How to Soundproof a Flat: Block Neighbour Noise Without Building

Can You Add Soundproofing to a Flat Without Major Work?

Yes – and with far less disruption than most people expect. If you are wondering how to soundproof a flat without demolition, planning permission or a long renovation, there is a much simpler solution. By fitting an internal acoustic layer to a shared wall and combining it with the right panels, you can achieve 8–15 dB of noise reduction – enough for your neighbour’s TV or evening conversation to virtually disappear.

This guide is primarily written for homeowners thinking about a long-term, lasting fix rather than a quick patch. Renters aren’t left out, but the focus is on stable, value-adding solutions.

Browse our full soundproofing panel range to find the right fit for your situation.

Quick Facts – The Key Numbers

✅ 8–30 dB noise reduction is achievable with a retrofitted internal wall layer – every 10 dB cutting perceived loudness in half.
✅ 5–10 cm is the typical space required per wall side with a plasterboard stud wall solution
✅ 1 weekend is enough to soundproof an average room yourself.

⚠️ Wall soundproofing targets airborne noise: speech, TV, music. Impact noise (footsteps, dropped objects) needs a separate floor solution

What’s Causing the Noise – and What Can Actually Fix It?

Before you buy or fit anything, it’s worth understanding what type of noise you’re dealing with.
That single question determines whether wall soundproofing will help or whether the answer lies somewhere else entirely.

Airborne noise travels through the air: Your neighbour’s television, music, loud conversations, a barking dog etc. Internal wall soundproofing is built for exactly this. If you can hear your neighbour’s TV through the wall in the evening, you’re in the right place.

Impact noise travels through the structure: footsteps, dropped objects, furniture being dragged.
Wall treatment alone isn’t enough here; floor or ceiling work is needed alongside it. We cover this in detail in our floor soundproofing article.

It’s also worth getting your head around the dB scale: every 10 dB reduction halves the perceived loudness. If 70 dB of noise is coming through the wall (roughly the level of a loud conversation) and you cut it by 20 dB,
the perceived volume drops to a quarter. That’s the difference between “constantly annoying” and “only noticeable in complete silence.” With a retrofitted internal layer, that’s a realistic outcome.

The Particular Challenge of Concrete Block Flats

Concrete panel buildings were constructed from prefabricated reinforced sections – their rigid, interconnected structure conducts vibrations efficiently, meaning both footfall and impact noise travel freely. The real weak points are the gaps at panel joints and the vibrations transmitted through the rigid frame itself. In these flats, service penetrations (pipe and cable holes) and joint gaps form their own sound pathways – these must always be sealed, or even the best-insulated wall will lose a chunk of its effectiveness.

Internal Wall Soundproofing: Who Is It For and When Does It Work?

Party Wall Soundproofing: Dealing with Noise from Next Door

The most common scenario: a shared wall between two flats, with the neighbour’s TV, dinner party, or midnight phone call bleeding through into your bedroom or living room. Internal wall soundproofing addresses this directly.

As a homeowner, the investment pays off in day-to-day comfort and in protecting your property’s value. An internal stud wall lined with Elitexa extra dense soundproofing foam is a long-term, stable fix you do once and forget about.

As a renter, non-destructive solutions – such as lightweight acoustic panels – are ideal, because if you fix them with screws rather than adhesive, they can be removed when you move out and reused elsewhere. That flexibility is a genuine advantage.

Soundproofing a Bedroom: Tackling Night-Time Noise and Sleep Disruption

The bedroom is where it really matters: between 10pm and 6am, background noise above 30 dB can disrupt sleep. The priority here is bass frequency attenuation – low frequencies (100–300 Hz) are the most disruptive at night and penetrate thinner walls most easily.

Dense plasterboard combined with a thick foam layer performs particularly well across this frequency range. If the ceiling is also a problem, adding Bilnora acoustic felt panels to the ceiling surface reduces reflections further – so whatever sound does get through won’t bounce around and amplify.

If your goal is recording or setting up a music room rather than sleeping, the requirements are quite different – we cover that in our music room and studio soundproofing article.

Soundproofing a Living Room and Home Office – Quiet for Focus and Downtime

The living room poses a different challenge: life happens here during the day, and the aim isn’t total silence but minimising disruptive bleed – while keeping sound contained inside the room.

One thing people often overlook: if you soundproof your living room walls but leave them bare, whatever sound does get in bounces off hard surfaces and amplifies. Freja wood slat panels and Bilnora felt panels both serve a dual purpose – they’re decorative and sound-absorbing at once, preventing residual noise from building up in the room.

For a home office, the goal is a room that’s quiet enough for video calls and focused work. Acoustic absorption panels alone can make a noticeable difference here, even without a dedicated soundproofing layer.

When This Isn’t the Right Solution

• If the noise comes from above (footsteps, thuds) → floor soundproofing is needed
• If the noise is mechanical (pipe noise, lift, ventilation) → treating the source is the priority
• If the main noise enters through windows → window sealing or replacement is required
• If you need office partitioning or a dividing wall → have a look at our office soundproofing article for more options

Pros and Cons – an Honest Assessment

Pros

✅ No building work required – no planning permission, no residents’ association approval needed.
✅ Measurable noise reduction – 8–30 dB is realistic, which halves perceived loudness.
✅ Renters can do it too – self-adhesive solutions can be removed without damaging walls.
✅ Dual acoustic benefit – the soundproofing layer can also absorb sound, improving the room’s internal acoustics.
✅ Available in decorative finishes – wood slat and printed acoustic panel options add genuine visual appeal.

Cons

❌ You lose floor space – 5–10 cm per wall side; noticeable in a small room.
❌ Doesn’t address impact noise on its own – footfall needs a separate solution.
❌ Airtight sealing is essential – a single unsealed pipe penetration can wipe out a significant portion of the effect.
❌ Total sound elimination isn’t achievable – reductions above 20 dB require heavyweight, high-cost systems.

What Solutions Are Available?

Several approaches exist for internal wall soundproofing, and the differences go well beyond price. We go into more detail in our comprehensive soundproofing guide.

The Most Effective Long-Term Solution: Plasterboard + Dense Foam (Independent Stud Wall)

The classic stud wall approach. Not the cheapest and not the slimmest, but for durability and acoustic performance it’s the strongest choice for homeowners by some margin.

✔ 12–18 dB attenuation achievable
✔ Permanent, paintable, fully decoratable – becomes part of the fabric of the flat
✔ Elitexa extra dense foam is ideal for this application
✖ 8–12 cm space requirement
✖ Trade installation recommended for best results

A Flexible Addition: PET Acoustic Felt Panel (9–25 mm thickness)

Felt panels primarily deliver sound absorption, not soundproofing. Combined with a soundproofing layer the results are excellent; fitted alone, they won’t meaningfully reduce sound transmission.

✔ NRC 0.75–0.90 absorption rating depending on thickness
✔ Self-adhesive versions require no specialist installation
✔ Bilnora panels are fire-rated and formaldehyde-free
✖ Limited effect on low frequencies

Acoustics and Aesthetics Together: Wood Slat + Felt Panel (22 mm)

Freja panels absorb sound and diffuse it simultaneously. On their own they improve the room’s internal acoustics; against sound transmission they’re only effective alongside a dedicated soundproofing layer.

✔ Attractive natural wood finish, multiple species available
✔ Durable, mountable, sits well within interior design schemes
✖ Weaker performance on low frequencies

Bespoke Look with Sound Absorption: Printed Decorative Panel (custom sizes available)

The strongest choice for living rooms and bedrooms where appearance matters. Functions as an absorption layer; pairs with a soundproofing layer for the full result.

✔ Fully bespoke, available in custom sizes
✔ Sound-absorbing and decorative in one
✖ Does not block sound transmission on its own

For serious airborne noise reduction, plasterboard + Elitexa is the strongest option. Where improving internal acoustics and aesthetics is the priority, Bilnora, Freja, or a printed panel – alone or combined – is the better direction.

Why Retrofit Soundproofing Beats a Full Renovation

Many people assume that serious soundproofing means serious demolition. It doesn’t.

Time: fitting an internal soundproofing layer in an average room takes 1–2 days. A full demolition and wall rebuild takes at least a week when everything goes smoothly.

Cost: a demolition-based approach – factoring in materials, labour, and finishing work (plastering, tiling, reconnections) – typically costs 3–5 times more than a retrofitted solution. You can achieve the same dB reduction for a fraction of the price.

Leasehold restrictions: in most blocks of flats, structural wall work requires approval from the residents’ association or freeholder. An internal acoustic layer, on the other hand, is entirely within your own remit.

Renting: if you’re a tenant, demolition simply isn’t an option. Self-adhesive and screw-fixed panels come off cleanly when you move out – and your deposit stays intact.

Case Study: Home Office Soundproofing in a Recently Built Residential Block

In a 67 m² flat in a block built in 2018, the home office shared a lightweight plasterboard party wall with the neighbour’s living room – estimated Rw of 32–36 dB. The owner works from home with daily video calls. The neighbours’ young children were generating 50–56 dB of bleed during morning hours – conditions that made focused work impossible.

The decision

Self-adhesive thin felt panels were the obvious first thought. But with such a weak base wall and the broad frequency range of children’s noise (200 Hz–4 kHz), the realistic gain would have been 6–8 dB at best – imperceptible during a video call. The stud wall solution was the only viable path.

The work carried out

An aluminium stud frame was built in front of the 8.8 m² party wall, separated from the structure with acoustic foam tape. Elitexa extra dense foam went into the 4 cm cavity, double-layer plasterboard on the front face, Bilnora anthracite felt panels on the internal surface. Every back box and pipe penetration sealed with acoustic sealant. Space taken: 10 cm.

The result

Airborne noise dropped from 50–56 dB to 30–33 dB – a reduction of 20–23 dB. The children’s noise is no longer perceptible during video calls. Installation time: two days.

One detail deserves particular attention: the first measurement came in below expectations. Two back boxes hadn’t been properly sealed. Once remedied, the measured figure improved by 4 dB – that’s how much a single overlooked detail can cost.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

• Fitting only acoustic absorption panels, with no soundproofing layer. Bilnora felt panels and Freja wood slat panels are acoustic products – they improve the room’s internal sound quality, but they don’t stop noise passing through the wall. If reducing bleed is the goal, plasterboard + Elitexa foam is what’s needed. The two together make a complete solution.
• Leaving gaps in the soundproofing layer. A single unsealed back box or pipe penetration can reduce the system’s effectiveness by 4–6 dB. Every opening must be sealed with acoustic foam strip or acoustic sealant.
• Treating only one wall while sound travels around it. Sound travels through floors, ceilings, and adjoining walls. If one wall is fully treated but the next one isn’t, the result will fall well short of expectations.
• Leaving the internal walls of a soundproofed room bare. Any residual sound that does get through will bounce off hard, empty walls and amplify. The fix is simple: Bilnora felt panels, Freja wood slat, or a printed decorative panel – all decorative and sound-absorbing at once.
• Expecting wall treatment to fix impact noise. If your neighbour is stomping about, that vibration travels through the entire structure – wall treatment won’t touch it. Floor soundproofing is needed in that case.

Step-by-Step: DIY Soundproofing for a Flat Room

The following guide covers the internal soundproofing of a single wall in an average room (15–20 m²) using plasterboard and Elitexa foam. A reasonably handy person can do this solo.

Estimated time: 2 days.

1. Assessment and planning (⏱ 1–2 hours) Work out which wall is the main problem – where is most of the noise coming from? Measure the wall area. Decide how thick a stud wall you can accommodate (5 cm minimum is recommended). Plan the positions of light switches and socket boxes relative to the new wall surface.
2. Materials (⏱ 2–3 hours + delivery) You’ll need: aluminium C-section and U-section track, plasterboard sheets (12.5 mm), Elitexa extra dense soundproofing foam, acoustic foam tape for the track bases, screws, and acoustic sealant.
3. Fitting the frame (⏱ 2–4 hours) Fix U-track to the floor and ceiling – apply acoustic foam tape under and above every section to break the vibration path. Space C-section studs at 60 cm centres. The frame must not touch the wall being treated – the air gap is what delivers much of the acoustic performance.
4. Installing the Elitexa foam (⏱ 1–2 hours) Cut Elitexa panels to size and press them into the stud bays. The self-adhesive backing holds them in position. Leave no gaps between panels; fill any joints with acoustic sealant.
5. Plasterboard cladding (⏱ 3–5 hours) Screw plasterboard sheets to the C-section studs. For extra performance, two layers can be used. Fill all joints and screw heads with filler.
6. Sealing (⏱ 1 hour) Seal every pipe and cable penetration, every back box cutout, with acoustic sealant. Check the floor and ceiling perimeter joints too – these are the spots most often forgotten.
7. Internal sound absorption (⏱ 1–2 hours) Apply Bilnora felt panels, Freja wood slat sections, or a printed decorative panel to the finished wall and the adjoining walls. This eliminates the echo problem and gives the room a finished, attractive look.

Take the First Step

Not sure which solution fits your situation – concrete flat, living room, bedroom, shared wall? The best starting point is a free acoustic consultation. Describe your problem and we’ll recommend the right products, thicknesses, and placement.

👉 Get free advice on perfectacoustic.co.uk

If you already know you need internal wall soundproofing but space is tight, read our detailed guide: Slim internal wall soundproofing – effective noise reduction from just 9 mm, with minimal space loss

Frequently Asked Questions

Summary

Soundproofing a flat without building work is entirely achievable – 8–15 dB of noise reduction is realistic with a plasterboard and Elitexa dense foam setup. For those wanting to address internal echo and improve room acoustics, Bilnora felt panels, Freja wood slat panels, or printed decorative panels offer a practical, good-looking solution – or the two approaches can be combined.

Most problems happen during installation: unsealed gaps, untreated penetrations, treating only one wall while ignoring the others. Avoid those, and the results will be lasting and genuinely noticeable.

Next step: identify which wall is causing the most trouble and use our free* online expert consultation to choose the right products.