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It's the quintessential problem for all lovers of sound: you want to turn it up, but your neighbors or your housemates upstairs keep telling you to turn it down. Musicians and film watchers have the same problem when it comes to how loud they want it to be and how loud it can be. Instead of ending band practice and preventing the greatest band ever from even coming to fruitionor lowering the volume so you can't understand the dialogue, why not learn how to soundproof a room?
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How To Soundproof A Room
- Hanging drywall might be an easy solution to your problems.
- There are pre-soundproofed spaces that you can purchase.
- Choose between materials that can absorb sound and others that can block it.
- Picking the right room that has minimal areas that sound can escape from, such as windows and doorjams, can help.
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Introduction
- Whether you're living at home or in a box-sized apartment, sometimes you just want to turn the noise up. But the neighbors next door might not be quite as enthusiastic. Or maybe you have the ultimate home theater center which unfortunately also broadcasts live in your next door neighbors' living room as well as your own. Instead of becoming the noisy neighbor, soundproofing your room will allow you to turn up the sound learn to soundproof your room so you can exist in happiness without disturbing the peace. EthanWiner.com: Acoustic Treatment and Design for Recording Studios and Listening Rooms Whether you want high-end quality materials or recycled items from your household, we have the lowdown on how to soundproof a room.
Step 1: Looking at Your Options
- Sometimes, a large home project might not be feasible for everyone. Make sure you know what you are getting yourself into before you begin.
- Remember, as with any home project, caution and safety should be foremost and most important on your list. Read the U.S. Department of Labor Jobsite Safety Handbook on home safety before you begin. OSHA: Jobsite If it seems too difficult, do not risk your well-being.
- You can always hire outside help, although there are many resources that can help you install the products by yourself. Many companies offer their services. HomeBlue.com: Soundproofing
- If your walls are so thin that there's no simple way to add soundproofing materials, you could opt for a pre-made soundproof room. Quite expensive, it will do the job, but you might not be able to fit the entire band inside the space. TechJapan.com: Yamaha's MyRoom
Step 2: Selecting the Right Location
- If you are going to go through the effort of soundproofing, you have to make sure that your space is suitable for the project you have in mind.
- Choose which room you want to soundproof.
- You can't exactly get rid of your neighbors, but you might opt to pick a room with no windows, which passes sound quite easily. A basement is a good option; out of the way, it's the farthest place from your neighbors that you won't have to leave your home for. Soundproofing.org: Soundproofing Tips for Music Practice Basements are be great for musicians, but can also be a comfy place for a home theater system as well as ideal for soundproofing.
- Opt for a room with more open space because sound waves get weaker the father they travel. Rooms with thick walls help as well (stone walls tend to work best). UFHmag.com: Soundproofing Repair-Home.com: Soundproofing Your Home: About Sound
- The rooms should have at least 25% of some kind of sound dampening material, such as carpeting, furniture or draperies. NaturalHandyman.com: Do It Yourself Home Soundproofing
- Make sure that all electrical wiring and plumbing is in place. DoItYourself.com: How to Soundproof a Room Make sure nothing is sticking out of the wall; you may want to hire a professional check out the room for code violations.
- After you have chosen your room, check to see if it is finished on the inside. HomeRecordingConnection.com: Do-It-Yourself Projects If it isn't, you could make your walls thicker by adding drywall.
- If it already is drywalled, you can always upgrade your drywall from the standard 1/2'' to 5/8''. CandianHomeworkshop.com: Do It Yourself: Keep It Down, Will Ya! Part 2
- If your drywall is as thick as it gets, you can always add additional soundproof or dampening materials. CandianHomeworkshop.com: Do It Yourself: Keep It Down, Will Ya! Part 3
Step 3: Materials
- There are several ways to soundproof a room. There are plenty of options when it comes to store-bought soundproofing and acoustic materials that look better perform professionally. SoundProofFoam.com: Soundproofing and Acoustic Materials But you can also use products lying around the house that you thought were trash, although they may not always be as efficient as store-bought solutions. Soundproofing Secrets: How to Expertly SoundProof Using DIY Tools and Materials
- Decide whether you want soundproofing materials or sound absorption materials. SoundProofFoam.com: Soundproofing and Acoustic Materials Keep in mind that the difference between the two is that:
- Soundproofing a room will stop sound from entering or leaving a space
- Adding sound absorption materials will improve the acoustics and sound within the room.SoundOnSound: FAQ
- Figure out which materials you want to use.
- Soundproof materials that are manufactured have soundproof rating. Repair-Home.com: Soundproofing Your Home
- You can thicken your walls with drywall or create a dropped ceiling, but these are expensive and labor intensive. Home.HowStuffWorks.com: Can you soundproof your living space? Also, your room must be compatible with this method, which will be discussed later.
- You can buy materials to place and line your walls. DrumDojo.com: Acoustic Foam While this is easier to install, it is not as effective as more time consuming techniques.
- You could opt to use home materials such as egg crates and blankets. SoundOnSound.com: FAQ However, it isn't as effective as manufactured products for this purpose, and they work better for sound absorption than for sound proofing.
Step 4: Installing Your Materials
- After you've bought your materials and chosen the best place for them, it's time for you to get to work. This can be quite a project in itself, but it's easy enough to do without hiring outside help.
Adding Your Soundproof Materials
- If you are especially ambitious, you can place fiberglass insulation between your walls to further dampen your sound. CandianHomeWorkshop.com: Do It Yourself: Keep the Noise Down, Will Ya! Part 3 This will require removing the interior wall though, so do this before you hang your drywall.
- If you don't want to remove your drywall, you can place acoustical wall coverings. DrumDojo.com: Basics of Soundproofing The best material for this is polyester.
Installing Drywall on your Walls
- Purchase 5/8'' drywall sheets in appropriate sizes for the walls on your room. HomeRecordingConnection.com: Do-It-Yourself Projects
- Hang them on your walls. One method includes nailing the sheets onto your wall. Easy2DIY: Hanging Drywall Place the nails about two inches apart.
- A simpler method involves placing silicone caulking on the side that needs to be attached to your interior wall, called the stud side. Repair-Home.com: Making a Room Soundproof Then, attach the drywall with nails or screws.
- You can even opt to use two sheets instead of just one, hanging them one on top of each other.Stason.Org: 10.3 - How do I soundproof a room?
- Think about going green and using environmentally-conscious materials. Green Glue is a soundproofing glue that converts sound energy into heat. GreenGlueCompany.com: Green Glue is your soundproofing solution You'll have to put the substance between two surfaces, so you might want to slather the stuff so you could use sheetrock and Green Glue instead of drywall and silicone caulking. Wired.com: How to Soundproof an Apartment to Muffle Your Wife's Drumming
Cover Your Ground... and Ceilings
- Make sure you lay down carpet or some sort of buffer on your floor. Home.HowStuffWorks.com: Can you soundproof your living space?
- Place your loud materials, such as amps and speakres, off the ground and place them on materials like foam rubber. SoundOnSound.com: I think I can deal with the walls, doors and windows, but what about the floors and ceilings?
- Putting wooden pallets on your ceiling and floor can help as well. HomeRecordingConnection.com: [HomeRecordingConnection.com Do-It-Yourself Projects]
- This could be tricky, but you can always remove the drywall on your ceiling, insert layers of fiberglass insulation, and then replace it. You can add soundproof tiling as well. Repair-Home.com: Making a Room Soundproof
Take Care of Those Pesky Windows and Doors
- If you have windows, replace them with a vinyl framed "double/triple paned" glass window. Using acoustical drapes like they do in hotels and motels helps as well. Soundproofing.org: How do I soundproof my window? I can't get a good nights sleep
- Plug up all cracks and crevices around the window. Home.HowStuffWorks.com: Can you soundproof your living space?
- Patch up your doors-- without blocking your only means of exit. Doors that are solid-wood, fire doors or industrial-strength steel doors block sound out best. CandianHomeWorkshop.com: Do It Yourself: Keep It Down, Will Ya! Part 4
- Make sure there is no space between your door jambs and your door. A good weather seal and well-placed door sweep can take care of this. GoogoBits.com: Home Improvement: An Overview of Do-It-Yourself Soundproofing
Conclusion
- Turn up the noise and turn up the fun: A soundproof room lets you do whatever you want, whenever you want. Remember while your room won't block out the sound 100%, it will muffle and dampen it enough to keep your surrounding neighbors happy. While you can have someone install it for you, as you can see it's not impossible to buy your own materials and get the job done yourself. ServiceMagic.com: Sound Proof Installation Service However, soundproofing is still a reasonably involved process, so if you have little or no experience in home modification projects on this scale, don't be afraid to hire someone to do the soundproofing for you.
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