Improving Wall Sound Insulation with Cork

Wall sound insulation is an important feature for any home or commercial site. As the name suggests, it stops noise getting into your property from outside. In this post, we’ll discuss the benefits of sound insulation and how the natural properties of cork can improve sound insulation for your walls.

Do you need wall sound insulation?

There is a long list of distracting, frustrating or just downright annoying noises that can disturb the peace and quiet between your four walls, including:

• The constant flow of traffic – This is a problem for anyone on living on a busy road, but can be even worse if you live near a motorway.
• Noise from aeroplanes passing over your property – Whether it’s Heathrow or a smaller airport like Southampton or Leeds-Bradford, you don’t want the loud whirr of air traffic disturbing your day-to-day life.
• Loud neighbours and their barking dogs – You can’t control your neighbours wherever you live. Arguments, parties and problem pets can become a constant annoyance for people throughout the UK – not to mention intruder alarms going off.
• Passers-by and their conversations – In terraced houses, particularly end terraces, the most mundane conversations can make their way through your walls from the street.
• Maintenance workers on roads or other properties – There’s not much worse than roadworks or neighbours drilling, especially if the council ignores your complaint.
• Nearby nature like birds or even rustling trees – Birdsong and other natural sounds are supposed to be relaxing, but that’s not the case when they’re constant.
• Weather, such as heavy rain, wind-driven rain, or hail – Wind-driven rain is prevalent on the west coast of the UK, but hail and heavy rain can occur anywhere in the country.

The benefits of wall sound insulation

If you’ve noticed any of the problems above, it’s understandable that you might blame your windows. But it’s not just glazing that can let sound through. Wall sound insulation plays a big role in keeping your home or commercial property separate from outside noise. In doing so, it provides a range of benefits…

• Peaceful environment – from watching TV and reading a book to enjoying mealtimes and entertaining guests, everything you do inside your home will be much more pleasant if you aren’t being disturbed by traffic, neighbours and other noises. There’s no need to turn up the volume, drown out external noise or talk louder than usual.
• Better sleep – we all need a good night’s sleep to function properly in the day. Wall sound insulation can help you achieve that with a peaceful night-time environment for better physical and mental health. According to Bupa, sleep has been proven to improve heart health, boost your immune system and even help you maintain a healthy weight. Good sleep can also reduce stress levels and improve your mental wellbeing.
• Improved productivity – whether it’s at your commercial premises or a home office, insulating your walls can improve your concentration, enabling better productivity for yourself or your team. Did you know than noise negatively impacts productivity for 69% of workers? Studies have also found that workers can lose 66% in productivity, just because of conversation noise.
• Thermal insulation – Last but not least, many wall sound insulation products offer additional benefits. These include thermal insulation, protection from the elements and better kerb appeal for your property.

How to improve wall sound insulation

Given all of the points above, it’s only natural that you’ll want to improve the sound insulation qualities of your walls. Broadly speaking, there are two options – internal wall sound insulation and insulating walls from the outside.

Internal insulation

When it comes to internal wall sound insulation, some products like insulation boards and sheets can eat away significantly at the space available in your room once applied on top of existing plaster. Alternatively, it can be time-consuming and expensive to remove plaster, apply insulation, then plaster on top.

The alternative is to use a thin internal coating like SprayCork. Because it harnesses the natural insulative qualities of cork, it can be applied in two thin layers of just 3mm each, plus a 2mm plaster over-skim. That’s a reduction in noise of up to 38 decibels, with a total coating of just 8mm.

SprayCork also improves heat retention for your walls, which can reduce your energy bills over time as well as making your home more comfortable. Additionally, you’ll benefit from a breathable, moisture-resistant surface to stop damp and mould forming.

External insulation

If you don’t want to impact the inside of your home, another option is to insulate your walls from the outside. Again, this is an area where acoustic boards and panels are often used. However, similar to boards used internally, they are far from slim and discreet.

To install external insulation boards, you’ll typically need to remove pipework before installation, then adjust it afterwards to account for the additional bulk on your walls. A simpler way is to use an exterior wall coating like SprayCork, which provides the same – if not better – sound insulation, with much less disruption to your walls.

It’s spray applied as a render, ensuring the coating is thin without compromising on performance. As with the internal application, it improves thermal insulation. As an added benefit, your property will have a smooth, uniform coating on the walls with your choice of colour.

Improve your wall sound insulation

Ready for a more peaceful, productive and enjoyable environment inside your four walls? SprayCork provides excellent wall sound insulation without the disruption and downsides of other products. Choose from internal or external wall insulation to suit your property, then take your pick from our network of approved contractors.

Get in touch with the CorkSol team today, and we’ll put you in touch with a local approved applicator who is fully trained in applying SprayCork to the highest standards.