Search Articles Local Directory Product Directory Name Search

Soundproof Your Home With Plasterboard

Homes are becoming increasingly noisy, with homes being built closer together, a rise in the popularity of entertainment systems, increased traffic, and a whole host of other factors. However, you do not have to put up with noise in the home. Plasterboard now comes in a soundproofing form which can drastically cut down on internal and external noise transmission. There are three main types of soundproofing plasterboard to choose from.

Barrierboard

Barrierboard is an Australian-made plasterboard composite that can reduce noise levels by up to 75 percent. It is made up of two sheets of varying thicknesses that are separated by an insulating layer. Barrierboard is 32mm thick and the panels come in a number of standard sizes. Because Barrierboard is rigid, it will not sag or bow once it has been installed. The Barrierboard panels can be fixed straight on to common walls without having to make many changes to architraves or doorway construction.

Gyprock Soundchek^TM

Gyprock Soundchek^TM is a 10mm thick plasterboard that has a dense gypsum board core with sound reflective and absorptive properties and surrounded with heavy duty liner boards. Soundchek comes in two levels of sound resistance – STC 45 and STC 50.

The first level makes conversations inaudible and significantly lowers other sounds. To achieve this level of soundproofing, two layers of Soundchek and insulation. Level two makes loud sounds such as music very hard to hear and a Gyprock Resilient Mount^TM needs to be added to the layers of protection in level one to further absorb sound.

Boral SoundSTOP

Boral SoundSTOP is available in 10mm and 13mm thicknesses and was designed to be used in high-performance acoustic wall and ceiling systems. This plasterboard is used in several Boral systems such as Quiet Living, CinemaZone and PartiWALL. The Quiet Living system is the same width as the standard internal wall, meaning that standard door jambs and window frames can be used. Boral SoundSTOP reduces sound to the extent that loud voices are only heard as a murmur on the other side. If greater sound blocking is required, another layer of SoundSTOP can be added to one side of the wall.

The CinemaZone system keeps noises outside of the home theatre room while also containing the noise from the speakers, ensuring that the audiovisual experience is enhanced.

Improving Soundproofing

To help the soundproofing plasterboard become more efficient at blocking out sounds, the plasterboard should be combined with roof insulation (and wall insulation, if possible), solid core doors, and door seals. If you have a home theatre or similarly noisy room, carpeting and soft furnishings will further dampen sound. Also try to make sure that power points and light switches are not positioned back to back as this can create gaps for sound to leak through.

Printer Friendly Version

References

Related Categories

Home Theatre

Insulation

Plastering & Gyprock®