People living in apartment blocks in cities have to cope with the sounds and noises around them. However, by installing the right acoustic insulation system, it is possible to contain noise invasion within the limits set by law according to the particular type of surroundings. Mapei offers effective solutions for soundproofing.
Where do the noises in our homes come from?
The sounds we hear in buildings, which is then perceived as noise if it disturbs or irritates us, come from the street, from service installations such as lifts and air-conditioning, and from neighbours within the building. From a technical point of view, acoustic pollution can be airborne, or transmitted from service installations, or from the sounds of footsteps. Each of these sources requires a specific insulation technique for reducing the noise level.
What is impact noise or footsteps noise?
These types of noise are usually generated by footsteps or by objects being dropped or dragged along the floor, or by knocking sounds from renovation works. Amongst the possible sources of disturbance, these impact noises are the most common and the most irritating.
And what can we do to alleviate it?
For new constructions, soundproofing material with the ability to dampen sound waves can be placed between the flooring and the load-bearing structure of the floor. The soundproofing system is placed underneath a screed so that you create a “floating screed” at least 4 cm thick. This solution is the most widely adopted because it is easy to install, effective, economical and it is easy to design using special acoustic prediction software.
In these types of cases, MAPESILENT by MAPEI for newly-constructed buildings is the ideal solution to achieve a level of soundproofing against footsteps noise that can reach the higher levels of acoustic insulation efficiency (Class I and Class II) specified in the new Italian standard UNI 11367 regarding footsteps noise.
And when carrying out renovation work?
In the case of renovation work on existing buildings, where you do not intend (or it is simply not possible) to remove the old flooring and screed, MAPEI offers MAPESONIC CR, a compact (2 or 4 mm thick) soundproofing membrane that is placed directly over existing cementitious substrates or old flooring before installing new ceramic, stone, laminated wood or resilient flooring.
Can the type of final flooring help with soundproofing?
Absolutely. Surfaces covered with carpet, resilient materials (such as rubber, PVC or linoleum) and wood have a positive effect on the reduction of footstep noise transmission. However, no type of flooring is sufficient on its own to comply with the legal limits or to have a significant effect on reducing the transmission of noise unless it is combined with an adequate soundproofing system.
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