Sick of hearing your neighbors complain about noise when you are trying to watch a movie or listening to music? Are you frustrated with hearing unwanted noise in the room next to you? Noise leaks through your walls, ceilings, floors, windows, and doors. Keep in mind that noise is like water, it takes the path that is least resistance. When soundproofing your room, you must assure that you treat all necessary areas. We often use the term "soundproof," but keep in mind nothing is really 100% soundproof. Building practice of reducing noise is also referred to as sound damping, noise damping, or acoustic design and performance. Here are the top 5 tips to help reduce the noise in your home!
1. Treat all electrical boxes and any penetrations that will leave a passage for sound. Use a putty material that does not dry, crack, or shrink and is fire rated, such as QuietPutty.
2. Use sound damping drywall that is specifically made for reliable, high acoustic performance. Use a soundproof drywall with the EZ-SNAP technology, which is design for simple, easy installation and can reduce noise in walls by half or more. It is the fastest, easiest, most reliable way to quiet your home.
3. Make sure your wall and ceiling is airtight. Using an acoustical sealant is crucial in a soundproofing project. Apply acoustical QuietSeal around perimeter of wall, ceiling, floor, penetrations and any seam that is not backed by a stud to maintain high acoustic performance in your assembly.
4. Examine the door(s) in the room. Doors are often forgotten in a soundproofing project. A door is a movable part, which means it may not offer an airtight seal allowing sound to pass through the cracks. One way of checking for air leaks is to turn the lights off on one side of the door and have someone on the other side shine a flashlight around the edge. If light can get through, so can sound. There are special doors available that are designed to treat noise transfer. There are special doors and windows designed for acoustics that you may consider for your project.
5. If you are still unsure or need some assistance with your project, get some advice from an acoustic consultant (http://www.ncac.com). They specialize in sound and understand the terminology and how acoustic works. They are experts with noise and sound and can work with you to help you get the best sound performance for your specific project (home studio, theater, office, and etc).
You CAN be comfortable in your own home. These tips will give you the opportunity to build a reliably comfortable and quiet living space. Enjoy chatting, reading a book, or sleeping without any distractions. Listen to music, watch a movie, or have friends over, without disturbing your neighbors.
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