Bathroom Soundproofing

eddieacton

Hi,

I have to soundproof a stud wall between two en-suites. My plan was Rockwool in between studs, then mass loaded vinyl stapled to the stud, then resilient channel, then tile backer board screwed into the channel. But I'm a bit unsure about whether the resilient channel would make the board too 'flexible' to be tiled. I could screw sheets of acoustic plasterboard onto the channel and then the backer board on top of that? Has anyone had success with tiling direct onto resilient channel? Thanks

NSG666

Not a direct answer to your question but when I re-built the stud wall between our bathroom and bedroom I used 50mm metal stud-work with Isover Acoustic partition in it. On the bedroom side I used 15mm soundproof platerboard and 12.5 on the bathroom side (cement based in the wet area). I'm more than happy with the soundproofing.

I worked on some adjoining wet-rooms a couple of years ago that had 12mm ply then 10mm jackoboard on metal studs - no sound transmission.

Would it be more cost effective to use 20mm jackoboard (or similar) as it's a tile backerboard and much more soundproof than HardieBacker.

eddieacton

NSG666 said:

Not a direct answer to your question but when I re-built the stud wall between our bathroom and bedroom I used 50mm metal stud-work with Isover Acoustic partition in it. On the bedroom side I used 15mm soundproof platerboard and 12.5 on the bathroom side (cement based in the wet area). I'm more than happy with the soundproofing.

I worked on some adjoining wet-rooms a couple of years ago that had 12mm ply then 10mm jackoboard on metal studs - no sound transmission.

Would it be more cost effective to use 20mm jackoboard (or similar) as it's a tile backerboard and much more soundproof than HardieBacker.

Thanks! Our adjoining bathrooms will have Abacus Elements Board which I think is the same sort of thing with an insulated core. The problem is that they're small, very lightweight sheets (1200x600mm) and there'll be lots of joints. I'm just worried that if someone leans slightly on the wall the tiles/grout will crack with the movement in the resilient channel. Putting two big sheets of acoustic board (2400x1200) beneath the backer board may just give the whole wall strength?...

NSG666

Are you trying to cure an existing problem or just trying to prevent one i.e. does the stud wall between the two en-suites already exist and too much sound is being transmitted or is the wall going to be constructed and you want to make sure it does not transmit sound?

Unless you have already committed to the elements board, have you seen the ones B&Q do in large sheets? 
Q-Board Backerboard (H)2400mm (W)600mm (T)20mm | Tradepoint (trade-point.co.uk)

The resilient channel sounds overboard to me and personally I've only seen it used on the ceilings in flats. The 20mm Q board can be screwed directly to the studs even if they are 600 centres. Another suggestion is to use 15mm dB plasterboard (Selco) both sides then, if the walls need to be waterproof use 6mm elements or similar over the top or, if not, just tile straight onto the board.

eddieacton

NSG666 said:

Are you trying to cure an existing problem or just trying to prevent one i.e. does the stud wall between the two en-suites already exist and too much sound is being transmitted or is the wall going to be constructed and you want to make sure it does not transmit sound?

Unless you have already committed to the elements board, have you seen the ones B&Q do in large sheets? 


The resilient channel sounds overboard to me and personally I've only seen it used on the ceilings in flats. The 20mm Q board can be screwed directly to the studs even if they are 600 centres. Another suggestion is to use 15mm dB plasterboard (Selco) both sides then, if the walls need to be waterproof use 6mm elements or similar over the top or, if not, just tile straight onto the board.

Trying to prevent a problem occurring. It's a 3x2 wall with back to back toilets on it being rented out for guest accommodation so really needs to be quiet. I have already bought all the board, vinyl, channel and insulation but have some flexibility with design as it's a new wall. I was recommended the channel by a builder mate who's done it before, but he doesn't know how it'll behave on a tiled wall. 6mm elements is a good idea - wish I'd have thought of that for space-saving. Wonder if they'd exchange.. Have a nice xmas!

jamesperrett

The only way to do the job properly is to have two walls which aren't physically connected. You could possibly interleave the studs to reduce the wall thickness. Use acoustic plasterboard on each side - preferably 15mm and also think about using a compliant layer at the edges of the walls (I like strips of the carpet underlay that is made from recycled tyres). I'd also suggest using a layer of Rockwool RWA45 or equivalent between the walls.