Sound Testing – The Importance of Workmanship

We recently tested a party floor that failed both the airborne and the impact sound testing and were tasked with finding a solution.

Our investigation into the construction determined that the developers had installed a floating floor treatment up to the skirting boards rather than under the skirting boards to the wall edges and this was creating a weakness around the perimeter of the rooms. In addition, recessed lighting had been fitted which meant that several holes had been cut through the double plasterboard layer, and these holes also enabled us to see that the resilient bar had also been omitted (as they had concerns with ceiling height!).

The skirting boards above were removed and the floor re-fitted correctly with appropriate perimeter detailing, the plasterboard walls below were cut back 300mm below the ceiling height, ceilings were removed, resilient bar was fitted and the new ceilings were installed to the wall perimeters and well sealed with acoustic mastic.

Pendant lights replaced the down lighters. Where the wall linings had been cut back these were patched, re-plastered and a picture rail was fitted to disguise the joint between the plasterboard sheets.

On retesting the improvement was 10dB in the airborne testing and 8dB in the impact values, more than enough to pass the sound test – poor workmanship and a misunderstanding of the importance of all the acoustic components in a design created significant extra costs, a delay in sign off and a headache that could have been avoided for the developer – need advice?

Call Soundguard Acoustics 0845 653 0233