Soundproofing Apartments

Spray foam insulation is applied to the underside of roofs to bond slates and tiles together, providing effective insulation and structural support.

Nov

2023

4 Reasons People Soundproof Their Homes

Most people in the UK live in cities, and whilst living in the city can be convenient, it also means being subjected to high levels of noise pollution.

Your home should be a peaceful sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Over time, being subjected to noise pollution at home can takes its toll.

Here are just a few reasons why so many people now choose to soundproof their homes.

Traffic noise pollution

If you live close to a busy road or a noisy flight path it can be very frustrating being unable to do anything to stop or reduce the noise. The constant, annoying rumbling and roaring of traffic can take its toll, having both physical and psychological effects on your health and wellbeing. Soundproofing your home to can be an effective way of blocking out noise from traffic and minimising the effect it has on your life.

Health and wellbeing

As well as being annoying, studies have found that noise pollution can also be bad for our

Keep sound in

Soundproofing isn’t always installed to keep sound out, it’s also useful for keeping sound in and preventing you from becoming the noisy neighbour. Many musicians choose to soundproof their homes to allow them to practice and play their instruments at any time of day without the risk of upsetting or disturbing those living around them.

Privacy

Some properties are built with very thin walls that allow sound to easily travel from one house to the next. If you can hear every footstep, cough, sneeze and conversation going on next door, then they can hear you too. Installing soundproofing will enhance your privacy and help you to feel more comfortable and relaxed in your home.

Find out more about Metropolitan Insulation’s soundproofing services or request a free consultation by giving us a call on 0800 028 4042.

Jun

2023

Soundproofing an apartment can offer a multitude of benefits

Soundproofing an apartment can offer a multitude of benefits, enhancing the quality of life for its occupants. Whether you live in a bustling city or a noisy neighborhood, soundproofing measures can significantly reduce the amount of unwanted noise that enters your living space. Here are several key benefits of soundproofing an apartment:

Noise reduction: The primary advantage of soundproofing is the significant reduction of external noise. This is particularly beneficial if your apartment is located near busy roads, construction sites, or other sources of noise pollution. Soundproofing materials and techniques can effectively block or absorb external sounds, allowing you to enjoy a peaceful and quiet living environment.
Increased privacy: Soundproofing measures also enhance privacy within an apartment. It minimises the transmission of sound between rooms, preventing conversations, activities, or other sounds from being easily heard by neighbours or other residents in the building. This can be especially valuable if you have thin walls or live in close proximity to others.
Better sleep quality: A quiet sleeping environment is essential for restful sleep and overall well-being. Soundproofing an apartment can create a tranquil bedroom by reducing noise disturbances, such as traffic, sirens, or neighbors’ activities. By minimising disruptions, you can enjoy deeper, uninterrupted sleep and wake up feeling refreshed.
Improved concentration and productivity: Unwanted noise can be highly distracting, particularly when you need to focus on work, study, or other tasks. Soundproofing your apartment can create a more conducive environment for concentration, allowing you to stay focused and be more productive. This is particularly important for remote workers, students, or individuals who engage in creative pursuits.
Enhanced entertainment experience: If you enjoy watching movies, listening to music, or playing instruments, soundproofing can significantly enhance your entertainment experience. It prevents sound leakage, both from within your apartment and from outside sources, ensuring that you can fully immerse yourself in the audio without disturbing others or being disturbed by external noise.
Stress reduction: Living in a noisy environment can contribute to increased stress levels and impact overall well-being. Soundproofing measures can help create a peaceful oasis within your apartment, reducing stress and promoting relaxation. By minimising unwanted noise, you can create a more harmonious living space where you can unwind, meditate, or engage in activities that promote tranquility.
Increased property value: Soundproofing improvements can add value to your apartment and make it more appealing to potential buyers or renters. Soundproofed spaces are often in high demand, as they offer a desirable living environment. Additionally, soundproofing measures can also enhance the overall insulation of your apartment, improving energy efficiency and reducing utility costs.

While soundproofing an entire apartment may require a combination of techniques, such as using sound-absorbing materials, sealing gaps, or adding acoustic panels, the benefits far outweigh the investment. Whether you seek peace and quiet, privacy, improved sleep, or increased productivity, soundproofing can transform your apartment into a more comfortable and enjoyable living space.

Nov

2022

The Ultimate Guide to Soundproofing Your Space in London

Living in the vibrant city of London comes with its fair share of excitement, but it also means dealing with constant noise from traffic, neighbors, and bustling streets. Fortunately, soundproofing provides a solution to create a peaceful oasis within your home or office. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the benefits of soundproofing in London and provide valuable tips and insights to help you achieve a quieter and more serene environment.

1. Understanding the Importance of Soundproofing in London: London is known for its bustling energy, but excessive noise can have a negative impact on your well-being and quality of life. Soundproofing your space offers a range of benefits, including reduced stress levels, improved sleep quality, enhanced productivity, and increased privacy. Whether you reside in a busy neighborhood, work in a noisy office, or operate a commercial establishment, soundproofing can significantly enhance your comfort and overall experience.

2. Identifying Noise Sources: The first step in soundproofing is to identify the primary sources of noise in your London space. Is it the street traffic, loud neighbors, or internal sounds from your own building? Understanding the specific noise challenges will help you determine the appropriate soundproofing techniques and materials needed to address them effectively.

3. Soundproofing Techniques and Solutions: a) Acoustic Insulation: Adding acoustic insulation to walls, ceilings, and floors can significantly reduce sound transmission. This involves using specialized materials with excellent sound-absorbing properties to minimize noise infiltration. b) Soundproofing Doors and Windows: Upgrading to soundproof doors and windows can create a substantial barrier against external noise. These specially designed features prevent sound waves from entering or leaving the space, providing a quieter environment. c) Soundproofing Materials: Utilise soundproofing materials such as acoustic panels, soundproof curtains, and acoustic foam to absorb and dampen sound within your space. These materials come in various styles and designs, allowing you to customize the aesthetics while maintaining effective noise reduction.

4. Seeking Professional Assistance: While soundproofing can be a DIY project, seeking professional assistance ensures optimal results. Soundproofing experts in London have the knowledge, experience, and access to high-quality materials to deliver effective soundproofing solutions tailored to your specific needs. They can assess your space, recommend the most suitable techniques, and handle the installation process efficiently.

5. Enjoying the Benefits of Soundproofing: Once your space is properly soundproofed, you’ll experience the remarkable benefits. Enjoy a peaceful night’s sleep, increased concentration in your home office, reduced disturbance from street noise, and enhanced privacy. Soundproofing transforms your London space into a sanctuary where you can relax, work, and unwind without the constant interruptions of city noise.

Conclusion: Soundproofing your space in London is a worthwhile investment that can greatly improve your quality of life. By understanding the importance of soundproofing, identifying noise sources, utilizing effective techniques and materials, and seeking professional assistance when needed, you can create a serene and tranquil environment in the midst of a bustling city. Embrace the peace and quiet you deserve and reclaim your space from the noise of London with soundproofing solutions.

Sep

2020

New Trend for Soundproofing Your Home

The average city dweller spends his or her time surrounded by noise– traffic, television, cell phones, and unwanted office gossip. But people who want a quieter life are finding ways to outfit their homes with sound-proof accessories, such as curtains that mute noises from outside. This is one of several ways to make staying home much more peaceful and reap the health benefits of silence.

Noise pollution affects many people and homes, causing health effects such as stress and anxiety. There are many fancy methods to isolate yourself from sound, but soundproofing is expensive and typically reserved for technical uses, such as for a recording studio.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is only safe to be exposed to loud noises for a maximum of 8 hours. Many of us who live in urban areas or noisy towns receive a lot more noise than recommended. Because of this, there has been a significant rise in home soundproofing through the use of soundproof curtains and other methods.

However, there are several simple home hacks you can use to significantly reduce the amount of noise you hear.

One popular way to achieve a quieter living space is through your furniture. When you have an empty room, sound bounces off the walls a lot easier since there is nothing to absorb it. These bouncing waves reach your ear and you perceive ‘sound’, but the simple addition of heavy and soft furniture can absorb a great deal of these waves. Add heavy tables and sofas with a lot of cushion to absorb the most amount of sound. Books also help and look great on your coffee table!

If you want to get fancy with your soundproofing you can add acoustic panels to your walls and ceiling. These are used mostly in studio sound booths during music recordings, but many manufacturers craft these panels for use in your home. These panels work much in the same way as furniture works– by providing a thick, soft and permeable surface which effectively absorbs sound waves.

Don’t Forget Your Doors!

You’d be surprised at how sound finds its way into our homes through the smallest cracks and spaces. One place we often ignore when we think about sound leakage is our doors. Gaps beneath doors let a considerable amount of noise through, but there is an inexpensive solution. Sealant tape can easily block these gaps without hindering your doors from opening or closing. A more expensive but permanent solution is a mounted seal that uses metal and rubber and lasts a lot longer than tape.

Reducing noise in your home will not only give you peace of mind, but is also attributed to many health benefits. Some of these include lower stress levels, better concentration, increased brain function, and greater focus for self-reflection. The benefits of good rest are also widely studied, and the solution is as simple as installing a set of soundproof curtains.

Sep

2020

The Benefits of Soundproofing Your Home

Soundproofing is the technique of utilising insulation materials to minimise the noise passing through the walls.

Whilst many people think that soundproofing is only necessary for acoustically sensitive environments like recording studios, there are numerous positives to be gained from investing in soundproofing for your home. Whether it’s to provide you with a little headache relief from noisy children or to make your music practice room soundproof, so you don’t disturb the neighbors, there is always a good reason to consider soundproofing measures.

Privacy

If you want to avoid disturbing your neighbours and being disturbed by your neighbours at the same time, the best thing to do is invest in soundproofing your home. The experts at Metropolitan Insulation explain that privacy is a valuable thing that we often do not even consider until we don’t have it anymore, and one of the worst breaches of privacy is when you and your neighbours can hear each other. Private conversations can be overheard, music and loud noises can cause tension between you and the last thing you want is to fall out with someone who lives right next door to you.

Your home should be a relaxing, comfortable place to return to after a long day at school or at work, so it is essential to prevent the noise coming from both inside and outside of the house. You don’t want to worry about what your neighbours will overhear or what you may inadvertently hear from their side. By soundproofing your home, there will be no awkwardness or tension, so you can live side by side with your neighbours in harmony.

Comfort and Quality of Life

Soundproofing can significantly enhance the comfort of your home, from helping to provide the perfect sleeping environment to ensure that you are able to relax for a moment in private whilst the kids are particularly rambunctious. In order to achieve this ideal environment, you don’t even need to soundproof the whole house. By soundproofing the doors and windows of particularly noisy areas in your house like your kids’ bedrooms and the rooms where you like to relax, that is enough to create peace and quiet. No more stress, no more anger, and exhaustion caused by noise-just a happy home for the whole family.

Jul

2020

Commercial and Domestic Soundproofing

What does soundproofing typically cost?

We charge per square meter, to keep our costs as low as possible from the outset. Many of our customers choose to stage their soundproofing room by room, ranging from utilising high-density acoustic sealant and wall panels to installing soundproofing walls, to ensure our soundproofing solutions provide them with satisfaction. Whatever your sound insulation choice is, we endeavour to make it as cost-effective as possible.

Whether it is for peace and quiet in your home, reducing loud noise in your office or meeting rooms or for new building regulations, we offer wall soundproofing, floor soundproofing and soundproofing solutions that are second to none in quality using the latest soundproofing foam technology.

We listen to what you need and want from a soundproofing project. We are able to provide full sound insulation with high-density wall panels for soundproofing installations in walls, floors and ceilings, all while still maintaining the beauty and aesthetics of your home or office designs with a minimum loss of room space and mess.

Metropolitan Insulation Soundproofing use state of the art methods and materials to deal with all of your noise issues. We know our business and have soundproofing solutions for all your needs. If we don’t have an immediate answer for you, we have the resources to get you the answer as well as the products to get the job done right the first time.

Metropolitan Insulation takes pride in the services and materials we supply to customers and will work closely with you to make certain that noise intrusion throughout your home is no longer a part of daily life. We have been focusing on delivering the very best in soundproofing London throughout our establishment and are proud to be your first choice for service.

Jan

2020

Benefits of spray foam insulation for historic or listed buildings

Spray foam insulation is an ideal solution for securing tiles on the roofs of listed and historic buildings.

Spray foam insulation is applied to the underside of roofs to bond slates and tiles together, providing effective insulation and structural support.

Whilst spray foam insulation can benefit buildings of all different shapes, sizes and ages, it can be particularly useful for securing tiles on the roofs of historic or listed buildings, here’s why:

Preserve appearance

It is very important to preserve the appearance and original character of historic and listed buildings by retaining original features and materials where possible. Securing and sealing the existing roof with spray foam can help to bond the existing roof and tiles together to cure nail fatigue and avoid the need to replace roofing materials.

Protect roof tiles against theft

Very old and listed buildings are also more likely to have valuable tiles on their roofs, including lead tiles, which are frequently targeted by thieves.

Bonding your roof’s tiles together and to the roof’s structure using spray foam will help to protect valuable roof tiles from being stolen.

Further benefits of spray foam insulation

As well as protecting and preserving the outer appearance of historic and listed buildings, spray foam insulation provides a whole host of other benefits including:

Affordable solution to re-roofing.
Makes the roof weather-resistant.
Seals the roof to get rid of air leaks and draughts.
Improves the building’s energy efficiency.
Keeps the building feeling warm and comfortable.
Prevents condensation build-up.
Reduces the risk of pipes and tanks freezing.

The spray foam we install at Metropolitan Insulation prevents interstitial condensation, whilst also allowing the roof’s battens to ‘breathe’. It also meets Class 1 Surface Spread of Flame when tested to BS 476 Part 7:1997.

For more information about our spray foam insulation, or to request a free consultation, get in touch with our team by calling us on 0800 028 4042.

Oct

2019

What makes an eco-friendly roof?

Make one or more of these eco-friendly improvements to your roof to cut your carbon footprint and begin living more sustainably at home.

Not only will these eco-friendly roof updates look after our planet, they’ll help to look after your pennies too.

Insulate

Did you know that around 25% of heat is lost through an uninsulated roof?

Insulating your home is the best home improvement you can make for the environment. The less heat you’re losing, the less energy it will take to warm your home and the smaller your carbon footprint will be.

You and your family will feel the benefit too, as you’ll have a warmer and more comfortable home.

Spray foam is a highly effective roof insulation material as it bonds to the structure of your roof, filling and sealing gaps and cracks to get rid of all air leakage and strengthen your roof’s structure.

Find out more about our spray foam insulationservices here at Metropolitan Insulation by giving our team a call on 0800 028 4042.

Solar panels

Installing solar panels on your roof can be expensive but will dramatically reduce your energy bills in the long run as well as helping to look after the environment.

According to The Renewable Energy Hub, installing solar panels onto your home’s roof can cut your carbon footprint by up to 80% in just one year!

Natural materials

When choosing a roofing material, opt for durable, long-lasting and recyclable materials to reduce your carbon footprint.

Roofing shingles made from recyclable materials and reclaimed slate roof tiles are among some of the most environmentally friendly options.

Slate is an excellent option as it is 100% natural and requires very little energy to extract and process. It is also highly durable, weatherproof, and lasts for many years, making it cost-effective as well as environmentally-friendly.

Oct

2019

Home improvements to help fight climate change

Fighting climate change starts at home. Make one or more of these eco-friendly home improvements to reduce your carbon footprint.

According to the Committee on Climate Change’s report ‘UK housing: Fit for the future?’ domestic energy use accounts for 14% of the UK’s total carbon emissions.

As well as helping to fight climate change, living more sustainably and reducing your energy consumption can also help you to save money.

Insulate

Over half of domestic energy is used to heat our homes so it’s very important to insulate your home to minimise heat loss. Heat escapes through your home’s walls, roof, floors, windows and doors. Insulating one or more of these areas can help to reduce the amount of energy your home uses, cutting your carbon footprint as well as your energy bills.

Here at Metropolitan Insulation ourspray foam insulationbonds to the structure of your roof, filling and sealing all gaps and cracks to get rid of all air leakages and strengthen your roof’s structure. To find out more, give our team a call on 0800 028 4042.

Low-carbon heating systems

Many homes still use very old and inefficient gas or oil boilers and heating systems. Updating your boiler to a new and efficient model or a renewable energy heating system can significantly reduce your home’s carbon emissions

Solar panels

Installing solar panels on your roof can be very expensive, but the savings you will make on your energy bills should mean that the investment pays for itself over time. The renewable energy you generate can then be used for heating, hot water and electricity in your home.

Energy efficient home appliances

If you’re renovating your kitchen or utility room always shop around for energy efficient appliances. Check the energy ratings label on an appliance before buying, those with A+ ratings are more environmentally friendly and will cost less to run.

Aug

2019

What grant schemes are available in the UK for sound insulation?

If transport noise pollution is disrupting your home life, you may be able to get help with paying for soundproofing with one of these schemes.

Constant exposure to noise pollution can have a negative effect on sleep, health, and wellbeing, it has even been linked to serious health problems like stroke and heart attack.

If you’re suffering from excessive noise pollution at home because of a nearby road or air traffic, then you may be able to receive financial help towards the cost of having sound insulation installed in your home.

Noise pollution from Highways England roads

If the rumbling sound of traffic from a Highways England road is affecting you at home, you may be eligible to apply for sound insulation.

The Highways England noise insulation schemeis available to properties that lie within a Highways England “Noise Important Area” that contains fewer than 10 properties.

“Noise Important Areas” are the areas that experiences the highest levels of noise from Highways England roads.

If you meet the scheme’s criteria then your property will be assessed and Highways England contractors will carry out the soundproofing work for you, it is not a grant scheme.

Noise pollution from airports

Most airports have noise limits and restrictions on flight paths, to minimise noise and disruption to residents living nearby. Despite these restrictions, noise from aircraft can still be very disrupting and even damaging to the health of those living nearby.

Because of this, UK airports run grant schemes to help those affected by noise pollution to soundproof their homes.

The airport in question will usually have a boundary in place that identifies the properties that are eligible.

Contact your local airport by telephone or check their website to find out details about their scheme and whether you are eligible to help with soundproofing.

For more information about the soundproofing and sound insulationproducts we provide here at Metropolitan Insulation, give our team a call on 0800 028 4042.

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