What is Sound and Can You Please Make it Stop?įirst, a quick lesson on acoustics. There are two types of sound: airborne and structural. Airborne sound travels through the air - every sound the ear picks up is airborne sound. Structural sounds are vibrations carried through an object, like footsteps on a floor or a hammer banging on the wall. When structural sound becomes airborne sound, we hear it. Because these types of sounds travel in different ways, soundproofing often requires several different tools. Sound waves will travel the path of least resistance, which can make it difficult to find exactly where the sound originates. The noise keeping you up at night might be sound bouncing around an air vent, or entering the room through an electrical outlet that hasn’t been properly sealed. Unwanted noise can sneak into a room under a door, through a window and anywhere there’s a small hole or space. Even hanging a picture on a wall can ruin the soundproofing quality of that wall.īecause sound can be hard to pinpoint, soundproofing experts advise the best time to consider soundproofing products is at the blueprint phase of a project. Noise’s Worst Nightmare: Tips for Soundproofing New Constructionīuilding a soundproof room from scratch can be easier and cheaper than trying to solve the problem after the walls and flooring have been installed. According to a 2015 New York Times article, Manhattan residents can find themselves spending over $200,000 to silence an existing living space, often resorting to stripping the room down to the studs and floorboards and starting over from scratch with soundproofing products.

For that reason, it’s never too early to think about room acoustics when planning a project. The good news is that products on the market make it easier to soundproof a room.

Follow these steps to dramatically improve the sound quality in any room.įrom specially designed drywall that absorbs and blocks sound, to smart insulation solutions, there are great options for your space. When soundproofing a room start with the walls.

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