Top Tips For Soundproofing A Steel Building

If you are looking for a solid, temporary or semi-permanent structure that is easy to set up and exceptionally robust, kit steel buildings are often a great place to start.

These affordable steel buildings are available as prefabricated kits, are strong, resilient against the elements and whilst they can be used as is with a uniform design can also be customised to fit your company’s branding or design needs.

Typically there are few downsides to using a metal building but one common perception of metal buildings, particularly if they have corrugated iron roofs, is that they had a reputation for being quite noisy, particularly when it rains.

This is typically untrue, and once fully furnished and insulated, a metal roof is generally no louder than a roof made from any other materials, but, if you have a corrugated roof with no insulation you can sometimes hear a louder patter than you might expect, comparable to the glass roof on a conservatory.

With that said, if the roof is uninsulated or there is something wrong with that insulation material, it can become obtrusive to the point that it is difficult to hold a conversation amidst the reverberating noise. Here is how to fix it.

Apply Sound Deadening Paint

Metal is an exceptionally good conductor of sound waves, with vibrations easily and readily passing through a metal surface, which is why the pitter-patter of the rain resonates and is amplified by the rest of the building.

A way around it is to apply a latex or rubber-based paint to the metal roof panels. These paints are easy to apply, dampen the ring that impacts make on the metal and help keep your building insulated.

To maximise its effectiveness, apply three particularly generous coats to create a strong layer of soundproofing.

Add Underlay

Soundproof underlay is often a standard part of a metal building construction as it provides cost-effective insulation and sound dampening.

If your roof has no underlay, the difference in the noise levels can be night and day and make a substantial difference.

Add A False Ceiling

Most people will never have a problem with their metal roof because their steel building has a false ceiling between the roof and the highest usable rooms, but if you have a large open space where the metal roof is still visible then this is an optimal solution.

Set up a false ceiling, fill the ceiling cavity with spray foam insulation or insulating panel and top with soundproof tiles and you will not only no longer struggle with noise issues but also have a much better-relegated temperature which does not get too hot in summer nor too cold in winter.

Tighten Roofing Screws

If your roof panels are not fastened to the room tightly, the wind can catch underneath them and cause them to move around, creating and accentuating existing noise.

Tightening each screw in turn will fix this issue and also stop any problems with water egress that can sometimes occur when a metal roof is not fitted properly to a building.