Sharing a domicile is never easy, but when the noise becomes too much to bear, something practical will need to be done. Soundproofing may be the only way to coexist.
Whether your teenagers enjoy playing music at a decibel level that makes your ears vibrate, or an aging relative needs to jack up the TV volume to hear a favorite show, or a youngster needs to practice a particularly loud instrument...and hasn’t improved much..., you may decide that soundproofing is the only way you can all coexist. If you should find that this has become necessary in your home, you don’t have to drain your money-market account for a contractor. Instead, you can do it yourself and save a bundle.
Absorption vs. Reduction
In order to effectively reduce or eliminate the noise in your home, you must first understand the difference between sound absorption and sound reduction. Each of these two types of soundproofing utilizes its own techniques for handling unwanted noise that stems from inside or outside the home.
Sound Absorption – This approach to noise reduction involves changing the character of the sound waves by ridding a room of the echoing that’s intrinsic to its design, rather than addressing noise that penetrates your home from the outdoors. Acoustical ceiling tile, interior walls, soundboard, carpeted floors and upholstered furniture are typically used for this type of soundproofing. It’s important to keep in mind that absorbing and completely eliminating sound are two different things and, as such, the materials that are used will need to be different.
Sound Reduction – If you’re interested in completely blocking sound, so that it doesn’t get into or out of the room that you’re planning to isolate, then you’ll need to utilize sound reduction techniques. Since this is soundproofing on a grander scale, different materials must be used, which call into play both mass and space. For instance, building heavy-duty walls that incorporate large air spaces and dampening to the best of your ability can effectively block all noise from entering or exiting a room.
The only way to truly soundproof your home is to arm yourself with information regarding the types of techniques that will need to be used in order to achieve specific results. There are three critical elements that play a strong role in the reduction or elimination of noise within your home: space, mass and dampening. What you’ll ultimately use to reach your goal will depend upon the level of soundproofing that you’re aiming for and how much time, effort and cash you’re willing to put into the process.