Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Original poster

Soundproofing a party wall? Any experience

14 replies

minipie · 10/02/2021 11:28

We’re in a terrace. New neighbours have moved in and they are so much louder than the previous ones! They aren’t doing anything unreasonable, just have noisy small children. It only causes an issue in our bedrooms when trying to get to sleep (DD bedtime) or stay asleep in the morning. Unfortunately we and DD1 have beds against that wall and there isn’t really a choice on layout.

We are thinking of adding some sort of soundproofing to our bedroom wall and DD’s bedroom wall. Has anyone done this? If so what did you use, and how much did it help?

OP posts:
Buntysbosom · 10/02/2021 14:34

When we were in a terrace our neighbour became hard of hearing. We could watch tv with our volume off because we could just listen to his it was so loud!

We paid £££ to have the party wall done with thick insulation backed plaster board & replastered. We lost a bit of space it was so thick. It made no difference Sad we were later told that sound travels through joists, not just walls. Shame the person doing the work didn’t bother to tell us that, we may as well have saved our money. We moved.

Original poster
minipie · 10/02/2021 16:00

Thanks Buntysbosom. It’s “soundproof” plasterboard we were thinking of. Such a shame it didn’t work for you after all that money and effort. You may have saved me from the same mistake.

OP posts:
Mirrorxx · 10/02/2021 16:03

I am really interested in finding out if anything actually works. We’ve just moved into a new house and the neighbours have quite loud children and play a lot of musical instruments but I don’t want to spend loads on it if it won’t help

Original poster
minipie · 10/02/2021 17:21

From some googling it seems like it depends on what sort of noise.

So vibrations (footsteps etc) will travel through joists and thickening the wall won’t help. Voices travel through the wall so soundproofing might help. Loud TV or music is probably both especially if there is heavy bass.

We have a mix of voices and footsteps (their staircase is behind our bedrooms)...

OP posts:
PunchyAnts · 10/02/2021 17:25

We had the same experience with "soundproofing plasterboard". More than twice the price as I recall and no noticeable difference to TV through the wall.

PunchyAnts · 10/02/2021 17:42

Sorry, know that's probably not what you want to hear. We have had noisy neighbours in the past so I know how difficult it can be. Moving our bed to the opposite non-boundary wall and sleeping with earplugs made it much better. I think as time goes on, you learn to tune out certain noise too. Have lived on busy main roads and not noticed the traffic sound for example. Hope you find a solution!

MoiJeJous · 10/02/2021 17:49

Interested in this too

LadyCurd · 10/02/2021 19:17

We used soundstop for advice and highly reccomend them. We went with sm20 panels then two layers acoustic plasterboard. We went from hearing every word to only hearing muffled voices and it was so so much much better. Our house was on a hill and sound travelled down the hill we found and all the floorboards and ceilings set at 20-30cm difference so it made it harder to soundproof. We moved in the end and think the cost was at least £1.5k for the wall. So not cheap

Original poster
minipie · 10/02/2021 19:26

Thanks PunchyAnts and LadyCurd

LadyCurd that is promising. £1.5k we could live with if it makes enough of a difference. I will look up sm20 panels.

Unfortunately we can’t really move the bed due to positions of wardrobes, windows, doorways etc. I do wear earplugs but DD is only 8 and can’t get on with them.

OP posts:
LadyCurd · 12/02/2021 19:12

For 8yo white noise machines might work a treat? We use them to block road noise (we live on a main road)

MotherExtraordinaire · 12/02/2021 19:58

@Buntysbosom

When we were in a terrace our neighbour became hard of hearing. We could watch tv with our volume off because we could just listen to his it was so loud!

We paid £££ to have the party wall done with thick insulation backed plaster board & replastered. We lost a bit of space it was so thick. It made no difference Sad we were later told that sound travels through joists, not just walls. Shame the person doing the work didn’t bother to tell us that, we may as well have saved our money. We moved.

I was told this. The same as smells can waft through and both often do in older terraces.
johnd2 · 12/02/2021 21:12

Yeah white noise is a good one even for adults, you can get an app for free if you have a phone and then the volume up.

Original poster
minipie · 13/02/2021 10:50

Thanks, we could try white noise.
I’m hoping this is a temporary issue and the DC next door will be quieter in a year or two!

OP posts:
user1471538283 · 13/02/2021 21:29

We had soundproofing down one side of the hall and part of the family room and it deadened all noise except the banging of the fire doors. I bought ours on line and items stuff used in the space station! It was board that was screwed to the walls, soundproofing tape, plastering and painting. I paid about £1.5k including labour. We lost about half an inch.

I just cannot understand noisy people!

New posts on this thread. Refresh page