Top Tips for Acoustic Testing

If you are not building to the Robust Details Standard, Part E requires new houses (with the exception of detached homes) to be tested for acoustic performance.

Here’s some tips to help you achieve low results at your next project…

1. Fixing through floating floor layers

Don’t fix through floating floor layers to the base below or surrounding walls and ensure flanking band has been fitted at the perimeter to isolate it from walls and skirting boards.

2. Mounting plasterboard

When mounting plasterboard layers to resilient bars, ensure the correct length screw is used to avoid compromising the acoustic performance.

3. Use the correct tissues in cavity masonry

Ensure the correct wall ties are used in a cavity masonry wall construction forming a party wall.

4. Mortar droppings

Ensure mortar droppings are cleaned from wall ties and at the base of the cavity wall void to prevent a bridge between the leaves of the wall.

5. Timber separating floors

Avoid the combination of cavity wall constructions with timber separating floors.

6. Stagger power sockets

Stagger sockets on opposite sides of a separating wall and do not use deep sockets in a separating wall.

7. Concrete Floors

Do not build cavity walls off a continuous concrete floor slab.

8. Don’t convert cavity masonry

Do not try and convert a cavity masonry separating wall into a solid masonry wall by inserting mortar or concrete into the cavity between the two leaves.

9. Bridging Gaps

Do not let floating screeds, services or fixings create a bridge through gaps, or that penetrate through the resilient layer into the concrete floor base or perimeter walls.

10. Compressing Materials

With independent panels, or between twin frame constructions, do not tightly compress the insulation material as this may bridge the cavity void.