Shhh: 3 ways to make a room soundproof

Soundproofing is an excellent way to reduce the amount of noise that leaks from room to room. Savour silence with these tips.

Parents with kids who own a drum set can appreciate how well some of the modern soundproofing materials work. If you’ve been thinking about soundproofing a room in your home or workplace, there are many options available to you, and it can be overwhelming. You also need to think about whether you'll be doing the soundproofing yourself, or hiring a professional to do it for you. There are three common techniques that can help you reduce the amount of sound that leaks from a room.

There are compounds on the market that are specifically designed for dampening sounds. A real world example of dampening in action is putting a blanket over the strings of a grand piano. When the piano is played, the notes won’t resonate as long. This same principal is used when soundproofing a room. Dampening is especially helpful to reduce low-frequency noise like booming bass music. To dampen the sound in a room, set the dampening compound between two boards. This can be a big job and it is recommended that you let a professional take care of it unless you have experience in soundproofing and general construction.

Applying material like mass vinyl can be an excellent way to eliminate certain sounds. The material easily suppresses talking and other airborne sounds, but it will be less effective against other sounds like moving around furniture. Drywall naturally helps with sound, and you may already be set up for mass soundproofing in your room.

Absorption typically has the least effect on suppressing sounds, but it's still quite helpful. Heavy curtains and foam wall panels like you see in recording studios are good examples of affordable ways to increase the soundproofing of a room.

The best thing you can do is to soundproof your room in as many ways as possible. Some methods can be very expensive and may require a lot of work, while others can be easily done with things you have around the house. In any case, it’s a good idea to talk to an expert and see what kind of services they can offer you. For best results, an expert will evaluate all of the possible ways you can soundproof your space and give you a quote on how much it will cost.