London & South-East England

Soundproofing & Acoustic Insulation

Mass, decoupling and absorption built into party walls, ceilings and floors by our own team.

PAS 2030:2023 CertifiedTrustMark ApprovedOwn trained team

Is soundproofing right for your home?

  • Terraced and semi-detached houses with neighbour noise through the party wall
  • Converted flats with footfall and voices from the flat above
  • Bedrooms and home offices next to a noisy neighbour
  • Landlords and owners dealing with a noise complaint from a neighbour below
  • Music rooms, home cinemas and rooms with a shared chimney breast

Soundproofing & Acoustic Insulation: key facts

  • A soundproofed party wall costs £120 to £180 per m² supply and fit; a typical room wall of 10 to 14 m² is £1,500 to £2,800.
  • Airborne noise (voices, television, music) and impact noise (footsteps, doors) need different treatments; most converted flats need both.
  • Effective soundproofing needs mass, decoupling and absorption together. A single soundproof board glued to the wall does very little.
  • An independent stud or resilient bar wall takes 50 to 100 mm from the room; a ceiling system takes 50 to 100 mm of height.
  • We use ROCKWOOL RWA45 slab, Knauf Earthwool Acoustic Partition Roll, resilient bars and double 15 mm Soundbloc acoustic plasterboard.
  • Charged at 20% VAT; installed by our own team with a written guarantee.

What is soundproofing?

Soundproofing reduces the noise that passes through a wall, floor or ceiling shared with a neighbour. Sound travels in two ways. Airborne noise from voices, music and television moves through the air and vibrates the structure. Impact noise from footsteps, dropped objects and moving furniture enters the structure directly. A good system adds mass to block airborne sound, decouples the new lining from the old wall or joists so vibration is not passed on, and fills the void with absorbent slab so the cavity does not resonate.

London and the South-East are full of terraces and semis with single brick party walls, and Victorian and Edwardian houses converted into flats with thin timber floors between them. Noise from next door or from the flat above is one of the most common reasons people ask us about a wall or ceiling lining, because a warm room that is also quiet is the goal. The construction that lets heat through often lets sound through as well.

We survey the wall or floor, ask what noise you hear and when, and check for flanking paths such as chimney breasts, floor voids and services that carry sound around a lining. Our own team then builds the system: an independent stud or resilient bar frame, acoustic mineral wool in the void, and two layers of 15 mm acoustic plasterboard, plastered and ready for decoration.

Who does the work

Soundproofing is installed by our own trained team, the same crew that fits our internal wall and floor insulation. We build the system on site from resilient bars or an independent frame, acoustic slab and double layer acoustic board, then plaster and finish ready for decoration.

Soundproofing & Acoustic Insulation cost guide

Indicative 2026 market ranges for London and the South-East. Your fixed quote follows a free survey and depends on the wall or floor area, the existing construction and the system chosen.

Job typeIndicative cost
Party wall lining, supply and fit£120 – £180 / m²
Typical party wall in one room (10 to 14 m²)£1,500 – £2,800
Ceiling system below a flat£150 – £220 / m²
Floating floor overlay£60 – £110 / m²
Materials from our quote book£10 – £45 / m²

VAT: 20%. Soundproofing is not an energy-saving material under HMRC VAT Notice 708/6, so it is charged at the standard 20% VAT rate. Where a wall lining also adds thermal insulation to an external wall, that element is 0% and the quote shows the split.

Systems and materials we install

Independent stud walls with an air gap from the party wall
Resilient bar systems for walls and ceilings where space is tight
ROCKWOOL RWA45 acoustic slab and Knauf Earthwool Acoustic Partition Roll in the void
Double layer 15 mm Soundbloc acoustic plasterboard, joints staggered and sealed
ROCKWOOL ROCKFLOOR and STEICO Flex between and over intermediate floor joists
Acoustic sealant, sealed sockets and treated flanking paths at chimney breasts and floors

How soundproofing works

1

Free survey

We inspect the wall or floor, ask what noise you hear and when, and look for flanking paths such as chimney breasts, floor voids and pipes.

2

Fixed quote

A written, itemised quote showing the system, the space it takes from the room and what it will do for airborne and impact noise.

3

Installation

The frame or resilient bars go up, acoustic slab fills the void, then two layers of acoustic board with staggered, sealed joints. The surface is plastered.

4

Sign-off and guarantee

Final inspection, photographs of the build-up and a written guarantee for the work.

Free survey & fixed quote

Book a free, no-obligation survey and we will send a clear, fixed written quote. One point of contact from survey to sign-off, and a written guarantee on the work.

Get a free quote

Soundproofing & Acoustic Insulation FAQs

How much does soundproofing a party wall cost?
A party wall lining costs £120 to £180 per m² supply and fit. A typical wall in one room, 10 to 14 m², comes to £1,500 to £2,800 plastered and ready to decorate. Ceilings are £150 to £220 per m² and a floating floor overlay is £60 to £110 per m². VAT is charged at 20%.
Will a soundproof board on its own work?
Rarely. A single board screwed or glued to the wall adds a little mass but stays coupled to the structure, so vibration passes straight through. You need mass, decoupling and absorption together: a frame separated from the wall, absorbent slab in the void and two layers of dense board with sealed joints.
Airborne or impact noise: which do I have?
Voices, television and music are airborne. Footsteps, doors and furniture are impact. Walls mostly carry airborne noise; floors and ceilings carry both. A ceiling system below a flat treats airborne noise well and helps with impact, but impact noise is best stopped at the floor above with a floating overlay, which needs the neighbour to agree.
How much space will I lose?
An independent stud wall takes 75 to 100 mm from the room and a resilient bar system about 50 mm. A ceiling loses 50 to 100 mm of height. We state the exact figure on the quote so you can check furniture and door swings before you commit.
Will I hear nothing at all afterwards?
No system makes a wall silent. A well built party wall system takes normal conversation next door below what you can hear and turns loud television into a murmur. Shouting, deep bass and heavy impact are reduced but can still be heard at high levels, and noise that travels around the lining through floors and chimney breasts has to be treated as well.
Can you soundproof and insulate at the same time?
Yes. On an external wall the same lining can carry thermal insulation as well, and that element is charged at 0% VAT. On a party wall there is little heat loss to insulate, so the job is sound only and charged at 20%. The quote shows the split.

Related guides

In-depth, independent guidance to help you decide.

Last reviewed September 2026 by Stay Warm Insulation.

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