Whether you’re looking for more privacy or you’re trying to get more sleep because your neighbor is too noisy, it’s always good to know how to sound proof a basement along with other rooms in your home. It’s actually incredibly easy as well. Sometimes, it’s all a matter of choosing the right flooring and draperies. You don’t have to create new walls just to sound proof your home. You just need to understand sound and come up with ways to bounce it off.
The more space you have, the further sound has to travel. If you’re trying to plan a home theater, or you’re designing a room where you can practice playing the drums all day long, leave a lot of room for sound to travel. The more things you bring into the room, the more surfaces you provide for sound to bounce off from. If the room has more space, the sound doesn’t have to bounce off and magnify from one surface to another. Who knows, the sound might even dissolve before it reaches the walls of the room. This strategy is, of course, only possible if you have a big room to work with in the first place.
For smaller rooms, create mass. Putting draperies on the walls and carpeting the floor helps to absorb sound rather than let it seep through to the other side. Some people even put up beddings around their walls to sound proof it. Others line the walls with egg trays. If you’re trying to contain sound inside or outside the room, the key is to have massive walls and floors. Huge couches and cushions also help to absorb the sound. You may want to add these into your home theater. They’re not just effective sound proofing devices but comfortable furnishings to that will keep the room cozy as well.
Tags: basement, carpeting, floor, furnishings, home theater, noise, soundproof, surfaces, walls
Nice article. I would like to add a little more to it.
I think Egg boxes are not safe.
The main elements to sound isolation are mass, damping, absorption, decoupling and sealing.
Drywall and mass loaded vinyl are good soundproofing materials. You can also use soundproofing drywall like Quietrock which has more mass and damping capabilities and provides a higher STC.
Acoustical caulk is very important to seal all the gaps.
For the floor/ceiling you can use a layer of foam to reduce footfall and other impact noise on hardwood or tile floors. Then add a layer of sound dampening wood and finally a layer of carpet or tile