Internal Walls Sound Insulation in Timber Frame

johneym

Hello,

Folks, I am buying a 35 year old timber frame house. Its fine but the internal walls are not studed etc. but only just timber sheeting! As you can imagine there is virtully no sound resistance. I need a simple and cost effective way of doing this. Perhaps there is something like sheet cork which I can just stick to the walls and then paint over?
Ideas and know how would be much appreciated,

Thanks a lot,

Johney

soldsold

Can you describe the walls a bit more clearly? Is there a space between two timber sheets? If there is your best bet would be to pump theis space with rockwool/ cellulose or take off the sheeting on one side and put up rockwool batts. Probable cost will be around 10 euro per m2.

Cork wont do much I'm afraid and will be a waste of money to install it and then redecorate, you will probably notice no difference.

Steve

johneym

Thanks Steve,

I hear what you are saying an if that were the case then I would have no real problem. They are not cavity. In fact, I didnt yet have a proper look at them but they appear to be just like those half inch thich ceiling boards which you might have seen on old house ceilings. Probably about 5 inches wide.
Running from floor to ceiling and groved together I think. So, basically we are talking about a very simple partition wall, with no strength really. I know the best thing would be to tear down the lot and put in proper walls but that will have to wait awhile as we need to move in fast cos wife due soon.Later I want to re-design the rooms and walls.
A builder at work had mentioned cork sheeting which I could just stick on an I thought at the time it sounded good.

Any Ideas?

soldsold

Cork is really good to stop impact sounds getting through floors to rooms below - ie it stops the sound from being generated in the first place by cushioning footsteps, but wont do much to stop sound that is already airborne.

I cant see any other option that wont require a little work, but maybe you could consider getting a simple 2x4 stud wall built beside the current wall and fill this with rockwool or fibreglass batts?

You either need mass (concrete blocks, plasterboard, rockwool, pumped cellulose) or absorbtion (cellulose, rockwool, fibreglass batts) to absorb sound - or preferably both. Cork will absorb sound but in the thickness you have in mind it wont do much good.

Might be a case of putting up with the sound for a while until you redecorate.

Steve

CJhaughey

You can get acoustic matting, it's not cheap but it would help with the sound transmission.
It is heavy rubber based sheeting.

soldsold

CJhaughey wrote: »

You can get acoustic matting, it's not cheap but it would help with the sound transmission.
It is heavy rubber based sheeting.

True, but just to clarify for the OP that this is only really used as a way to improve a wall that is already there, and already soundproofed to a high level (its mainly used for home theaters, houses near airports, etc). It would be cheaper and more effective to build a stud wall with insulation in between.

CJhaughey

soldsold wrote: »

True, but just to clarify for the OP that this is only really used as a way to improve a wall that is already there, and already soundproofed to a high level (its mainly used for home theaters, houses near airports, etc). It would be cheaper and more effective to build a stud wall with insulation in between.

Correct but a stud wall with rockwool will not reduce airborne sound transmission to anywhere near the same degree as an acoustic mat.
I am speaking from experience, I have 100mm rockwool in my internal walls and it does not stop sound, it only reduces it to a degree.
If the OP has sarking on his walls it is a relatively simple matter to install acoustic mat and double slab.
This will make a much better sound barrier than rockwool.
Even on one side it would make a difference.