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Does regular insulation block sound? | |
Does regular thermal insulation block sound? I know there are different types of soundproofing insulation, but does regular insulation work at all? If so how well?
Answers:
1When it comes to insulation, you really do get what you pay for. If you want the best insulated home regardless of cost, spray foam would be the product of choice. The reason is not because of higher R-values necessarily, but the ability to stop air infiltration. Other insulation materials are porous to air and won't seal the house. Spray foams act as both an insulator to prevent conductive heat flow and an airseal to prevent convective heat flow.
There are two types of spray foams...closed-cell polyurethane and open celled products such as Icynene. Both are very effective. The closed cell foams offer a higher R-value per inch (approximately R-6.5-6.8 per inch) and can add rigidity and strength to the home because they are as hard as wood when installed. However they can offgas a small amount over time, and because they are rigid, do not move with the house over time which can lead to separation from the substrate in some instances. Open celled foams have a lower R-value per inch (R-3.6 per inch), but offer the benefit of being soft and being able to handle building movement without separating and losing the airseal. They are also waterbased which makes them very safe because there is no offgassing over time.
As far as sound control, the best products would either be an open celled foam (complete airseal and it is soft, helping to absorb sound) or a spray in cellulose product (airseal and good sound absorber). Closed cell foams perform pretty well also because of the airseal, but because they are so rigid, do not absorb sound as well as softer materials.
It's important to know that you will pay about 2.5-3 times the insulation cost for a foam insulated house as compared to standard fiberglass. Also,because of the tightness levels achieved with spray foam, you need to consider something like an air exchanger to bring fresh air into your house and purge out moist, stale air. Otherwise, you could have an indoor air quality and/or moisture problem inside the house.
Hope this helps.
From: john bergstrom
Insulation doesn't really 'block' sound. The sheets of drywall do that (having lots of mass is a cardinal rule in soundproofing).
Insulation absorbs the sound bouncing around inside your wall, killing any 'resonances' that can transmit noise through the partition. Whether it's fiberglass, cellulose, mineral wool or cotton, the acoustic performance is about the same. Expanded foam does not work well in this regard. It's too rigid and transmits vibration too readily.
From: Bonnie
How does sound insulation work
From: Now I Can Sleep
yes, insulation does help reduce sound! i bought a condo a few years ago and the people above me walk so hard and drop things all the time. i used to go up and knock on their door asking them to reduce the noise (or making them aware of it) but they kept saying they were making "living noises" and their noise was not loud to them. after going through this for about 4 months i just gave up and decided to sell my place because at that point i felt like they were making most of the noises intentionally b/c i asked them not to make the noises after a certain at night so i could sleep. but with the housing economy being so bad right now that if i sold now i would be "paying a buyer" to buy my place. so i've been doing some research over the last year about insulation and whether or not it's worth having it installed in my ceiling. i took the plunge and actually found someone (in home depot) who said he could do and his price was reasonable to me so we scheduled a date and made it happen. here are the results after insulating most of the rooms. 1) the bedroom is completely sound proof! this room was my first priority because at 2 or 3 in the morning the girl above would slam or throw something down on the floor. i think this was intentional but i couldn't prove it. also, in the morning when i was getting dressed in my bedroom she would make this heavy sound as though she was dropping something like a book or a weight. the insulation was installed during the day and that night i made sure to listen to see if there was difference in the sound and yes it was. i can tell she's dropping something heavy, but i don't hear anything like the thumping noise so now i can finally sleep without ear plugs in my ears at night for the first time in years. the instualtion made a 95% improvement in this room. 2) the bathrom and kitchen. the unit above me has ceramic tile in their bathroom and kitchen (both are above mine) just as i do in my unit. i tested the sound in there that night and the next morning and i would say the insulation only made a 40% difference. i can still hear my neighbor stumping around in the morning in the bath/bedroom but the noise is not as bad (she doesn't sound like she's dropping 2 ton bricks on the floor). however, it is worth noting that i don't hear her peeing in the bathroom (i would hear this if i was in my bathroom below her) so i'm hoping that she can't hear me peeing either now:) - also, i barely hear the dryer going upstairs (and they like to do laundry at 10pm at night. 3) the hallway / entry way from the front door. this was a 65-70% improvement. when my neighbors would come in they would "throw" their backpacks or bags down on their entry floor which is hardwood or parkay flooring. the evening after the insulation was blown in the ceilings, i waited for them to come home so i could test this sound and the insulation did make a difference. yes, i can tell they are walking in that entry way but i don't hear the shoes clacking or the heavy walking (they walk on the heels of their feet). other comments: there was more insulation put in the bedroom and entry way and i think that's why those areas have drowned out the noise so well. also, their bedroom has carpet so i think that also helped. i'm still trying to decided what other options i should take for the bathroom and kitchen, which have ceramic tile. those two rooms were kind of a disappoinment for me. i'm not sure if i need to have the guy come back and put more insulation in those rooms or if i need to find another option. if you are like me and going through this same situation i would definitely consider having blown in insulation put in your ceilings. i was not a believer and even told the guy that i didn't think it would work, but hey, what did i have to lose except a few hundred dollars for the labor (i had to buy the insulation and that cost me $200). but at least now i have peace of definitely in my bedroom! i'm just a consumer with no knowledge of insulation or how it works but the noise upstairs was driving me crazy! oh, if you are going to do this blown in project please cover up everything in your place and i mean everything. my place was so dusty from the insulation and it gets everywhere. i spent a few hours dusting everything off (picture frames on the walls, tables, counter tops, etc.). today i will vacuum my furniture and then vacuum again. i just wanted to share my story with other people b/c this is a very common problem for people who have someone who lives above them. oh one other thing i had no idea about my place. i had absolutely insulation in my ceilings so the noise i heard above me was magnified. good luck to everyone else who is going through the same thing i was going through just 3 days ago. this project was done in september 2011.
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