Concrete Floor soundproofing

[Rocks100]

Hi All, just wanted to ask some advise please.

 

I will be laying a 20mm engineered floor over an old concrete subfloor in an old apartment block.

The existing floor has old parquet flooring stuck down with bitumen so i will be sealing with SBR once flooring is removed and will level with SLC.

 

My question is what would you recommend to lay on top to maximise soundproofing before laying the engineered floor.

 

I need to be careful with not adding too much height if possible as skirting are remaining as is, scotia beading will be fitted.

 

Would just adding some mass loaded vinyl be enough or should i try adding some of those boards that have a layer of vinyl and foam together, depending if i can accommodate the extra thickness.

 

https://www.ikoustic.co.uk/products/soundproofing-underlay/mutemat-2/

 

Many thanks in advance!

[Iceverge]

I assume you want to isolate the noise from the floor below and have no access to the ceiling underneath you? How bad is the problem as is? 

 

Firstly seal all air paths with acoustic sealant. 

 

If it's a solid concrete floor you will have plenty of mass so mass loaded vinyl is a waste of cash. 

 

You then need to work on decoupling, specifically for impact noise. Doing this from above means some kind of squashy backing to the engineered flooring if you want to minimise height. 

 

However floating floors are pants. We have LVT floating and it feels loose. 

 

Carpet on your floor in higher traffic areas and a "no shoes" policy might be as effective as anything. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Rocks100]

Hi, thanks for the reply!

 

Correct I have no access to flat below, not sure how mad the noise is as currently there is carpet but the client wants wood flooring so am just trying to preempt any potential issues by fitting the best solution possible.

I was thinking concrete might be enough mass wise but just wasn’t sure if adding more mass would benefit much, alternatively I was thinking of just adding something like this 12mm matting.

 

https://www.soundinsulationstore.co.uk/collections/acoustic-flooring/products/db-matting-12mm

 

The engineered floor will need to be floating, I don’t really fancy gluing it, it’s 20mm thick so should be pretty stable.

 

Many thanks!

 

[Moonshine]

42 minutes ago, Rocks100 said:

Hi, thanks for the reply!

 

Correct I have no access to flat below, not sure how mad the noise is as currently there is carpet but the client wants wood flooring so am just trying to preempt any potential issues by fitting the best solution possible.

I was thinking concrete might be enough mass wise but just wasn’t sure if adding more mass would benefit much, alternatively I was thinking of just adding something like this 12mm matting.

 

https://www.soundinsulationstore.co.uk/collections/acoustic-flooring/products/db-matting-12mm

 

The engineered floor will need to be floating, I don’t really fancy gluing it, it’s 20mm thick so should be pretty stable.

 

Many thanks!

 

 

Have building control asked for acoustic tests? What does the lease say about carpets and soft floor covering.

 

Sounds like airborne sound insulation should be o.k, assuming there isn't a significant flanking path.

 

To control impact noise I would suggest JCW acoustic deck or similar 

[Rocks100]

Hi, no don’t have to worry about sound tests.

 

The original flooring in all flats was parquet so don’t think lease should have any conditions, either way the owner is taking the risk.

 

unfortunately don’t have the space for any deck, as would need an underlay.

 

Many thanks!

[Moonshine]

9 minutes ago, Rocks100 said:

unfortunately don’t have the space for any deck, as would need an underlay.

 

How much space have you got?

[Rocks100]

Hi, we can go a little bit above the existing carpet level as will be adding scotia beading but have to take into out bathroom/kitchen thresholds etc…so can’t have too big of a step.

 

After removing the carpet, underlay and old parquet, If we do approx 4mm self levelling and allow for the 20mm engineered floor then I think we can allow for approx 10mm in-between them.

 

Thanks!