Soundproofing a Stud Partition Wall

When looking to insulate stud and partition walls, it isn't easy to know where to begin, given the endless range of sound and heatproofing options on offer. You may have constructed a stud and partition wall as part of a home extension or to divide up an existing space. However, regardless of the wall type and structural system used, selecting the wrong kind of insulation will ultimately have a less effective impact – irrespective of whether you chose the best quality structural materials.

Creating a warm, economical and soundproof space within the home can be easily achieved with the correct insulation. Whereas most houses built pre-1920 had internal and external brick walls, anything made beyond this date will likely use hollow stud partition walls for a home's interior layout. In the modern home, partition walls are non-load bearing and can provide spatial division and privacy and provide fire separation in larger buildings. One key area of concern with such walls is how soundproof such divisional walls are and what can be done to improve this.

For a hollow partition wall, specialist acoustic soundproofing foam can be used to ensure sound insulation that is affordable yet high quality and incredibly effective. This can be layered and then covered with plasterboard as usual. Acoustic soundproofing foam reduces vibration, sound rebound, echoing and typically comes in two types. We recommend sound-absorbing foam to reduce noise in a space, which is excellent at rebuffing sound waves due to its open and flexible cell structure. Foam with a closer-celled structure is available to block sound completely. However, we recommend using this in recording studios rather than within stud walls.

Likewise, stud walls also need efficient heat insulation – not just external load-bearing walls. Foam such as Zotefoam Plastazote superior closed cell is an excellent thermal insulator that is lightweight and flexible and resistant to mildew, rot and bacteria. Plastazote foam is slotted within the partition wall frame and can be easily layered with acoustic foam as it is easily shaped, cut and bonded to other materials. This type of specialist foam is also available with fire retardant qualities, vital for adhering to building regulations.

Whether you are looking for foam for acoustic soundproofing or thermal insulation, measuring and ordering the product you need is straightforward using our cut to size tool. Given that stud walls are typically broken into panel sections, we recommend ordering a separate piece of foam for each section. For example, for a wall separated into eight parts (as divided by the wooden or metal supports that maintain the wall structure), you can determine the dimensions of the pieces you need by measuring the width and height of each part. For typical wall insulation – whether heat or sound insulation or a mix of both – we recommend a total of 70mm in thickness, although up to 100mm is suitable depending on your requirements.

For advice on foam insulation, please contact one of our friendly and knowledgeable advisers.