Tired of Noisy Neighbors? Expert Explains How to Do Soundproofing Yourself

Alexander Boganyk, an expert in soundproofing and acoustic comfort

If you're the type of person who enjoys retiling your bedroom walls or laying tiles for a kitchen backsplash, most soundproofing measures for your home should be within your reach to complete on your own. The key in this field, aside from choosing quality materials, is meticulous execution of their installation techniques.

Moreover, the homeowner is far more motivated than hired contractors to achieve optimal results. Therefore, they won't brush off requirements like the presence of resilient shims at all joints of soundproofing structures or total sealing of seams and joints. Professional builders, accustomed to optimizing everything, sometimes overlook proper application of soundproofing technologies. As a result, the client suffers later—after moving in—when there's no one to ask.

Soundproofing Floors

Soundproofing in an apartment starts with floors. This is primarily due to mandatory requirements set by SNiP, which require soundproof floor structures in all rooms of the apartment. These constructions are designed to protect your neighbors below from the sound of your footsteps, falling objects, and moving furniture. Similarly, the soundproof floor structure in the apartment above you protects you from noise coming from above. If you're purchasing a new apartment without finishing, it's best not to leave this matter to chance. Visit your neighbors above and clarify the situation directly.

Standard Soundproof Floor Construction

A flexible material with a thickness of 4–5 mm is laid on the bare floor slab, followed by a leveling cement-sand screed with a minimum thickness of 50–60 mm. Since such a screed must not be rigidly connected to other structures and effectively lies on the slab under its own weight, it is called a floating screed, and the entire soundproof floor assembly is referred to as a floating floor. If you and your neighbors above comply fully with SNiP guidelines, acoustic comfort in the apartment will significantly improve.

How to Enhance Soundproofing

If you're a music lover or have noisy, active children—instead of using thin roll material under the leveling screed, it's better to use soundproofing boards or a leveling soundproof coating that is 20 mm thick.

This not only increases impact sound insulation (footsteps), but also improves sound isolation from yelling, laughter, music, and movie sounds. One of our clients 15 years ago, after such a pre-renovation visit to neighbors, discovered that the person living under him was extremely nervous and unpleasant, known for being a professional complainer. Therefore, having two young and very active twin children at the time, he installed a triple-layer soundproofing (3x20 mm) throughout his entire apartment. Yes, it cost him some reduction in ceiling height, but since the renovation, his neighbor below has never once raised any complaints about excessive noise.

Soundproofing Walls

Additional soundproofing of a wall shared with neighbors is another area where efforts can be focused to improve the acoustic insulation of an apartment. This is particularly relevant for monolithic-frame buildings where such walls are made from relatively lightweight aerated concrete blocks. In reality, the sound insulation of these walls is significantly lower than comfortable levels, making it possible to clearly hear conversations from neighbors—especially at higher volumes.

The Thinnest and Most Effective System for Additional Soundproofing

A frameless soundproof panel system (abbreviated as SIPS) increases wall sound insulation by about 15 dB at a thickness of approximately 5 cm. This is more than enough to ensure acoustic comfort in an apartment. Using thinner materials (1–2 cm) only provides a psychological effect, as one can fool oneself, but physics cannot be negotiated.

The Most Important Aspect of Soundproofing

Let me reiterate the importance of quality in construction and installation work. If this is done by hired contractors, it’s wise to closely monitor the process since it's described in detail in instructions provided with soundproofing materials and demonstrated in video tutorials. You can also hire specialized installers who have been trained by manufacturers of soundproofing systems and understand better the responsibility they bear toward the client for achieving the final acoustic result.

Cover Design: Ksenia Usanova