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Soundproofing wooden floor

Sound insulation of wooden floors

Air is a great conductor of sound. Therefore, the presence of through gaps and holes in the overlap facilitates the transfer of sound waves. Hardwood floors consist of a significant number of various parts. Between them there are leaks - cracks. These gaps must be sealed. For this, details of reel, flooring, and filing are desirable to unite. In the process of making wood floors, the gaps should be sealed, for example, with various sealants.

 Нанесение герметика на деревянную балку

Putting sealant on a wooden beam.

Photo 1

Today, there is a huge amount of special acrylic, polyurethane and other sealants for the connection of wooden elements. With particular care should be sealed the junction of floor elements to the walls.

The sound, the movement of people and objects cause fluctuations in the flooring, flooring boards, together with them there may be resonant oscillations of the space between the floor and ceiling beams.

The intensity of such fluctuations depends on the density and thickness of various parts of the overlap. Therefore, the more massive the overlap, the lower the intensity of oscillations. To reduce the sound conductivity of the slab flooring should not be taken too thin. Board thickness should not be less than 30 mm.

Reduces sound conductivity layer sound-absorbing backfill between the beams of the overlap. Sound insulation backfill stacked over the entire surface of the roll and level the rail. Expanded perlite * and expanded vermiculite ** (see GOST 4.209-79) have proven to be good filling.

Acceptable sound-absorbing properties have a variety of modern fibrous materials: slabs of stone wool or fluff pulp insulation, so-called ecowool.

These materials fill the space between the ceiling beams.

Укладка минваты в деревянное перекрытие каркасного дома 

Laying mineral wool in the wooden ceiling of the frame house.

Photo 2.

In order to prevent the spread of vibrations, it is necessary to place sound-proof seals in the places where the floor elements are supported. Traditionally, mats of various fibrous materials, boards of wood and mineral fibers, and various foams were used as such pads. Today, polyethylene foam tapes are used for this purpose.

A layer of glue is applied to one side of the tape. Adhesive bonding helps preserve the sound insulation properties of the material for a long time. Tapes have high elasticity and resistance to heat and vibration. Sound insulating tapes have a thickness of 3 and 5 mm, and a width of 50 - 100 mm.

When laying the flooring (which is both a finishing and “black” floor) directly along the floor beams, a package consisting of felt wrapped with roofing felt should be laid between the floor beams and the flooring.

The use of the floor on the logs, improves sound insulation. In this case, the gaskets are placed between the beams and lags. Instead of felt and roofing material, you can apply a tape of polyethylene foam. Sound insulation pads laid stripes under the lags along their entire length without gaps.

Укладка самоклеющейся ленты из вспененного полиэтилена под «черный пол» по балкам перекрытия

Laying self-adhesive tape from foamed polyethylene under the "black floor" on the floor beams.

Photo 3.

To prevent the transmission of sound through the stone walls, when the beams are completely embedded, their ends should be wrapped with two layers of antiseptic felt. The ends of the beams should be left open. Under the bottom edge of the end of the beam should be additionally put 1-2 layers of felt. With open embedment of the beams, it suffices to limit the insulation lining under the lower edge of the end of the beams.

The rigid connection of the elements of the ceiling with the walls contributes to the spread of impact noise throughout the building. The transmission of sound vibrations from the ceiling to the walls must be prevented. For this, gaps of 1-2 cm should be arranged between the floor and walls. The gaps must be filled with elastic sound-proofing materials: strips of hard mineral wool, soft fiberboard or tapes of polyethylene foam. The height of the soundproofing liners should be 50-70 mm.

The baseboard should be fixed directly to the floor, leaving a gap between the baseboard and the wall. It is possible to fix the baseboards to the walls. In this case, the gap should be provided between the baseboards and the floor.

The implementation of all these simple measures gives wooden floors a satisfactory degree of sound insulation.

* Perlite is a material of volcanic origin, which "heats up" when heated, i.e. increases in volume.

** Vermiculite is a natural mineral. It belongs to the group of hydromicas. When heated, exfoliated vermiculite is formed consisting of threads of a golden color.

Expanded perlite and vermiculite - bulk, light and durable materials. Fireproof. Good heat and sound insulators. Materials are not subject to rotting, are not affected by microorganisms, insects and rodents. These are non-toxic, environmentally friendly materials.

You may also be useful article about how to make a warm floor on wooden beams. There you will learn about the features of the organization of water heating in the floor of a wooden house.

Read the material: "Warm floor in a wooden house"

Read more articles about building your home here.

Pavlo Biriukovych
Pavlo Biriukovych
Engineering Systems and Energy Efficiency Expert

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