Sound insulation for ceilings

What you need to know
In order to solve sound problems it is important to know the exact source of the problem and how the sound propagates. Below you will find a brief explanation of what may cause a sound problem and what materials you can use to isolate it.

What is airborne noise?
These are the sounds produced by a noise source that causes the actual nuisance. Types of airborne noise include speech, television/radio, appliances and traffic noise.

What is contact noise?
These are the sounds produced by vibrations in the structure of a building, for example floors, walls or ceilings. Forms of contact noise can be: noise caused by walking, closing doors, playing children (e.g. dropping toys) or resonating machines and appliances such as a washing machine. In that case you experience this as sounds or physical vibration. Sounds from appliances are often perceived as hums.

What is flanking sound?
A ceiling that extends from one building via a (single-brick) wall to another building radiates flanking sound. In this case, insulating the ceiling alone may not be sufficient, the walls will also need to be insulated with, for example, Merfoflex pre-mounting system.

What should I insulate and with which products?
Nuisance from airborne noise from upstairs neighbours is largely due to the direct separation with the neighbours, in this case the ceiling. By shielding the ceiling with Merfoflex attachment system you can reduce the problem. After the installation of Merfoflex, the sound radiated from the ceiling is absorbed by the acoustic filling Akoestiwol and insulated by the two plasterboards that are mounted on the resilient Merfoflex Intermediate rails. This approach is also called the "room-in-room" principle, creating a floating room inside an existing room, which is the best approach. The more separation you can create between you and your neighbors using Merfoflex, the better the result.

In somewhat older buildings with low, wooden ceilings the Merfoflex product may be too thick. In that case you equip the hollow spaces between the beams with at least 70% Akoestiwol and finish this with two layers of plasterboard with extra mass in between in the shape of Isomat KE. Pay attention! You will not create a 'floating' ceiling, but this solution is the best.

What can I expect in terms of results?
The behaviour of vibrations and noise is complex, it is difficult to predict what the end result will be. That is why the above products have been tested and measured in laboratories to give an indication. You will find this information in the downloadable product sheet together with the manual. The result is influenced by the building itself and the construction of the property and the amount of flanking noise that enters your room in other ways.

Below you will find the products to insulate the ceiling

Sound Insulation for Ceilings