Soundproofing the ceiling in the apartment under a suspended ceiling

For apartment buildings, one of the most acute problems is good audibility between neighboring apartments. Residents are often disturbed by too noisy or active neighbors, and apartment owners must constantly monitor their behavior in order to avoid scandals and complaints. Best of all, sound travels through floors. Sound insulation of the ceiling in the apartment under a suspended ceiling will help to solve this problem.

The device itself of this decoration element provides a certain level of noise suppression. For example, the drawback of the suspension design is that the sound is well conducted by the elements of the frame. The soft canvas of the stretch ceiling and the air gap between it and the floor slab can muffle sound from neighbors by about 5 dB. If you use a special perforated film, which appeared not so long ago in the arsenal of installers of such coatings, the effect will be more noticeable. True, the price of finishing increases significantly. You can save by additionally placing available sound-absorbing elements under the film. Moreover, such a ceiling modernization in an apartment under a suspended ceiling can be done with one's own hands without any problems.

Types of materials used for sound insulation

Noise isolation under a stretch ceiling can be made using various materials. Before you pull the canvas stretch ceiling, you need to finish their installation. Two types of materials can be distinguished:

1. They reflect a sound wave, as a rule, have a solid mass and a dense surface - soundproof materials.
2. Slow down the speed of the sound wave and quench it due to the large number of pores - sound-absorbing materials. Here the rule applies: the thicker the coating layer, the better the noise absorption properties.

The best result is a combination of two types of materials. In this case, a kind of sandwich is obtained: a layer with sound-absorbing properties on both sides is covered by sound-reflecting elements.

Soundproofing the ceiling under a suspended ceiling can be carried out using the following materials.

Mineral wool

One of the most popular materials. In addition to good sound insulation, it allows to solve the problem of warming an apartment. It can stick to the ceiling, but it is better to use a frame structure. The size of its cells should be chosen so that the insulation boards are inserted with some effort.

It is recommended that the structural elements of the frame be placed in contact with the ceiling with a special damping tape. It will not allow the sound to spread through the profiles or bars of the crate.

Mineral wool loses its properties when moisture enters, therefore, it is necessary to provide good waterproofing of the ceiling from above, and a vapor barrier membrane is required below. A solid ceiling layer of mineral wool will make it possible to reduce the height of the room by at least 10 cm.

If in the first place the task is to provide sound insulation, and not insulation, then you should choose mineral wool with the appropriate properties. You can focus on the name: "Shumanet", "Shumostop."

Cork, wood panels

Acoustic panels and cork boards are environmentally friendly and safe material. But it hardly makes sense to use them in combination with a stretch ceiling: the beautiful appearance of the products will be hidden by the canvas. In this case, they are unlikely to justify their considerable cost.

Acoustic membranes

The most modern type of materials. Favorably distinguished by excellent soundproofing properties, small thickness, environmental friendliness and resistance to fire.

There are only two negative points: these materials have a solid weight, so it is preferable to mount them on a rigid frame, and a rather high cost.

Acoustic membranes can be mounted on the ceiling using special glue, there are also self-adhesive varieties of this coating. They can be used both in combination with other materials, and as the only way to protect against noise. It all depends on the characteristics of the room and the tasks to be solved.

Preparatory work

The quality and durability of the sound insulation of the ceiling under the stretch fabric will directly depend on the preliminary preparation of the base surface.

• Remove the old coating from the ceiling.
• Carefully close all detected cracks and cracks special sealants.
• It is necessary to apply a primer with antiseptic properties: after installing the stretch ceiling, it will be problematic to detect and remove mold or fungus that appears on time. The primer will also improve adhesion when bonding soundproofing materials.

Subtleties of sound insulation under a stretch ceiling

The variety of soundproof materials gives rise to many of their combinations and designs of the soundproofing layer. Each design has its own fastening algorithm. But for everyone, the following general points can be distinguished:

• Sound insulation must be fixed securely to avoid any of its elements falling onto the stretch ceiling canvas.
• Before installation, the materials must be allowed to mature at least 24 hours in the room where they will be used.
• The sound-absorbing coating should form a single plane, not protruding beyond the level of tension of the canvas.

• All joints between the elements must be carefully repaired. When laying in two layers, they must be shifted relative to each other so that the joints do not coincide.

When mounting acoustic membranes, such as, for example, Texound, adjacent layers overlap each other. Then they are carefully cut with a knife, and the resulting smooth joint is sealed with a torch or a building hair dryer.

• Hygroscopic materials, such as mineral wool, must be reliably protected both from moisture from the outside and from water vapor from the inside of the room. Therefore, it is necessary to have waterproofing on the ceiling and a vapor barrier between the material and the stretched fabric.
• When mounting a frame structure, it is necessary to paste over its elements with a self-adhesive sound-absorbing tape.
• Before installing sound insulation, it is necessary to conduct all communications, to bring out the fixture elements of lighting fixtures. It is better to remove the wires in special corrugations.

It should be noted that the luminaires built into the ceiling do not fit well with the mineral wool insulator. There is a high probability that they will overheat and often fail.

Mounting Methods

Sound insulation can be attached in three main ways:

• stacked in the cell frame;
• stick to the surface of the ceiling;
• fastened to special dowels in the form of fungi.

For reliability, it is recommended to combine these methods. So, if you stick plates of material to the ceiling, then it will be useful to additionally fix them with fungi. Five pieces are enough: 4 are fixed in the corners, and one in the middle of the plate.

When choosing glue, it is necessary to take into account the recommendations of the manufacturer of the materials: the wrong choice of glue composition can lead to the destruction of sound insulation.

The choice of sound insulation schemes and materials is best done based on the reviews of acquaintances and friends. It is better to buy a soundproofing from a trusted manufacturer, so as not to lose money and time in vain.

Cost of work

Sound insulation of the ceiling under the stretch ceiling in Moscow and St. Petersburg will cost in the amount of 700 rubles. up to 3 000 rub. for 1 square. m. The price depends on the materials used and the number of layers. For the minimum amount you will receive a single-layer soundproofing coating, for the maximum - a three-layer, most often including special acoustic mineral wool, closed cell polypropylene and drywall.