How to Soundproof a Room in the UK

Last updated on November 11, 2026 by Emma Collins

If you can hear your neighbour’s television through the wall, or traffic noise keeps you awake at night, learning how to soundproof a room in the UK starts with working out what kind of noise it is — and how much of the room you need to treat. A single wall can be treated from around £700. A full room, with every surface treated, runs to five figures. This guide explains what each method costs, which ones actually work, and the cheap fixes worth trying first — including heavy curtains, which also help you keep a room warm.

How to Soundproof a Room UK: What It Costs

According to Checkatrade’s 2026 cost guide (updated July 2026), soundproofing a full room — four walls and the floor treated — typically costs between £11,050 and £20,650, including materials and labour. The individual jobs behind that total are:

• A new insulated stud wall in front of an existing wall (25 m²): around £4,200 — £2,400 materials, £1,800 labour.
• Acoustic plasterboard on battens on an existing wall (25 m²): around £2,600 — £900 materials, £1,700 labour.
• Insulating an existing stud wall (25 m²): around £1,800 — £700 materials, £1,100 labour.
• Soundproof flooring (10 m²): around £2,100 — £1,200 materials, £900 labour.

You will also see a much lower figure quoted elsewhere. MyJobQuote puts the average soundproofing job at around £2,500, with smaller projects starting from around £700. The two numbers are not contradicting each other — they describe different jobs. MyJobQuote’s £2,500 is the average of real quotes on its platform, and most of those jobs treat a single surface or a modest room: internal walls £700–£1,200, ceilings £550–£750, floors £750–£1,200, usually finished in 2 to 4 days. Checkatrade’s £11,050–£20,650 is a fully treated room, every surface, at a larger scale. Even MyJobQuote’s own full bedroom treatment for a 12 m² room is £3,500–£7,000 — and Checkatrade’s second-floor bedroom figure, £9,300–£18,900, covers walls, floor and ceiling at a bigger scale again. The honest answer is that the price depends on scope, so get quotes for your exact room rather than budgeting from a single average.

What Each Level of Treatment Costs

Scope	Typical cost	What it actually reduces
Door seals and gap sealing	Around £300 fitted for a professional acoustic door seal (MyJobQuote)	Airborne noise leaking through gaps around the door — a small but real gain
One wall, plasterboard overlay	£700–£1,200 (MyJobQuote)	Airborne noise through one shared wall
One wall, new insulated stud wall	Around £4,200 for a 25 m² wall (Checkatrade)	Airborne noise through that wall, with a much bigger reduction
Floor, acoustic underlay	Around £45 per m² (MyJobQuote)	Impact noise (footsteps) only — not voices or music
Full room, every surface treated	£11,050–£20,650 (Checkatrade)	Airborne and impact noise through walls, floor and ceiling
Second-floor bedroom, full treatment	£9,300–£18,900 (Checkatrade)	Every noise path in a bedroom — walls, floor and ceiling

Soundproofing vs Acoustic Treatment: Know the Difference

Before you spend anything, it is worth knowing that soundproofing and acoustic treatment are two different things. Soundproofing stops sound getting in or out of a room. It works by adding mass, sealing gaps and separating surfaces so that sound waves cannot pass through easily. It is the only thing that will quieten a noisy neighbour or keep your music from bothering the flat below. Acoustic treatment improves how a room sounds inside. Foam panels, fabric panels and bass traps absorb echoes and reduce reverberation, which makes a room sound better for music, recording or watching films. They do almost nothing to stop sound travelling through a wall. Be clear about which problem you are solving before you spend money.

The Best Ways to Soundproof Walls, Floors and Ceilings

Most noise comes through a shared wall, so treat walls first. The simplest method is fixing acoustic plasterboard directly to the wall. A better result comes from building an independent stud wall a small gap away from the existing wall, filling it with acoustic mineral wool, and boarding it with two layers of acoustic plasterboard. Per-square-metre prices are where the old version of this article went wrong, so here are the figures with their sources kept separate. MyJobQuote’s ranges, for typical jobs, are £70–£120 per m² for walls (a plasterboard overlay is around £70 per m²; an independent stud wall is around £120 per m²), £60–£180 per m² for ceilings, and £45–£160 per m² for floors (underlay around £45; a floating floor around £100; a full acoustic floor build around £160). Checkatrade’s job totals work out higher per square metre, because they are complete builds with full labour included: its plasterboard-on-battens job is £2,600 for 25 m², about £104 per m²; its new insulated stud wall is £4,200 for 25 m², about £168 per m²; insulating an existing stud wall is £1,800 for 25 m², about £72 per m²; and its soundproof flooring is £2,100 for 10 m², £210 per m². The two sets of figures describe different jobs, so compare like with like — and always ask a quote to break out materials and labour. For impact noise such as footsteps, an acoustic underlay beneath carpet or laminate helps, but it only deals with impact sound, not voices or music. A full acoustic floor build, with resilient layers and dense boards, deals with both. For ceilings, mineral wool between the joists and acoustic plasterboard is the standard option; a decoupled ceiling on resilient bars costs more and performs better. Whatever you treat, sealing the gaps matters as much as the materials. Seal around skirting boards, sockets, pipes and light fittings with acoustic sealant, and fit a proper door seal, since a hollow internal door lets through more sound than a treated wall. If the noise comes through a wall you share with a neighbour, check the legal side before you start. In England and Wales, the Party Wall Act 1996 applies when work cuts into a shared (party) wall or changes its structure — then you must serve your neighbour a formal notice at least two months before work starts. Simply fixing acoustic boards to your own side of the wall does not usually trigger the Act, but work that alters the party wall can. If you live in a flat, check your lease too: some leases restrict structural work. When in doubt, ask a party wall surveyor before you book anything. You do not normally need planning permission for internal soundproofing, though listed buildings and conservation areas may have restrictions.

How to Soundproof a Bedroom for Better Sleep

Bedrooms are the most common room people want to soundproof, and the approach is a little different from a home cinema or a music room. The goal is not total silence, which is almost impossible in a normal house, but a big enough reduction in noise that you can fall asleep and stay asleep. Start with the wall the noise comes through. A single treated wall is far cheaper than treating the whole room. Checkatrade puts soundproofing a second-floor bedroom at between £9,300 and £18,900 for a full treatment, but a single wall treatment starts from around £700 to £1,200, which is a realistic first step for most people. Windows are often the weakest point. Secondary glazing costs around £300 to £500 per window (MyJobQuote) and can cut traffic noise significantly, and a solid-core door with a drop seal blocks far more sound than a hollow internal door — a fitted solid acoustic doorset is around £900 installed (MyJobQuote). A comfortable mattress matters as much as a quiet room. If your back aches, our guide to the best mattress for back pain in the UK under £500 will help.

Cheap Fixes That Help Before You Spend Thousands

Before you commit to a full soundproofing build, there are cheaper steps that can take the edge off the noise. Start by finding the gaps. Run your hand around door frames, window frames and skirting boards on a windy day, and seal anything that lets air through, since sound follows the same path. DIY draught-proofing strips are the cheapest option of all, and a professional acoustic door seal costs around £300 fitted (MyJobQuote).

Soft furnishings absorb sound inside a room and make it feel calmer. A thick rug cuts footsteps and echo, and heavy curtains reduce draughts and noise. A bookcase full of books against a shared wall adds mass, which is exactly what soundproofing needs. If the noise is from the flat above, talk to your neighbours first. A rug or felt pads under their furniture can solve it for free.

Soundproofing FAQs

Conclusion

Start with the wall or window the noise actually comes through. For most people, a single treated wall at £700 to £1,200 is the realistic first step, and door seals plus heavy curtains — which also help you keep a room warm — can take the edge off for very little. A full room is a five-figure job — £11,050 to £20,650 on Checkatrade’s figures — so only commit to that once you know the cheaper options are not enough. If the work touches a shared wall, sort the Party Wall Act notice and any lease permission first. Then get two or three quotes from specialists, ask exactly what is included in each one, and treat your bedroom first if sleep is the problem. If the noise or the cold is coming through the ceiling, loft insulation is worth a look as well.