An Essential Guide To DIY Soundproofing

Comfort in your home is essential. It ensures you enjoy your stay. Unfortunately, one of the potential hindrances to obtaining comfort is noise. In a residential area, noise can come from your neighbor’s dogs, traffic, or a nearby industrial plant. There are times when the noise is manageable, but there are times it is a nuisance. Soundproofing prevents unwanted sound from penetrating the walls of your home. When done right, it can do wonders for your well-being by doing away with distractions. If you don’t know where to start with this project, read the following guide to DIY soundproofing.

Understand The Available Soundproofing Options

Knowing your options can prevent you from settling for less. The common materials used for soundproofing are acoustic curtains, soundproofing rug pads, insulation, drywall, and furniture. These materials may vary in how and where they are meant to be installed. For instance, drywall and fiberglass are best for wall soundproofing, while rug pads are ideal for floors.

To choose well, you should examine the source of noise, the available options, and your budget.

Identify The Source Of Noise

When faced with noise issues, you need to understand how the noise penetrates. It’s important to acknowledge that not all parts of your home are penetrable. You don’t want to invest in soundproofing your walls when the vulnerable part is your floor. It’ll be a waste of resources. Therefore, it’s crucial to identify the source of the noise.

The first step to take is to go to the room where the noise appears to be the loudest, and then make an assessment. Do you hear your neighbors talking from beside or below you? When the noise is adjacent, the problem is your walls. If you can hear noise from the neighbors above or below you, the vulnerable part is your floors.

Next, identify the minor ones you can easily miss, like gaps in your doors and windows. You may use acoustic caulk to seal these gaps.

Start With Your Walls

The thinner the walls are, the higher the chances of external sound penetrating the room. So if you find that your walls aren’t thick enough, invest in an excellent, durable material to prop them up. Two of the most common materials for soundproofing the walls are fiberglass and drywalls.

If you have to soundproof other areas, the ideal part to work on first is the walls. The walls are adjacent to the roof and ceiling, so working on them first is a logical course of action.

Before filling up the inner part of the wall with fiberglass, create wooden partitions to hold them in place. Once the material is secured, add drywall. The drywall is a flat gypsum board, which will cover your insulation, preventing exposure. The insulation might become less effective when exposed to outside elements.

The final step in soundproofing your walls is sealing the joints. The joints are between the wall and floor and the ceiling. An acoustic sealant is ideal for this purpose.

Work On Your Floors

The main reason that causes noise pollution through your floor is its hard surface; thinness is also possible but rare. In most cases, redoing your floors isn’t an option. Therefore, you’ll best soundproof your floor using accessories.

One such accessory is a carpet; rug pads are also an option. Where the noise is massive, it’s best to lay a thick carpet wall to wall. The thicker the carpet, the more effective your soundproofing will be.

Suppose the noise is focused on a particular area, for example, on top of the neighbor’s living room. The ideal solution is rugs and pads. You don’t have to cover your entire floor; you can place them in problematic areas.

Like with wall soundproofing, ensure proper jointing between the floor soundproofing solution and the wall. Gaps will defeat the purpose of soundproofing.

Seal Your Doors And Windows

Sometimes, during a window and door installation, they aren’t installed snugly. This results in gaps that allow for noise to pierce through. These are the gaps to seal.

Use an acoustic sealant to seal off the gaps below your doors and around your windows. The sealant will dampen sound vibrations, even as it seals the gaps. It should be made of rubber for flexibility. At no given time should the sealant interfere with the normal functioning of your door or window.

Conclusion

Daily traffic noise and noisy neighbors, especially at night, can add to your daily stresses. It’s the reason soundproofing your space is essential. The discussion above is a guide on how to soundproof your home to prevent distractions and for the sake of your well-being.

Photo by Jason Rosewell on Unsplash