Sound insulation between apartments in Cyprus

Start with the noise you want to reduce

Voices, television and music are examples of airborne sound. A dense separating wall can help limit this transmission. Footsteps, furniture movement and vibration can travel through the building structure; a heavier wall alone may not address those paths.

Before choosing a block, record which rooms are affected, where the noise seems strongest and whether it comes through the wall, floor, ceiling, door or window. For an occupied apartment, ask a suitable acoustic professional to assess uncertain sound paths before committing to building work.

Silka is calcium silicate masonry for constructing walls. Sound-absorbing panels mainly change reflections inside a room. These are different tasks: reducing echo does not establish the sound insulation of a separating wall.

What do the Silka 53, 56 and 58 dB ratings mean?

Rw is a weighted laboratory sound reduction index for a tested construction. The three results below relate to specific Silka NF masonry walls finished with 20 mm mortar/plaster on each side. They are not ratings for individual loose blocks.

A 58 dB laboratory rating does not mean every sound in the neighbouring flat will become 58 dB quieter. Frequency, junctions, gaps and other building elements affect the result in use. Do not substitute laboratory Rw for the field performance target specified for your project.

All three assemblies include 20 mm finish on each side. Check the full report and current product declaration before specifying. These figures are not a statement of compliance with a particular Cyprus project requirement.

Five details to review with your designer

1. Wall-to-floor and wall-to-ceiling junctions. Agree how the wall connects to the structure and how movement is accommodated without leaving an unintended sound path.
2. Adjacent walls and slabs. Sound can pass around the separating wall through adjoining elements. This is called flanking transmission.
3. Sockets, pipes and ventilation. Review every penetration and recess. Coordinate acoustic sealing with the required fire and service details.
4. Doors and glazing. A wall specification does not describe the performance of openings. Check the whole boundary between spaces.
5. Finishes and workmanship. Use the specified mortar, joints and finishes. A thinner or different finish should not automatically be assigned the test result of the assembly in the table.

These are design questions, not a universal installation detail. Request drawings and the complete supporting report for the selected construction.

Choosing a wall thickness: compare the finished construction

Compare the required acoustic performance, finished thickness, structural load and usable room area together. For example, the tested 115NF wall is 155 mm thick after both finishes; the corresponding 200NF assembly is 240 mm. That is an 85 mm difference, not just a change in the block label.

No listed thickness is automatically suitable for every apartment boundary. Your designer should select the wall system and its junctions against the project requirements. The engineer also determines support, stability, connections and seismic detailing.

Silka blocks also offer A1 reaction to fire and declared compressive strength. A1 classifies the material’s reaction to fire; it does not, on its own, establish a complete wall’s fire resistance in minutes. See the product declarations in our technical library.

New construction or an existing apartment?

New construction: coordinate the separating walls early with the structural design, room layout and services. This makes it easier to allow for the full wall thickness and avoid later penetrations.

Renovation: adding masonry consumes floor space and increases loading. First establish the sound path and check the existing floor with an engineer. Noise from above, a leaking window seal or a service opening may call for a different intervention. Do not order a new wall solely because a laboratory dB figure looks attractive.

For external walls, thermal insulation is a separate design requirement. Silka’s thermal mass does not replace a thermal insulation layer.

What to send for a Silka quotation in Cyprus

• Project town and delivery access.
• New-build or renovation, with wall plans and proposed heights.
• Net wall area after deducting doors and windows.
• Selected block format, or the designer’s required wall specification.
• Acoustic target, finishes, junction details and the required supporting reports.
• Required delivery period and unloading arrangements.

As an initial quantity example, 50 m² × 20 blocks/m² gives 1,000 blocks. Adding a 5% allowance gives 1,050 blocks before rounding to pallet quantities. Confirm packaging, availability and all project quantities with the supplier. A block count is not an acoustic design or a price quote.

Arvit Services Ltd handles Silka supply enquiries from Larnaca for projects in Cyprus. Delivery arrangements and stock are confirmed for each order. Request an itemised quotation identifying blocks, mortar and accessories, transport, unloading and VAT.

Evidence and further reading

Product figures: supplied IMS reports LAV 6402/21 (115NF), LAV 6181/20 (175NF) and LAV 6423/21 (200NF). Full reports are available on request. Xella’s research material explains why laboratory testing and flanking transmission are separate considerations.