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We live in an attic flat with two rental flats also in the attic. We have a small private stair for the 3 flats that is carpeted but its falling apart so needs replacing. The issue we have is the stairs are wood and attached on the wall next to my bedroom so every time someone is coming up the stairs I can hear them - its a pest at times as I work weekends so am in bed early on sat nights sometimes and get disturbed by my neighbours. So how can I best make sure there is as little noise as I can? Its not creaking - its a reverberation from the footsteps
Obviously good underlay will help but is there anything else? Plaster board on the treads? sound proofing on the risers?
I have never bought carpet in my life before so this is all new to me
Ta
Thickest underlay you can get. The sound/vibration is transferring through solid interfaces to where you are so your only hope is to deaden the sound when somebody steps on the tread.
Install an escalator.
No more footsteps.
the best carpet underlay for sound insulation caused by footfall is one by duralay called system 10 made from recycled car tyres , not cheap but is good .
oh and then chuck a thick carpet on top for max benefit
Could you back the stairs with insulation like 25mm celotex/ kingspan etc. I did that with ours for insulation - there is an external store under the stairs. It deadened the sound nicely. Maybe sound proofing like dynamat could work.
I can't get to the underside thats in an office below us and there is no access to the back of the stair anyway.
Soundstop also make a product that goes on the wall, plasterboard over. Put this on your room side.
I would also do underlay and carpet on stairs.
Check locally or have a look on eBay for crumb underlay. It's good quality felt underlay with a layer of rubber crumb the same thickness. I've used it in music studios under boards to help isolate kick drum noise. It's not expensive. Unfortunately, there's no (cheap) way to isolate the stairs from the wall they're connected to, so you need to think along the lines of isolating the feet from the stairs.
I don't think that would work unfortunatly matt - I think its travelling along the joists. I also have a fitted wardrobe on that wall.
Ta folks
Its only the top 6 stairs that are causing this. the stairs turn a corner. Fortunately the latest tenants are not party animals - the previous ones were.
Could you cut and lay the floor sound proofing over the stairs? it would raise their height a bit.
If its just the larger turning steps, I expect the hollow area under the treads are acting like a soundbox. See if you can get in there and fill it with insulation/offcuts of underlay, and see if you can add extra bracing if the tread is large.
the stairs come up about 16 steps along an external wall - then a small landing then 6 steps in a straight line to the top which is the bit that runs along my wall. Nice and solid - no creaking or anything
I think yo are right about the soundbox tho but I really don't think I can get in behind it. Maybe polystyrene foam thru a drilled hole?
The best way to deal with sound is to isolate/decouple masses (walls from stairs, for example). It's most likely that the impact of the footfall is transferring through the step/tread into the stringer and on into the wall. The wall then reverberates like a drum and transmits the sound into your flat. Think through that process and figure out where you can disconnect any one of those components from the one next to it, with either mass or an air space. Practically, only carpet/underlay provides a solution. Filling voids behind treads is virtually pointless. Yes, you'll diffuse some of the reverberation in that air space, but it doesn't really address the sound transmitting through the structure.
Ta
Linoleum. Grease it well with putoline. Remove all handrails and ballustrades. They’ll be crabbing up on all fours so gingerly, you’ll not hear a thing, apart from the occasional distant splat if they get it wrong.
Failing that, you’re probably going to need to invest in good quality thick underlay. Thick, hardwearing, cheap - choose any two.
We have used soundstop absorbalay for impact noise issues. It’s been very effective and saved a couple of very high end venues their leases. Would highly recommend, but it is thick and will take a bit of work to get right on the stairs.
Cheers. I am hoping the non party animals currently in the biggest flat stay a while - they should do - they are getting a bargain ( I know the flats owner)
Its not a huge issue - maybe disturbed 3 or 4 times in each of the last few years but as we need a new stair carpet ( which will be cheapish cos we is cheapskates) I wanted advice on how to minimise the noise. I take it my idea of putting plasterboard on the treads is a waste of time?
Thanks for the replies - a few good ideas there that will be helpful
I take it my idea of putting plasterboard on the treads is a waste of time?
It'd do something, though I'd still expect it to transfer most of the impact. Think of underlay like a large area of suspension, rather than the brute resistance of plasterboard. Not quite enough mass in one layer to effectively separate the shoes from the tread. My biggest concern with plasterboard would be that it'd disintegrate quite quickly. It's really not a good material for taking footfall.