
problem: lack of sound insulation in houses
“Dating from 1850, the basement flat was of very poor construction and in need of complete renovation,” clarifies Richard. “In particular, with respect to the seven different ceilings of the flat and the ground floor of the house, there were undersized joists, making it uneven, bowed and springy. The wooden floorboards in the house had large gaps between them, and the ceiling of the flat was constructed with thin plasterboard. This meant no sound insulation at all – even a conversation could be fully overheard.”

solution: soundproofing houses with minimum ceiling height loss
Richard needed a fast, cost-effective and simple to install solution for soundproofing houses. He discovered Iso-Mount Type1, an isolating acoustic ceiling hanger which significantly reduces transmission of noise from the floor above but only loses as little as 6mm of ceiling height. With Iso-Mount, all installation works are carried out from the room below with no disruption to the floor above making soundproofing houses and flats as stress free as possible.
“I selected Iso-Mount because it was easy to install with extensive video instructions,” Richard says. “My builder, had never installed an acoustic ceiling, so it was important to find a solution he was confident with.”

Process: Simple house soundproofing installation
Richard’s builder, Mark Lipton started the Iso-Mount Type1 installation in one of the smallest rooms of the flat. Within two days, he was confident using the height-adjustable acoustic hanger.
Marks says, “Initially I was unsure about the system as I had not used it before. I started with the bedroom as it seemed the easiest to install. Once that was done it was easy to fit the other ceilings. The living room was the largest room and the most uneven in terms of joists. The ceiling went up in no time.”
“One of the nice features of the system is that it is easy to create a false ceiling to run services. It was also useful in complex areas where, for example, we had a concrete lintel to accommodate. The fiddliest part of the whole install is fitting the rubber isolators to the mounts. On the other hand, achieving perfectly level ceilings was very easy.”
“We used belt and braces which included the Iso-Mounts, the acoustic tape, the sealant, foam filler, acoustic insulation, and two layers of SoundBloc plasterboard,” says Richard. “The SoundBloc was the most challenging install since it was much heavier than ordinary plasterboard and my builder had to work hard to install it. From my perspective it is only marginally more expensive and worth it for the extra isolation.”

Result: ‘Superb’ soundproofing for houses
With installation completed in ten days, Richard was delighted with the ceiling.
“For soundproofing houses and acoustic isolation, the Iso-Mount system is superb. It even created a perfectly flat ceiling despite the uneven joists above. Noise transfer between house and flat is far, far reduced. When experiencing noise transfer now it is normally through an open door or window rather than transmitting through the floor/ceiling. We had no woodworking or fillers to add or level off. We simply used the adjustable Iso-Mount for reduced noise transfer.”
“The Iso-Mount system is a brilliant way to isolate between floors and I couldn’t be happier with the results. The ceiling is superb and flat as a pancake despite the uneven joists above. I highly recommend it.”
Ben Hancock, Managing Director of Oscar Acoustics, says: “Unwanted noise can negatively impact on our lives at home, and affect our health. With over 43 years of acoustics and soundproofing experience, we developed the Iso-Mount system to manage and reduce sound transfer reduction between floors, to help restore the peace and create a tranquil home environment.”
For advice on soundproofing houses and flats, speak to one of our experts about your project today.