any conversation above a normal level, plus they have a newborn which cries occasionally. I'm thinking that rockwool and some kind of underlay should be enough as it isn't loud music or similar." It often isn't practical when you're doing isolated soundproofing of this nature to drastically increase the height of the floor in a particular room - and indeed if you do this in one room, for it to be truly effective I would have thought you need to decouple a much larger area of the apartment/ the whole foot plate in order that the sound doesn't simply permeate up from another room where the floor hasn't been decoupled. And then you've got the dividing walls to think about - which the sound could also travel up through ... So I take your point that it's not the best solution, but as with so many things in life, sometimes you need to take a pragmatic approach - and compromise on a solution that achieves the desired level of sound diminution, taking into account the financial and practical constraints of the particular project. That said, I take on board what you say, and will refer to your comment in the Description below the video, whilst perhaps adding a qualification in terms of how far the soundproofing goes.

@rehanjj 5 жыл бұрын

@@NiallEveritt lol - spot on 😂

@HalfManThirdBiscuit 5 жыл бұрын

I'm planning on hanging a ceiling of acoustic boards from resilience bars screwed into timber joists - it will be a new kitchen diner and the hope is the kid's bedroom above will be relatively undisturbed by noise. Would you say not to bother with the Rockwool between those joists? I was thinking belt 'n' braces but it looks like it would add approx £150 to the job.

@thomasleach4448 5 жыл бұрын

@@HalfManThirdBiscuit You can use the cheaper glass wool, 50mm of 10kg/m3 is fine. All it does is reduce cavity resonance within the two mass layers so density is less important. Take care not to screw through the resi-bar as this will ruin it's performance. I'd recommend SoundBloc or similar for the increased low frequency airborne sound insulation performance.

@HalfManThirdBiscuit 5 жыл бұрын

@@thomasleach4448 Thanks!