The most effective solution, balancing cost and quality, is installing suspended ceilings using high-quality insulators like mineral wool. Here’s why the use of acoustic hangers and acoustic membranes, combined with mineral wool, is crucial.
Protecting against noise in urban environments is one of the biggest challenges in construction, but modern architectural solutions and materials effectively address this issue. However, what can you do when more noise comes from the apartment above than desired?
Related Articles:
HOW TO INSULATE AN UNUSED ATTIC
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STONE AND GLASS WOOL INSULATION
STYROFOAM OR MINERAL WOOL – WHICH INSULATION IS BETTER?
Experienced contractors and architects generally agree that the most efficient way to soundproof your space against noise from the apartment above is to insulate the floor, where the noise originates. While this is true, it’s often not feasible, leaving you with the only option: soundproofing the ceiling on your side.
When it comes to noise from the apartment above, it can be divided into two groups: impact noise and airborne noise. Impact noise includes footsteps, objects falling on the floor, and furniture moving, which are much harder to isolate. The other source of noise results from voices, children playing, television, and music devices, which are easier to isolate.
Suspended Ceilings as Optimal Noise Protection
The most effective way to isolate a room from sounds from the apartment above is to insulate both the ceiling and the walls to create a soundproof box. However, this is a relatively extensive and costly procedure that also significantly reduces the available square footage of the room. In most apartments where space is already limited, this is not an ideal solution.
As a compromise, installing a suspended ceiling along with some soundproofing material offers a good balance between investment and return. Additionally, installing a suspended ceiling allows for hiding cables, installations, and adding extra lighting.
One option is to install a traditional suspended ceiling with a substructure and gypsum boards. The most critical step in this type of suspended ceiling is installing acoustic hangers. Hangers are metal connections that secure the suspended ceiling to the concrete ceiling. If traditional metal hangers are used, they will conduct noise, especially impact noise from the floor above your apartment.
Acoustic hangers feature a special soundproofing break, interrupting the propagation of noise and achieving a noise reduction of three to six decibels. Acoustic hangers are particularly effective in interrupting the propagation of lower and middle-frequency noise, which is the main problem with impact noise.
An excellent soundproofing material used in suspended ceiling solutions is mineral wool. There are various manufacturers, including special high-density mineral wool boards specifically designed to improve sound insulation. It’s worth noting that besides enhancing sound insulation, the installation of mineral wool also improves thermal insulation.
Effective and Simple Solution: Acoustic Panels
In addition to installing suspended ceilings with special constructions, another solution is to install acoustic ceiling panels. While this solution may be slightly less effective (although the difference is negligible), it offers some other advantages.
These soundproof panels, offered by many manufacturers of construction insulation materials, are directly glued to the ceiling. Consequently, there’s no need for any additional construction or acoustic hangers, making the process much faster and simpler. Another advantage is that this method takes up less space than suspended ceilings. The thickness is approximately five centimeters (aprox. two inch), making it suitable for smaller spaces.
It’s worth noting that suspended ceilings with a thicker soundproofing layer are more effective, although it’s not always necessary. A professional will best assess the optimal solution for your space.