Here are some of the practical, cheapest and easiest ways on how to soundproof a room from outside noise.
Quick questions for you: do you live in a noisy neighborhood? Which could be near a construction site or a traffic-loaded street?
Do you feel like the noise is getting the heck out of you there and then? And would you wish there was a proper way out of the situation?
If the answers to the questions above were yes and yes, then I presume you should stick around. This article condenses together great methods on how to soundproof a room from outside noise.
And if you value keeping quiet, you can get useful tips to always provide your mind with deep-rooted restfulness.
Reasons for Soundproofing Your Room from Outside Noise.
There is an entire full list of things that would push one to soundproof their room. Meanwhile, I think the following reasons are the most common among many quiet buffs.
- Stop outside noise from entering the room. This is very important for maintaining a quiet environment in places like music recording studios.
- Increase the value of your home by soundproofing it. For business thinkers, having your room soundproofed is a way of making it more valuable.
This works especially if this is your personal home. The next time you sell it, you will get more than if it hadn’t been protected from elements of noise.
As you know, many people like quiet residential. They want to have peace and they can, therefore, buy peace if it means doing that.
Here are 6 Remarkable Tips on How to Soundproof a Room from Outside Noise.
Both airborne and impact noise can bring about serious fatigue in the mental and even physical assembly of your body. The following tips will come in handy as you attempt to keep your home quiet and peaceful.
1. Start with the Windows
Windows are vital parts in a home. When it comes to letting in fresh airflow as it’s supplied by nature, they are the best.
They offer ventilation, and this is exactly what any normal man would want to experience.
On the same note, it’s not a surprise that windows are the biggest culprits in transmuting noise. So, it would be necessary to start checking with the windows in the house.
Check for the glass – it could be a lower-grade type that just spills in noise. Or, there’s a possibility of a few gaps and holes in and around the window that needs to be sealed.
There exists a number of methods you can use to help block outside noise that enters a house. You can use weather-strip to seal the gaps around the window.
If you have money, replace the existing window panes entirely. You can install double or triple-panes instead of the single ones.
Window plugs could also do the job. Just spare time to make; it’s all easy to do.
Again, another method is to hang soundproof curtains. (Check Price) Usually, they are thicker, denser and effective.
Besides being great sound deadeners, soundproof curtains are great at heat insulation. Which means that they can be used to preserve heat during winter and release it in the summer.
Acoustic sealants like this one (Check Price) can help seal even the tiniest gaps, cracks and holes.
2. Soundproof the Walls
After some time, walls do develop cracks, gaps, and openings. It also turns out that some walls are simply thin and thus, they offer a straightforward channel for soundwaves to pass through.
Soundproofing outside noise cannot be any closer to being complete without considering the walls. During construction, you can install a sheet of soundproof drywall in the wall.
You can as well disassemble the entire wall and install the drywall panel. Then return the structure as it was originally.
The gaps and cracks on walls can be sealed using suitable sealants like this caulk sealant. (Check Price) Other alternatives include soundproof blankets (Check Price) which can be hung on walls.
These might never be the most appealing in terms of décor. But they considerably reduce noise sneaking through the walls.
Wall decorations such as paintings and heavy quilts can be hung on the wall. This is definitely not as effective as the drywall but can bring about a noticeable difference.
Furniture rearrangements are one of the cheap ways to soundproof a room. In fact, it’s obviously costless.
Just with bookshelves, cabinets, and couches put in the right places – closer to the walls preferably – the reverbs and echoes can be handled to some extent.
3. Soundproof the Doors
Other than windows, you will be stunned with the amount of noise that doors can let in. Expect as much noise disturbance as the number of doors you have on your apartment or house.
The first thing, check for the air spaces in that door – any gaps, any cracks. Again, you will need to use an acoustic sealant such as the one mentioned in the previous methods.
Seal around the door frame to eliminate these spaces. Also, a weather-stripping tape can come in handy here as you know.
A soundproof blanket would do just enough to reduce outside noise for cheap. They are hung or held in place with an adhesive or tacks.
Blankets are not best used for aesthetics.
In addition, think about more techniques like the use of door sweeps. (Check Price) These take care of the space below the door.
4. Step-Up with Soundproofing Ceiling and Floors
This is quite indirect. It comes as probably one of the underrated ways on how to soundproof a room from outside noise.
However, soundproofing ceilings and floors is a resourceful method particularly if you are doing something to combat noise in an apartment. Your upstairs neighbor could be cracking it all up and the impact noise becomes unbearable.
Apart from installing a drywall layer on the ceiling, you could use Mass Loaded Vinyl or acoustic tiles. Do the same thing on the floor as you don’t want to turn into the hunted.
Use rubber mats, MLV, foam or thick carpets, rugs or thick floor underlayment under the floor. These prevent vibrations and impact noise caused by you to torment the neighbor right beneath.
This is the typical outside noise, but after all, it doesn’t originate from within. It’s coming from another different place.
5. Work on the Air Vents
I just want to believe that you are now aware that any kind of air space is enough to allow in sound and noise. Air vents are large holes made into the walls for room ventilation.
A completely soundproof room should have had their vents closed or kind of treated against the noise menace. Yes, they are the best for fresh air, but what about the noise?
The first thing you want to try out if it’s necessary anyway is an entire blockage. You could apply the holes with filler spray or drywall to close them down.
This will surely stop all the noise from outside. The only downside is that your home or room might turn into a hot, stuffy haven.
Since this sounds unfavorable to most people, the second method includes using a sound maze or honeycomb blind. The two products wouldn’t just cut down the sound waves, but they also do maintain the same level of airflow as before.
6. Install Barriers from Outside the House
The idea of achieving a soundproof room by putting barriers from the outside of the house is a thoughtful one. It involves, practically raising barriers between the noise and the room.
One of the barriers can be trees. So, if you plant tall plants or trees around the room, you are putting up a solid barrier that can stop a lot of noises when the trees grow big.
The trees should come as close as possible to the windows and walls of the house. Once the foliage of the trees grows thick and dense, it may actually reduce the strength of sound waves as they travel towards the room.
A tall thick fence can help absorb impact noises from the neighborhood.
Noise caused by a barking puppy who’s just trying to catch up with his new life can be handled in different ways. For example, the kennel floor and walls could be soundproofed using blankets.
Or just decide to bring your puppy inside the house to help it deal with fear and loneliness. He might just feel safer once he knows you are right next.
Final Word
Like I said before, any type of outside noise that enters your house can be eliminated to give you peace of mind and restfulness. The thoughts shared in this article are inclusive.
I have presented some of the cheapest and easiest ways on how to soundproof a room from outside noise. Don’t let noise become a nuisance, don’t feel like the noise problem has fled from the grasp of your hand and that you can’t contain it.
Most of the times, one method may not yield much. Which is the reason why I would recommend a combination of the methods to enhance your room acoustics.
Some noise problems call for huge interventions. You can plan for such situations too.
