To soundproof a wall the most comfortable thing is to contact a professional to do it, but if you want to do it on your own one of the best options is using plasterboard.
Learn the steps you must follow to soundproof a room in your house. This way you will avoid annoying noises saving you the cost of hiring a company.
Materials needed
Check all the materials you need before starting with the soundproofing of your wall.
Tools:
- Rollers
- Spatula
- Sandpapers
- Electric saw
- Screwdriver
Materials:
- Profiles for plasterboard
- Pladur plates
- Acoustic insulation
- Glue for acoustic insulators
- Tape for plasterboard joints
- Plata or putty
- Painting
How to soundproof a wall
– Step 1: Prepare the wall
The wall that you are going to isolate acoustically will be completely hidden. That is why you must remove all the elements that are in it: lamps, plugs, decorative objects …
If it is a lamp or plug you will have to remove it carefully to leave the cables ready to make the new installation on the plasterboard wall. Pay close attention to how to leave the cables: they should never be left in the air because it will pose a significant risk.
– Step 2: assemble the structure
You can choose between two types of structure:
- Semi-direct cladding: more convenient to install. The profiles are fixed to the existing wall to create the structure that will hold the insulation and to which the plasterboard will be fixed.
- Self-supporting cladding: it is a structure that is built parallel to the wall, using the ceiling and floor as fastening points. It is more complex but offers better results, especially on uneven walls.
Choose the type of structure you want to make and place all the profiles. Before moving forward with the next step you must have it finished.
– Step 3: place the acoustic insulator
Now that you have the finished structure, it’s time to place all the insulating material. These are usually sold in plates or rolls, depending on the material used.
Come to your DIY store and decide which insulator you prefer. You have different ranges, so you will have to decide what level of sound insulation you prefer.
You will have to assess the investment you are willing to make, since you will find considerable differences in terms of cost.
When you have it you will need to place it between the structure. For this you can help yourself with a special glue for insulators. You will find them together with the insulators and they are able to fix the plates to the wall without damaging them. If you use another glue it can be too aggressive and end up corroding the insulation.
– Step 4: fix the plasterboard plates
When the glue has dried and you notice that the insulation remains stuck to the wall you can place the plasterboard.
Start at the bottom of the wall and go placing the different drywall until you complete the wall.
Here you can use an acoustic plasterboard, but really with any plasterboard will be enough. You have already placed an insulating material; Use plasterboard as an enclosure for the wall.
– Step 5: paint the surface
To give a good finish to your plasterboard wall you need to do two tasks:
- Plug plate joints
- Paint the entire surface
The joints between the plasterboard sheets are not perfect, so you will need to cover the joints. To do this you will have to first apply a tape at the junction that you will later cover with a paste.
Both materials are specific for plasterboard walls and are responsible for covering those small separations. When the paste is dry, even the surface with the help of sandpaper.
Use this paste or putty to cover the rest of the damage. The points where you have placed the screws will also need to be covered.
When everything is dry you can paint the entire wall with the shade you want.
How to achieve good acoustics
What we have seen along the entrance is to acoustically isolate a wall or room. With this you will prevent the noise you generate from being heard outside and that no noise from outside the room enters.
However, if you are going to record audio in this room you will also need good acoustics. A wall that is acoustically insulated but whose walls are bare will produce high levels of echo.
When you are going to record audio you need to eliminate all this echo, and for this you must use the noise absorption panels, also called absorbent foam or acoustic panel.
These are panels whose surface is irregular, preventing the sound from bouncing and producing that annoying echo. The best known is the pyramidal acoustic panel, but there are many designs.
The time it will take to do everything will depend on the dimensions of the wall, but once you have the structure mounted it is a quick process.
Isolating a wall from noise will also help you insulate it thermally, so the improvement will be twofold. If it is an exterior wall you will save on heating consumption.