Soundproofing advice?

[Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1
Forum Member
Hi,

This is a rather random topic, but I'm hoping I can get some advice from you nice folks. Also, it's my first official post on DS. Woo!

Anyway I'll try to keep this brief. Basically, I'm living in a top floor flat, and a new noisy neighbour has moved in below. They don't blast music thankfully, but they do make a lot of excessive general noise that drives me nuts, especially at night when I'm wanting to simply relax & unwind. Furthermore I often worry that I too might be disturbing them at night by simply walking across the floor to the bathroom/bedroom due to how creaky the floor is. This flat appears to be a converted house, and there's a thin nasty carpet (which I can't really remove) already installed here which doesn't seem to come with any sound reduction qualities. So I can pretty much hear everything the neighbour below does, and I'm pretty sure they can hear everything I do too.
To summarize, neighbour below disturbs me with general noise, and I worry about doing the same to them.

So what I'm wondering is, is there anything I can use for soundproofing on top of this thin carpet? I know that I'll never be able to fully block out the noise, but if I can reduce both the incoming noise and my own outgoing noise by at least 50% or so, then I'd be much more content. I've never looked into anything like this before, so I really don't know what exactly will work in this situation.

I should also point out that moving out is not an option right now, nor do I want to go through months of war with the neighbour. I've been through this enough over the last several years in the various homes I've lived in, and I simply don't have the strength to go through it again. (I don't seem to get a lot of luck when it comes to neighbours, heh)

Has anyone here been through a similar scenario? If so, what did you use to help soundproof your floor? Any floor soundproofing advice would be much appreciated. :)

Comments

  • TobySTobyS Posts: 752
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    A rug?

    If you can't take the carpet up then there's no easy way to fix the squeaky floorboard, but a rug will help dampen the sound of footsteps (if you are particularly heavy of foot) and will help slightly with other noises both emanating from your flat and the flat below.

    I'm in a ground floor flat and the neighbours upstairs have taken up their carpet so I can hear a pin drop. I don't worry about my noise (not that I make any) as they obviously don't worry about theirs. Flats today are made cheap. If they could figure out how to make a six storey block of flats from cardboard, they'd do it in a heartbeat. Converted houses are even worse as sound insulation wouldn't even have occurred to the original builders.

    You could ask your landlord if they could replace the 'thin nasty' carpet with a thicker one and put some sound proofing underneath. If it's not essential work, then you could try offering to foot some of the bill.
  • seacamseacam Posts: 21,364
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    Hi Xarain and welcome to DS. :)

    To dive you into the deep end and you have already come to this conclusion there is not a lot you can do unless your LL is prepared to spend money.

    The issue isn't with downstairs up but the other way around.

    But that is not to say things can't be done to improve the situation for yourself and downstairs.

    The thin carpets have got to go, then all the creaking floor boards should be screwed down not nailed but where do you stop with that exercise?

    The expensive option would be for your LL to lay a very expensive 1/2inch thick solid rubber matting but this can add extra load to the floor joists, then Tongue & Groove floor sheeting, then underlay, then carpet.

    That ain't going to happen so having carried out remedial works to creaking floor boards your only real option is a good quality underlay and carpet.
  • toofasttoofast Posts: 2,240
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    seacam wrote: »
    Hi Xarain and welcome to DS. :)

    To dive you into the deep end and you have already come to this conclusion there is not a lot you can do unless your LL is prepared to spend money.

    The issue isn't with downstairs up but the other way around.

    But that is not to say things can't be done to improve the situation for yourself and downstairs.

    The thin carpets have got to go, then all the creaking floor boards should be screwed down not nailed but where do you stop with that exercise?

    The expensive option would be for your LL to lay a very expensive 1/2inch thick solid rubber matting but this can add extra load to the floor joists, then Tongue & Groove floor sheeting, then underlay, then carpet.

    That ain't going to happen so having carried out remedial works to creaking floor boards your only real option is a good quality underlay and carpet.

    It's not that expensive if you do one or two rooms...Worth doing! Get a professional in to give you some advice and quotes.
  • barbelerbarbeler Posts: 23,827
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    There's a house very close to mine on the end of a terrace, where the house has been converted to two flats. It used to be quite amusing listening to the arguments at the door, especially when the issue was noisy sexual activities :D One other time I thought it was going to end in violence and it's clear that the owner (who is also a builder) didn't abide by the regulations when insulating the upstairs flat from the one below.

    I think a phone call to your local planning department is in order.

    http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/buildingregulations/approveddocuments/parte/faqs
    http://www.noisestopsystems.co.uk/part-e-building-regulations
  • seacamseacam Posts: 21,364
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    toofast wrote: »
    It's not that expensive if you do one or two rooms...Worth doing! Get a professional in to give you some advice and quotes.
    Yes it would be, many LLs don't like spending money.
  • RhondaRhonda Posts: 248
    Forum Member
    I don't see how you can insulate the floor without removing the carpet. Have you thought of cork flooring? It is quite thick and relatively soft, so isn't noisy to walk on like most laminate flooring.
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