Noise proof Insulation

Noise is simply unwanted sound. In the home, most people consider noise to be just about any sound other than the sound made by what they’re doing. Limiting the transmission of sound from one area to another requires a material that encloses the source of the noise and forms a barrier that absorbs vibrations between the source and the adjacent areas. This is exactly how soundproof insulation works.

Installing soundproof insulation for walls, floors, and ceilings:

• Drywall, (also called wallboard, plasterboard, or gypsum board), such as Sheetrock. An excellent and inexpensive source of mass, which is a key element in soundproofing. Drywall is a great cheap soundproofing material.
• Damped drywall. Drywall which incorporates a sound damping layer. You can also get the same results more cheaply by creating your own damped drywall, by applying damping compound between two sheets of regular drywall.
• Sound-deadening fiberboard. Because of their low mass, these are not the best choice for soundproofing walls, but are sometimes useful in floors as a spacing layer if additional mass is not needed. They don't provide damping, decoupling, or absorption.

Moreover, not every type of insulation reduces noise. Reflective insulation such as radiant barrier works by reflecting radiant heat from the sun. It is installed in the attic, right under the roof and reflects energy from the sun, which keeps your home a lot more comfortable but doesn’t act as a sound barrier at all. If you want a sound proof insulation, cellulose, fiberglass and foam insulation are great choices. These types of insulation reduce outside noises and noises from room to room and between different levels of your home or building. Fiberglass and cellulose can be installed in walls, floors and ceilings. There are two different types of sound: airborne and impact. Airborne noises come from outside and also include noises from the TV, music and other things inside the house. Impact noise includes footsteps and vibrations from large appliances such as your washer and dryer. Insulation reduces both airborne and impact noises. If your walls are properly insulated, you’d probably be surprised at how much quieter noises from the outside seems.

Fortunately, there are a number of soundproof insulation or noise-reducing initiatives you can take to alleviate the problem. The most effective of these are best done during a building or remodeling project because they involve the way walls or other structural elements are built. Many housing experts believe that using permanent, soundproof insulation solutions isn't necessary. This is mainly because the performance of a soundproofing installation may not be up to the expected levels. Then you have to tear down the existing soundproofing additions, a situation which results in unwanted expense. Furthermore, such permanent solutions pose a problem if the house has to be redecorated. Homeowners should use soundproofing solutions that are affordable, effective and flexible. Unlike professional solutions that might create the need to seek legal permissions, easy soundproofing methods pose no such issues. You should understand that at the core of every soundproof insulation technique lies a simple concept which sound waves create reverberations and echoes that you need to limit.

Building a Soundproofing Walls

During building or remodeling, an effective and affordable way to improve the soundproofing walls and ceilings is to put batt or blanket insulation between studs or joists. This absorbs the sound that would otherwise easily travel through the air pockets between wall framing. The result of soundproofing walls will be a peaceful and private home for all to enjoy. Soundproofing insulation is typically made of mineral wool or also known as rock wool, fiberglass, and sometimes cotton or cellulose materials. Soundproofing walls and sound blockers keep noise from traveling through walls and floors from one space to another. Sound blockers are typically hard, heavy, thick, or in some cases flexible materials that reflect noise. To keep noise from entering a room, they are typically installed in walls, ceilings, floors, and doors. Sound absorbing materials and methods keep noise from bouncing around inside a room, improving sound quality in a room. Sound absorbing materials are typically porous, lightweight, and soft to the touch which foam panels are a familiar form. Because they are often applied to surfaces as a finish material, they come in a variety of colors and styles.

Soundproofing Wall Construction:

Metal wall studs

Using metal wall studs helps; the same wall, built with 2 1/2-inch metal studs, yields an STC rating of 45.

Two layers of drywall

Another way to achieve better performance is to apply a second layer of 1/2-inch gypsum wallboard to one side of the wall. This gives the surface more mass, making it less prone to vibrate and transfer sound waves. Adding this layer to one side of an insulated wall increases the STC rating to 40; adding it to both sides pushes the STC to 45.

Sound isolation systems

An even more effective way to build an interior wall is to mount 1/2-inch gypsum wallboard on special resilient channels or clips that across the wall. These channels or clips absorb sound so it isn’t conducted through the wall studs, resulting in an STC rating of about 46. The drywall is screwed to a flange on the channels, not to the studs.

Staggered wall studs

In roughly the same category is a wall with staggered wall studs. Though this requires more labor and framing material, a wall of 2-by-4 studs, staggered along 2-by-6 bottom and top plates with two thicknesses of fiberglass insulation, produces an STC of about 50. Because the wall surfaces are each fastened to an independent set of studs, noise can’t travel through the studs from one surface to the other.

Fire blocking

Where codes and safety allow, consider eliminating fire blocking in interior walls; these short blocks, mounted horizontally between wall studs, transmit noise readily from one wall surface to the other. If you’re thinking about doing this, be sure to check with your local building department.

Mass Loaded Vinyl (MLV)

Barriers offer a serious step-up, with an STC addition of about 32. Made of high-density organic sands and salts, as well as minute metal particles, these 1/8 to 1/4-inch-thick products are sold in 4-by-8-foot sheets and 4.5-by-20-foot rolls. At about 2 pounds per square foot, they are heavier than they look.

In the application of soundproofing walls, experts highly recommend using the rigid panel style mineral wool or rock wool products. These insulation products are usually sold in the form of rigid panels and softer batts. They are sized for use within residential interior walls, floors, and ceilings.

Proper Insulation of Roof

Specifying roof insulation that extends a roof system's performance life is essential, but it is only one factor maintenance and engineering managers must always consider. When managers select a roof insulation, they also must consider for the building's thermal needs, satisfy applicable energy codes and deliver a roof assembly acceptable to the facility's insurance carrier. The type of roof insulation you should choose will depend on the type of roof you have. Pitched roof - there are two options: warm or cold loft insulation. Flat roof - there are three options available: warm deck, cold deck or inverted roof.

If you are having your roof insulation roof installed professionally or under a grant, there are a number of additional tasks that are normally carried out:

• Remember to cover the pipes with pipe insulation. Your loft will be colder due to the insulation keeping the warmth in the floors below, so you're more likely to get burst pipes in freezing weather.
• Insulation should go up the side and over any tanks, or special tank insulation can be used, but you mustn't insulate under any tanks, as without some heat flowing up from below, these are also likely to freeze.
• If your tank is in a raised position at least 10cms above the uppermost layer of insulation, then you can insulate the underside of the tank.
• If there are electric cables in the loft, try to leave these exposed so they can remain cool. If there is enough slack, they can be gently raised and the insulation put underneath. In practice, lighting cables are unlikely to be a problem, especially if you use low energy lightbulbs.

Shower cables are most likely to need attention, although the fire risk is fairly minimal as showers tend to only be used for short periods. If you see any cables or junction boxes that appear to be in a poor state, you will need to get an electrician to put them right, anyway.

• If you have recessed halogen lights in a room below the loft, they must be protected before they are covered in insulation. Halogen lights give off a lot of heat that is concentrated in a small area, and they pose a serious fire risk if insulation is placed directly against them. Protective cylindrically shaped fire protectors, which are called loft caps or loft covers, are available and it is essential to invest in these before you install your insulation.
• Don't forget to insulate the loft hatch. This usually involves attaching a block of polystyrene insulation to its upper side, and ensuring any gaps around the side of it are sealed by applying draught proofing strips around the frame

To perform successfully, insulation roof has to become an integral part of the assembly and must function in concert with the membrane and the structural deck. Wise insulation choices result in successful roof systems that perform over the long term, while poor choices can be detrimental to roof performance.

What Earthwool Insulations Can Do

Earthwool insulation provides a cost effective thermal and acoustic barrier for energy efficient construction. The insulation’s consistent quality, low dust, and clean cutting resilient wool makes installation fast. Earthwool insulation products can be used in timber and metal frame applications in residential structures. These applications include thermal and acoustical treatments to floors. Experts recommend Earthwool insulation as the most comfortable to work with glasswool insulation, and it definitely is one of the best ceiling insulation products to work with. Price is obviously a key consideration, so you estimate and calculate carefully the full cost of buying the insulation and getting it delivered to you, and then make an informed decision on what is the best insulation for you and your project. Earthwool or Earthwool insulation is the tradename for a glass wool (fiberglass) insulation product manufactured Just like traditional glass wool insulation products. Earthwool is made from millions of tiny fibers of glass, mixed with a binding agent and laid down to form a blanket. Earthwool insulation comes in many varieties.

To gain maximum comfort and energy savings for your home, installation of ceiling batts is recommended. With Earthwool ceiling batts, which come in a full range of “R values”, you can stop up to 75 percent of heat flowing through your home’s ceilings which is the area of greatest heat loss in the home.

• Earthwool reduces heat entering the home through the roof in Summer and escaping in Winter
• It cuts down the noise of rain and noise from the street that reverberates through your ceiling cavity
• Earthwool retards the spread of a roof-space fire
• Earthwool lowers electricity bills and helps the environment by enabling a more efficient use of cooling or heating equipment such as once the home is heated or cooled, the equipment can maintain this comfortable level using less power

The Earthwool insulation range covers all your needs, with Ceiling, Wall, Floor and Multi-Use products available to suit almost any application that goes into every product that makes them so special, meaning they’re easy to handle, cut and install, super soft and most importantly produce outstanding results with varying levels of acoustic and thermal benefits gained, depending on the R-Value you choose. Another difference you might notice about Earthwool products is their natural characteristics unlike most producers on the other hand use formaldehyde and other harmful elements, which can be very unhealthy for customers and the environment. Always ask information before buying one.

Among all the home insulation types, Earth wool Insulation has gained popularity in recent years primarily for reasons. It uses a different binder, which makes it less itchy to work with. This is a real plus for DIY home renovators, not to mention professional installers who work with insulation on a daily basis. Lastly, Earth wool comes in a highly compressed packaging, which can significantly reduce the need for onsite storage space, and also help to reduce freight costs if you’re paying the full cost to get the insulation delivered to your home or on site.

Knauf Insulation – Innovation and Development

All over the world today, there are many manufacturers of insulation materials that are well-known to users and professional installers in the insulation business. Knauf insulation had been leading the pack for years now. To date, they are still investing on developing new insulation materials that could be better than the current ones.  

The company’s reputation had rested well on the quality of its products that consists of high-quality mineral wool (both glass and rock) blowing wool, and other products made of extruded polystyrene.

Currently, it has introduced new additions to its family innovative materials that are environment-friendly.

The new lightweight materials have been developed with high water retention capacity. The design is geared fro green roofs, landscapes and horticulture applications.  

Expertise

With its broad range of solutions and comprehensive expertise, the company had been supporting and imparting advice to their customers regarding their various products. These are the impartial advice on solutions and applications to some on-the-spot situations at the workplaces.   

They have been known to be strong in the industry and well-represented by their various products like the mineral wool, or XPS for use on residential and commercial structures or the original equipment manufacturing (OEM) industry.

With 30 years of solid reputation under their belt, the company is well-known in more than 35 countries around the world. The primary standout quality is the reliability of their products. To date, they have more than 40 production plants in 15 countries producing the products their company is known for. Some of them are as follows.

Acoustic board / insulation board

This Black Acoustical Board with ECOSE® Technology is made of heavy density glass mineral wool board insulation. The top layer of glass mineral wool is an amber base board, with a heavy black overspray applied for a smooth, tough finish.

The Insulation Board with ECOSE® Technology is both a thermal and acoustical insulation product, bonded with ECOSE Technology.  Usually available plain, it has a factory-applied FSK facing. The PSK is a metalized polypropylene-scrim-Kraft. Sometimes, it has a factory-applied all-service jacket (ASJ).

Pipe Insulation / Eco-Batt insulation

The Pipe Insulation with ECOSE® Technology is a multi-purpose, molded, heavy-density, one-piece insulation. This is specially designed for indoor or outdoor installations. The Redi-Klad comes with factory 5-ply weather and abuse resistant jacketing with self-sealing lap.

The Eco-batt insulation, on the other hand, is a binder born from five years of intensive research. The research had been based on fast renewable bio-based materials. The ECOSE Technology reduces binder embodied energy by up to 70%, without phenol.

Air duct board / duct wrap

The wrap is used to make rectangular duct systems, with two stiffness ratings; both of the types are available with butt edges. The airstream surface discourages the growth of molds, fungi or bacteria.

The atmosphere duct wrap has standards for the industry in sustainable, high-performance, cost-effective insulation solutions.

Overall, Knauf products have the ECOSE Technology which is revolutionary binder chemistry. This makes Knauf products more sustainable with the basis on the renewable bio-based materials rather than non-renewable petroleum-based chemicals.

All of these are from an old reliable, Knauf insulation.