ᐅ Are filled or hollow bricks more effective for interior sound insulation?
Created on: 25 May 2022 22:30
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uk240820Hello everyone,
We are planning to build a single-family house using hollow bricks with a thickness of 36.5 cm (14.4 inches) (Thermoplan S8). They provide good thermal insulation but are probably less effective for soundproofing compared to similar solid bricks. We live in a rural area on a side street, so external noise is not a major concern.
For the interior walls on the upper floor (bedrooms and children’s rooms), we plan to use bricks with a higher bulk density class (1.2) because sound insulation inside the house is important to us.
However, I keep reading that the exterior wall bricks also affect soundproofing within the house (sound transmission through the exterior walls into the other floor). Is that really the case? I haven’t found any information about this on the manufacturers’ websites.
Does anyone have knowledge or experience regarding this?
I would appreciate any feedback!
We are planning to build a single-family house using hollow bricks with a thickness of 36.5 cm (14.4 inches) (Thermoplan S8). They provide good thermal insulation but are probably less effective for soundproofing compared to similar solid bricks. We live in a rural area on a side street, so external noise is not a major concern.
For the interior walls on the upper floor (bedrooms and children’s rooms), we plan to use bricks with a higher bulk density class (1.2) because sound insulation inside the house is important to us.
However, I keep reading that the exterior wall bricks also affect soundproofing within the house (sound transmission through the exterior walls into the other floor). Is that really the case? I haven’t found any information about this on the manufacturers’ websites.
Does anyone have knowledge or experience regarding this?
I would appreciate any feedback!
Welcome to the forum,
Sound insulation in the house is better with filled bricks, also between floors. With open designs such as galleries, atriums, open spaces, etc., without doors, this is a whole other issue.
After all, the children need to sleep during Top Gun or Helene F.
Interior walls are often made of calcium silicate bricks (calcium silicate blocks), and not only 11cm (4.3 inches) thick.
The quality of the doors makes a significant difference in soundproofing.
This topic has come up several times already.
Best regards, Nida35a
Sound insulation in the house is better with filled bricks, also between floors. With open designs such as galleries, atriums, open spaces, etc., without doors, this is a whole other issue.
After all, the children need to sleep during Top Gun or Helene F.
Interior walls are often made of calcium silicate bricks (calcium silicate blocks), and not only 11cm (4.3 inches) thick.
The quality of the doors makes a significant difference in soundproofing.
This topic has come up several times already.
Best regards, Nida35a
uk240820 schrieb:
We are planning to build a detached house with hollow bricks 36.5 cm (14.4 inches) thick. Actually, only people who have never read a bass reflex speaker DIY guide do that *LOL*
uk240820 schrieb:
We live in a rural area on a side street; external noise is not a big issue. A bit imprecise phrasing: the disturbing phenomenon "basically" only arises within the wall itself.
uk240820 schrieb:
However, I keep reading that the exterior wall bricks also affect sound insulation inside the house (transmission of sound through the exterior walls to the other floor). Is that really true? You must have read some misleading explanations. I wouldn’t expect this specific effect here.
Nida35a schrieb:
This topic has come up multiple times already. You probably meant to say "muullltttiple"—at least, "more often than I could link."
uk240820 schrieb:
For the interior walls on the upper floor (bedrooms for adults and children), bricks with a higher bulk density class (1.2) will be used, since sound insulation within the house is important to us. Firstly, it’s not just about one single measure; secondly, we don’t know your house (otherwise more detailed suggestions could be made about which wall should be made of what).
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
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11ant schrieb:
Actually, only people who have never read a DIY guide for bass reflex speakers do that *LOL*
A bit inaccurately phrased: the disturbing phenomenon basically "occurs" here first inside the wall.
You must have read some misleading explanations. I wouldn’t really expect this specific effect here.
You probably meant to say: "many times" – or rather, "more often than I could link."
On the one hand, it’s not about a single measure alone, and on the other, we don’t know your house (otherwise we could make more detailed suggestions about which wall of what material).I have to disagree … we have this brick in 42 cm (16.5 inches) … I can’t imagine how it’s possible since there is a concrete slab between the ground floor and upper floor, but the TV sound travels through the exterior wall into the room above …I would never use hollow bricks again.
First of all, thank you for the quick responses!
Basically, I understand that. The floor plan was indeed designed with this in mind (bedrooms not next to bathrooms, living and dining areas separated from the hallway and upper floor). We haven’t chosen the doors yet, but we want to consider this aspect as well.
Don’t these statements contradict each other? Perhaps I’ll rephrase my question:
I understand that structure-borne sound can be transmitted through exterior walls to the other floor. However, our architect, structural engineer, and general contractor all say this is not an issue if the screed installer does a proper job on the screed in the upper floor. They say you would basically have to make him aware to pay attention to certain details (sorry, I can’t remember the exact measures right now). Are they all wrong in this assertion?
One more detail: we are planning a 26cm (10.2 inches) thick reinforced concrete slab between the ground and upper floors.
And another question: in the living and dining area, we have a high share of floor-to-ceiling windows. How do these perform in terms of sound insulation?
I would appreciate further feedback and wish everyone a pleasant holiday.
Nida35a schrieb:
Welcome to the forum,
Soundproofing inside the house is better achieved with solid bricks, especially between floors. It’s a different matter with open floor plans, galleries, voids, open rooms, etc., without doors.
The children are supposed to sleep during Top Gun or Helene F.
Interior walls are often made of calcium silicate bricks (calcium silicate bricks), and not just 11cm (4.3 inches) thick.
The quality of the doors is very noticeable from a soundproofing perspective.
This topic has come up several times.
Best regards, Nida35a
Basically, I understand that. The floor plan was indeed designed with this in mind (bedrooms not next to bathrooms, living and dining areas separated from the hallway and upper floor). We haven’t chosen the doors yet, but we want to consider this aspect as well.
11ant schrieb:
Actually, only people who have never read a bass reflex speaker DIY guide say that *LOL*
A slightly inaccurate formulation: this disturbing phenomenon “arises” almost inside the wall.
You must have read misleading explanations. I don’t really expect this specific effect here.
Don’t these statements contradict each other? Perhaps I’ll rephrase my question:
I understand that structure-borne sound can be transmitted through exterior walls to the other floor. However, our architect, structural engineer, and general contractor all say this is not an issue if the screed installer does a proper job on the screed in the upper floor. They say you would basically have to make him aware to pay attention to certain details (sorry, I can’t remember the exact measures right now). Are they all wrong in this assertion?
One more detail: we are planning a 26cm (10.2 inches) thick reinforced concrete slab between the ground and upper floors.
And another question: in the living and dining area, we have a high share of floor-to-ceiling windows. How do these perform in terms of sound insulation?
I would appreciate further feedback and wish everyone a pleasant holiday.
I have given you my answer… Either you listen to it or to your builder, as I did back then… But please don’t come here in 1.5 years saying that your child wakes up at night because you are watching TV or listening to music in the living room…
The mere fact that you are asking these questions suggests that you are sensitive to that kind of noise; otherwise, you wouldn’t care and wouldn’t even ask, just like 99% of people who build with solid brick walls without insulation.
P.S.: We were very careful to follow the measures you mentioned, such as separating the screed, etc., but it didn’t help at all.
What is the sound insulation rating of your windows? That’s the only thing that really matters.
The mere fact that you are asking these questions suggests that you are sensitive to that kind of noise; otherwise, you wouldn’t care and wouldn’t even ask, just like 99% of people who build with solid brick walls without insulation.
P.S.: We were very careful to follow the measures you mentioned, such as separating the screed, etc., but it didn’t help at all.
What is the sound insulation rating of your windows? That’s the only thing that really matters.
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