People soundproof rooms for a variety of reasons. Parents who work at home in an interior office space prefer no disturbances from sounds emanating from other parts of the house that come from children, pets or electronic devices. Neighborhoods with busy streets or noisy neighbors may inhibit sleep or disturb individuals working at home. Musicians often create soundproof rooms for optimal acoustics. The ideal method of soundproofing a room requires building a room within a room, which creates dead air space and prevents sound waves from traveling. This technique however, is not the easiest or least expensive option.
When choosing basic building materials for soundproofing, consumers find that many products bear a Noise Reduction Class (NRC) or a Sound Transmission Class (STC) rating. The higher the product rating the greater the amount of soundproofing. A typical wall has a rating of around 40. Increasing this efficiency by an increment of 10 increases soundproofing by up to 50 percent. Human voices become inaudible with a STC rating of 40. Musical instruments produce sounds ranging from faint to inaudible when rooms contain products having a STC rating of 50 or higher.
Homeowners may save soundproofing expenses by first determining the location of interrupting noise. When outdoor noise poses a problem, soundproofing the wall facing the exterior of the home may be all that is required. Noises coming from an adjoining room may only require treating an adjoining wall. Likewise, noise coming from above or below a particular room may only require improvements in the ceiling or floor.
Ceilings and Floors
Carpeting the floor above a workroom office may be an option, though this choice carries considerable expense. One of the most effective means of soundproofing a ceiling involves installing a dropped or false ceiling with insulation positioned between the ceiling and the above floor. The dead air space between the two spaces stops sound waves from traveling between locations.
Applying acoustic foam panels to the ceiling in an office is another option. These panels range in thickness from one to two inches and vary in price from around $1.14 to $28.00 per square foot depending on the quality of the panel. Some products require permanent installation using adhesives, while others only require a few small nail holes.
Walls
Homeowners also have variable options for soundproofing walls. If the room contains sizable furnishings in the way of computer desks or entertainment centers, placing these pieces along the walls through which sound travels often provides insulation. Some resort to tacking carpeting on a wall. Companies also manufacture soundproofing blankets having thicknesses of one to three inches that act as sound barriers. The average soundproofing blanket measures approximately 4.5 feet x 8 feet and costs around $50.00. Foam or acoustic panels applied to the wall in question are another option. Blowing in cellulose or other types of insulation between the interior and exterior walls of a room greatly reduces the amount of noise transference.
Doors and Windows
Applying weather stripping around doors often helps decrease noise interference. Installing a draft inhibiting door sweep on the bottom of doors also inhibits noise. Hollow doors pose a problem and soundproofing may require application of an acoustic panel, foam panel or soundproof blanket. Another option involves applying a plywood sheet on top of the existing door using an acoustic adhesive or a product known as Green Glue.
Weather stripping material also decreases sound permeability here. Soundproofing caulk around exterior edges also inhibits noise.
Brenda Panin is is representing company Aware. She loves to write about home decoration and lyfestyle.
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