Space – The amount of soundproofing that will be provided is in direct contrast to the amount of space that’s used to buffer the sound. In other words, the more space there is, the more the noise is diminished. Whether it’s within walls, floors, ceilings or windowpanes, the effect is the same.

Mass – The principle of mass as a form of soundproofing relies on the thickness of walls, rather than the space between them. The thicker the mass is between any two walls, the more effective the soundproofing. In a nutshell, if the buffering material is heavy, the noise can be completely eliminated. The thinner the wall becomes (the less mass that’s used as a filler between them), the more likely you are to hear noise coming from an outside source.

Dampening – This technique deals entirely with vibration and how it can be neutralized in order to reduce sound. Typically, this type of approach addresses acoustical problems – that is, echoing – within a room. If you were to make a glass ring by tapping on it with a fork, for example, you could make it stop simply by taking the glass in your hand. Dampening has the same effect on the acoustics within the interior of a room.

Soundproofing a Wall

If you’re planning to soundproof your home and are considering different types of elements for the outside covering, you may wish to consider using stucco, brick or stone surfacing. These are excellent buffers against noise and utilize the mass technique of soundproofing quite well. Here again, the more thickly these materials are layered, the more effective the noise reduction will be within the home.

In the interior of the home, sheetrock is an excellent soundproofing material, and also utilizes the mass technique. The necessary materials for applying sheetrock include silicone caulking, sheetrock and either screws or nails – screws being the better of the two, since you don’t have to make as many holes in the structure of the wall. It’s best to buy a large amount of caulking, since you’ll be using a lot of it between the layers of sheetrock. Since this is one of the least expensive elements that you’ll need, the basic premise is that too much is better than not enough.

Before putting the sheetrock into position, apply a good amount of caulking to each of the studs and, after putting the sheetrock in place, secure it with screws. After the first layer has been locked into place, repeat the process by applying more caulking and another slab of sheetrock, once again using the screws to lock it into position.

The dampener in this process is the silicone caulking, which inhibits the transfer of vibration and is quite effective without being costly. Two layers of sheetrock should be all that’s necessary in order to adequately block the room from sound, which means that if one layer was already in place, you can simply add a second layer in order to ensure superior soundproofing.