You don't need to be a rock drummer or have one at home to soundproof a room. Living with teenagers or next to noisy neighbours and surroundings are good reasons to consider soundproofing a room.
When figuring out how to soundproof a room, there are a few things to keep in mind. The first step is to understand why you want to soundproof in the first place: is your goal to prevent noise from getting in or getting out?
Sound is transmitted as particles or molecules. As these particles collide with each other, they create vibrations that our ears carry to our brain where it registers as a sound.
Imagine a layer cake, where the cake layer is a side of the wall and the space between — for air or insulation — is the frosting. The more layers of cake (or wall) that sound travels through, the less dense those particles become, and the lower the volume. Soundproofing requires creating more layers and/or using denser materials in those layers to block sound particles.
Walls
For quick interior soundproofing: If you’re handy with a drill, you can add an extra layer of drywall to the walls where noise originates. For example, if a room has two interior facing walls and two exterior walls, but you only want to block noise from the outside, you only need to bolster the exterior walls. Sound engineered drywall (SED) works better than regular drywall to absorb sound.
Fill any gaps or crevices where sound can leak through, including in the baseboards, window seals and even electrical outlets. Flexible caulking and weather stripping can do the trick.
Windows
Blackout curtains on windows will not only block light but also absorb and muffle sound. You can tackle the areas around the window frame with an acoustical caulk. The beauty of blackout curtains is they will also insulate your windows.
Floor
Bare floors and any type of laminate flooring will only amplify sound. For optimal soundproofing, add a thick pile carpet with soundproof mats beneath. (Remember that you may need to adjust bottoms of doors to close over a higher pile carpet.)There are acoustic underlays specific for soundproofing, but these can be expensive. Even a thick rug will help absorb sound.
Thick pile carpet or rugs and heavy drapes can act the same way as acoustic panels by absorbing the sound.
Doors
Gaps along bottoms of doorways can be modified with a special door flap that covers the base of the door. You could also add an extra layer to the door.
Knowing how to soundproof a room can save you money and a lot of hassle. Whereas a soundproof room itself can lead to a happier and much quieter home.
