The Complete Guide to Soundproofing Your Home
Whether you’re building a new home or are seeking ways to soundproof an older building, there are many ways to quiet the din and bring some much-needed peace into your home.
Today’s soundproofing methods have moved far beyond saving your old egg cartons and tacking them to the wall. While they require a more significant investment than recycled egg cartons, the soundproofing materials now available to homeowners are sophisticated, inconspicuous, and can be retrofitted for older buildings or integrated seamlessly into your home as you build. Beyond simply reducing noise, investing in soundproofing your home can also:
- Increase your property value
- Reduce your energy and heating bills
- Lower stress caused by excessive noise (whether you notice it or not)
- Lessen disruption to your neighbors and others within your home
- Reduce dirt and drafts entering your home
If you’re looking for ways to quiet the noise, keep reading to learn more about how to soundproof your home.
Common Problem Areas
Unwanted sounds can enter your home through the even tiniest cracks and gaps. If you’re trying to pin down the source of noise, start your search with these 7 common problem areas:
- Windows: Windows are the most common entry or exit point for noise, with single-pane windows and wood frames offering the least resistance to sound. The most effective option for soundproofing existing windows is to replace them or supplement them with interior soundproofing windows. Double-glass panes can reduce noise by up to 20% and vinyl frames can reduce noise by up to 50%, but custom-fitted soundproofing interior windows will offer the greatest reduction in noise, blocking up to 95% of exterior noise. Learn more about how soundproof windows work.
- Walls: To reduce sound transferred through a wall,soundproofing materials such as recycled cotton batts, additional layers of drywall, or double walls suspended on vibration-absorbing materials, can be retrofitted for older buildings or added as walls are constructed. Affixing acousting panels to soundproof existing walls can help reduce noise transfer if remodeling isn’t an option.
- Doors: Doors are the largest gaps in a wall, which makes them the weakest link when it comes to soundproofing your home. Installing door sweeps and sealing door frames with an acoustic sealant or caulk, especially for exterior or hallway-facing doors, is an inexpensive way to reduce noise entering a space through the doorway.
- Ceilings: The most effective (and most expensive) solution for soundproofing a ceiling is to suspend new drywall from a vibration insulation system. Less expensive alternatives include acoustic ceiling panels, which are now available in a number of attractive styles that can integrate seamlessly with your interior decor. Soundproofing insulation between floors can also help dampen noise.
- Floors: Carpets and rugs can soften reverberation and reduce sound traveling to floors below you. For carpeted floors, thick rubber padding is recommended. If you are installing hardwood floors, gluing (rather than nailing) flooring can help reduce noise, as nails can transfer sound to the subfloor.
- Attics: Many attics, especially in older buildings, are poorly insulated, so adding insulation is often the first line of defense when soundproofing. Extra asphalt roofing can also increase noise tolerance, especially if you live near an airport.
- HVAC: Pipes, furnaces, and other HVAC fixtures can be serious sources of noise. If you’re soundproofing these elements of your home, it’s best to take care of them during initial construction or as part of a major remodeling project.
Soundproofing Retrofits for Older Buildings
The most effective soundproofing strategies employ multiple sound-blocking and sound-reduction methods, including:
- Adding mass
- Sealing gaps
- Isolating sounds
From simple fixes like tightening window fixtures to major projects such as replacing ducting or adding drywall, there are many ways to incorporate these qualities and soundproof older buildings.
1. Add Mass
As you increase the amount of material a sound has to travel through, you’ll see a greater reduction in the amount of noise entering a space. There are several ways to add mass to block or dampen major sources of noise:
Easy fixes
- Curtains and other soft, dense materials like stuffed furniture or carpet can help quiet a room and slightly reduce transmitted noise. However, while sound-blocking curtains are a relatively inexpensive way to absorb interior room sounds, they are not as effective as other methods for blocking outdoor noises, such as interior soundproofing windows.
- Replace foam-core doors with a solid-core door, such as particleboard-core, composite-core, or solid wood.
- Plant trees and hedges outside your home—they lack mass so they won’t block much noise, but they create a psychological fence around your home that can help increase the perception of noise reduction.
Major projects
- Curtains and other soft, dense materials like stuffed furniture or carpet can help quiet a room and slightly reduce transmitted noise. However, while sound-blocking curtains are a relatively inexpensive way to absorb interior room sounds, they are not as effective as other methods for blocking outdoor noises, such as interior soundproofing windows.
- Replace foam-core doors with a solid-core door, such as particleboard-core, composite-core, or solid wood.
- Plant trees and hedges outside your home—they lack mass so they won’t block much noise, but they create a psychological fence around your home that can help increase the perception of noise reduction.
2. Seal Gaps
Sound vibrations can travel through even the tiniest crack or gaps.
Easy fixes
- Seal holes and cracks around windows and doors with flexible polyurethane or latex caulk.Tighten door and window openings, or weatherstrip all four sides of existing doors or windows.
- Caulk around all electrical outlets, especially back-to-back outlets, to limit noise traveling between adjacent rooms.
Major projects
- Install interior soundproof windows. Soundproofing your existing windows by installing custom-fitted interior windows is the most effective way to reduce noise entering and exiting your home. As an added bonus, custom-fitted soundproof windows offer additional UV protection and safety, and they also reduce dirt and drafts and can help lower your energy bills. Learn more about the benefits of soundproof windows.
- If replacing your windows is not an option, you can try creating a removable plug using soundproofing mat. It will block light from entering your space, but it will also add insulation to a drafty window.
3. Isolate sounds
Identifying major sources of noise and taking steps to reduce or eliminate the noise at the source can have a significant soundproofing impact.
Easy fixes
- Isolate noisy appliances like washing machines and dryers by placing resilient materials such as rubber or cork pads under each foot.
- Move noisy appliances away from the wall so they don’t transfer and amplify noise.
Major projects
- Troubleshoot and repair or replace any noisy appliances.
- Replace a short section of metal ducting near heat registers with insulated, sound-absorbing flexible duct.
- Install water hammer arresters to create a cushion and absorb the shock caused by banging metal pipes after valves in appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers quickly shut off water supply.
- Replace especially noisy sections of lightweight PVC piping with cast iron. Or, wrap the PVC pipe in dense carpet padding, then tightly pack the joist or stud cavity with insulation.
Soundproofing your home as you build
Soundproofing a new home as you build often is about finding a balance between function, appearance, comfort, and cost. In addition to the soundproofing fixes listed above, here are some ways to soundproof as you build:
1. Add mass
- Reinforce especially problematic walls, such as street-facing or hallway-facing walls, by adding an extra layer of drywall while you build.
- Suspend double walls or ceilings on vibration-absorbing materials, such as those commonly used in studios and music practice rooms.
- Install acoustic deadening sound tiles on walls and ceilings, especially in home studios. This will deaden sound within a room, as well as prevent noise from traveling in or out of the space.
- Install solid-core doors, such as particleboard-core or composite-core.
- Pad carpeted floors with a thick layer of underpadding, or specially designed soundproofing underlayment.
- Add an extra layer of asphalt roofing, especially if you live near an airport.
2. Seal gaps
- Measure and cut insulation to fit tightly around wires, pipes, electrical boxes, etc., and seal any cracks with caulk or plaster before installing drywall. Fiberglass insulation and other forms of insulation that are not specifically designed for soundproofing can help tone down noise, but because they do not have enough mass to offer a significant reduction, they should not be your first choice if soundproofing is your priority.
- Install central air conditioning. Window air
conditioning units let in a lot of noise (on top of the noise they generate). - Soundproof your windows by installing in interior soundproof windows, such as Cityproof
Citiwindows. In addition to reducing outdoor noises by up
to 95%, interior soundproof windows can also seal out drafts and dirt and
reduce your energy bills.
SOUNDPROOFING TIP: Stay away from expanding foam sprays—these materials are designed for thermal insulation, and can actually increase noise transmission.
3. Isolate sounds
- Prevent sounds from traveling across the hall and through open doors by staggering doors so they are not directly across the hall from each other.
- Add rubber supports to metal beams, ducts, and pipes, which vibrate easily and can carry noise from one end of your house to the other.
- Wrap pipes with noise-blocking materials, such as dense vinyl material, or fill cavities around pipes with sound-absorbing materials like recycled cotton insulation.
- Apply a vibration-dampening product to the interior or exterior surface of HVAC units, or line interior ductwork with a sound absorber. Be sure to choose a fire-safe product that won’t release harmful materials into the air.
- Purchase and install quiet appliances. Compare noise ratings (called “sone levels”) when you shop—the lower the number, the quieter the appliance.
Conclusion
All soundproofing materials need to satisfy three qualities:
- Add mass
- Seal gaps
- Isolate sounds
Whether you’re soundproofing an older building or are incorporating soundproofing materials and tactics as you build, there are many ways homeowners can effectively reduce the amount of noise entering and exiting their home. Understanding problem areas such as windows, doors, walls, and ceilings, can help you determine which methods are the most appropriate for your home. Before you undertake any major soundproofing projects, it’s always a good idea to talk to the professionals about potential solutions and what’s possible in your home.
