The system we have developed below is easy to fit with little DIY experience required and is simply glued to your existing floor. The system is designed to soundproof floors to close to a studio standard. The system uses two layers of Advanced Acoustics 10kg Soundproofing Mat followed by a layer of R10 Vibration Absorbing Matting and a final layer of Advanced Acoustics SilentBoard. The system has a total thickness of approximately 40mm. The Floating Floor System is designed to reduce louder than normal noise levels and is also used if you plan on installing a natural wood floor or engineered wood floor. If you planning on using carpet or a lightweight laminate floor or you wish to soundproof against general talking or TV noise or require a thinner system please take a look at our Basic Floor Soundproofing System.
Firstly you need to remove the old carpet, underlay and carpet gripper and ensure the floor surface is clean and free of debris You will also need to remove any skirting boards. Next you need to ensure that your existing floorboards are fully secured to the timber joists. If there are any loose or squeaky floorboards these need screwing down. Ensure you are screwing to the timber joists and make sure you are not going to be screwing through any pipework. If the floorboards have gaps in them you need to fill the gaps with Advanced Acoustics Acoustic Sealant. The older the building the more chance you have gaps so you will need to make allowances for this with the quantity of Acoustic Sealant required. Older building tends to have narrower floorboards and so will require more Acoustic Sealant. Thoroughness at this stage will ultimately improve the sound isolation you achieve.
Once the floorboards are screwed down and secure and any gaps are filled with Acoustic Sealant you can now lay the Advanced Acoustics 10kg Soundproofing Mat. The first layer of Advanced Acoustics 10kg Soundproofing Mat needs to be installed perpendicular to the direction of the floorboards. This reduces the risk of any joins falling in line. Starting from one wall you need to lay the Advanced Acoustics 10kg Soundproofing Mat right up to the wall folding the soundproofing mat up the wall by approximately 100mm. This will minimise the risk of flanking noise. The 10kg Soundproofing Mat that is folded up the wall is covered over when you replace the skirting. Glue the soundproofing mat to the floor as you unroll it going the full length of the room. If the room is longer than the roll then slightly overlap the ends of the roll by around 10mm. When you have run the full length of the room you need to run a knife down the join if you have one ensuring you cut through both layers. When you have cut the Soundproofing Mat you can remove excess and you will get a nice join between the two rolls. When laying the second roll next to the first you need to again slightly overlap the joints by 10mm when you have gone the full length you can cut along the joint to get a neat finish. Once you have covered the whole of the floor you then need to seal the joints with Jointing Tape.
Once you have completed this you can now lay the second layer perpendicular to the first layer, to again, minimise the chance of overlapping any joints. Lay the second as you did the first gluing the 10kg Soundproofing Mat down to the first layer and overlapping edges so you can trim them with a knife and then seal the joins with Advanced Acoustics Jointing Tape. There is no need to fold the second layer of 10kg Soundproofing Mat up the wall, just the first layer will be fine.
Next you need to install the R10 Acoustic Matting, again this needs to ideally be installed perpendicular to the second layer of 10kg Soundproofing Mat. The R10 is to be laid with the rubber side down. The upper side has a felt with guides to show you where to overlap the joins and has double sided tape to secure the R10 Acoustic Matting in place. Again this matting needs to be installed right up to the wall without folding it up the wall. This product is simply laid on the 10kg Soundproofing Mat it is not glued down.
Once you have fitted the R10 Acoustic Matting you can now lay the Advanced Acoustics Silentboard. The Silentboard is not to be glued down but left floating. A 5mm gap needs to be left around the perimeter of the room, the Silentboard should not touch the wall. Once you have covered the whole of the floor with the Silentboard you then need to seal the gap left around the perimeter of the room with the Advanced Acoustics Acoustic Sealant. The floor is now ready for wooden floor or LVT or the underlay and carpet to be fitted. If you wish to attain further sound reduction you can use the Advanced Acoustics Silent Floor Ultra as a replacement for standard underlay if you are fitting carpet as this will reduce impact noise even further. Some prefer to have a professional carpet fitter in to fit the carpet, if this is the case most will be happy to fit the carpet gripper and Silent Floor Ultra for you prior to fitting the carpet. If you are fitting a wooden floor this should be spot bonded and secret nailed to the SilentBoard ensuring the nails aren’t longer than the thickness of the Advanced Acoustics SilentBoard. If you are fitting a wooden floor it is advised you leave a 5-10mm gap all the way around the room to allow to shrinkage and expansion. If desired this gap can be filled with Advanced Acoustics Acoustic Sealant. Once the floor is fitted the skirting board can be installed.
