If you live in a noisy area or record music in your home, you might be thinking about investing in soundproof wall panels, or at the very least, sound isolation wall panels. Many auditoriums or stages have embellishments such as ceiling clouds or acoustic ceiling panels that enhance sound within the space, but that are soundproof themselves, so sound doesn’t escape the room or the building itself. Soundproof wall panels can also help protect our hearing — indeed, community noise can actually be harmful to one’s health. It can negatively impact cardiovascular health and learning deficits. If community noise levels go above 40 decibels, heart disease levels in a community have been shown to increase as well. You don’t have to be a high tech musician to get sound isolation wall panels installed in your home — there may be more practical reasons that didn’t even occur to you!
Why Should I Soundproof My Home?
Do you have thin walls? Is your husband’s construction project in the garage seeping up to the living room where you’re trying to concentrate? Is your kid practicing the drums or endless phone conversations heard pretty much everywhere? Soundproofing your home can offer a little respite from all the noise and keep things well…more private. Noisy neighbors, rattling plumbing, and other outside noise can all be remedied with some good sound wall panels.
If you’re a musician or use your home for other recording business, getting sound isolation wall panels can also be helpful in producing quality recordings and practicing without disturbing everyone else in the house and/or surrounding area. If you hire a professional, your soundproofing process can be relatively painless on your end and you can enjoy all the benefits of having soundproofing afterwards!
How Do I Go About Soundproofing My Home?
There are different processes to soundproofing your home that depend on a variety of factors. However, it’s usually done through a combination of four different methods: adding mass to the walls, damping, decoupling, and filling in air gaps. If you’re using decoupling, do keep in mind that it does decrease the effectiveness at blocking low frequencies, because of the wall’s resonance. If the gap being filled is an inch or less, damping is a more effective method to combat low frequencies.
If you decide to use on acoustic panels to absorb noise, 12 inch by 12 inch panels with a two inch depth curve relief are suggested. These absorb frequencies that are both low and high and are often easily installed, with adhesive peels already attached.
Adding drywall can often help soundproof your home — and can be even more effective if you add a layer of caulking between the two drywall layers. Acoustical caulk is a thing and should be used to help plug “sound holes” around ceiling fixtures, switch and receptacle boxes, and any door casings.
Adding drywall, cutting down on vibrations, and plugging sound leaks can all go a long way towards reducing the noise in your home.
What Should I Keep In Mind When Soundproofing My Home?
Simply putting a layer of insulation in between your walls is not going to do much to really adequately soundproof your home. Sound will move where air is flowing through — so think about what parts in your home are letting air in. Noise is also going to come through those gaps. Look for the sound leaks mentioned before and make an effort to plug those as thoroughly as possible.
Keep vibrations down by staggering the studs that connect drywall layers to each other or try to completely keep the studs away from the drywall. You should also use dense material to help soundproof — the thicker the material used, the longer it’ll take for sound to travel through it. Concrete and wood are two great materials for this purpose.
Enjoy the new peace and quiet of your home when you take measures to effectively soundproof your home. No more band practice, rattling faucets, or neighbor barbecues to be heard! Settle back and enjoy the silence with your newly installed sound isolation wall panels.