City life has become fast-paced and noisy at the same time. From the squealing tires of the garbage trucks, blaring horns outdoors to your neighbor’s high-pitched voice, the level of noise experienced in a city can be maddening. Well, you are not alone. City apartment dwellers have become acquainted with such a lifestyle.
The good news is, you always have the option of soundproofing your room or your apartment. Now, it may sound expensive, but you can do it at a very good budget without burning a hole in your pocket.
There are many ways to soundproof your room without the need to do complicated things. Even simple strategies will do wonders.
Depending on the size of the room and the level of the desired soundproof, this is how to make a room more soundproof.
1. Seal all leaks on your front door
You may hear sounds or noises from the next door while lying on your bed, which indicates that there could be air gaps around the front door. Any kind of gap through which air or light can pass through, sound can too. Seal any air gaps around to eliminate sound passage between the rooms.
A door sweep under the front door will solve this problem. It is recommended to use a high-quality sweep that comes with a thick rubber strip that will seal tightly against the threshold.
Doing so will eliminate the problem of bugs, insects, spiders, etc. In case the other door parts don’t close tightly, use foam weather stripping to seal the sides and the top part.
2. Use materials that can absorb sound
Most homeowners have the idea of how some materials can help soundproof a room. Soft materials such as padded carpeting or acoustic ceilings can drastically minimize the effects of sound bouncing in a room. Hard materials like laminates, tiles, or wood increase this effect.
Windows: Window curtains that have the ability to sound-block can absorb sounds in the room. It will help in blocking any outdoor noise from coming in and can be done cheaply.
Ceiling: There are a plethora of acoustic ceiling materials that are specially designed to deaden the sound within a room or eliminate the transfer of sounds between rooms.
There are drop ceilings or acoustic tiles variants that enable excellent soundproofing systems in the market.
3. Minimize Reflected Noise
Noises can easily reflect off of solid surfaces such as bare walls, ceilings, floors, and increase the noise level in the room. In order to minimize this, it is recommended to cover the walls, floors, or even ceiling with soft materials, so that sound won’t reflect.
Using rubber textile mats or a shag rug to cover the walls and the ceiling respectively can cut down sounds.
4. Use of Acoustic Panels
Acoustic panels are very efficient when it comes to soundproofing your room. These panels come as boards or as fabrics that can be used to hang on the wall.
Some acoustic panels function to stop sound from bounding off surfaces, while some help in blocking out sounds from the outer rooms.
There are acoustic doors that can decrease sound through your door by about 30 decibels. The inside of the panel is constructed with dense sound-muffling materials weighing about 25-pounds.
5. Use a Thick Rug Pad
Homeowners know the pesky sounds that come out of hard floors. Floors are high-traffic areas in the room, and it makes sense to cover your room floor with a thick rug pad to deaden extra noise.
For more effective results, it is recommended to slip in a density rug pad underneath your rug pad. This combo will not let you down.
6. Install doors
This may sound a bit expensive, but it is worth it. One of the best ways to cut down the transfer of sounds from one room to the other by installing solid doors, but make sure you weatherstrip them. This technique is used by many homeowners because not only does it reduce noise but add beauty to your interiors.
There are doors available for specifically blocking sound. The interior construct of these doors consists of a layer of lead, thick particle soundboard, and interlocking sweeps and thresholds.
7. Add Window Inserts
Adding window inserts are a great way of making your room soundproof, without blocking the outside view from your cozy room. These inserts are clear window panes that are made up of acrylic or glass, which you can easily install over your windows.
These inserts are specially designed to block out any outside noise by creating an airtight seal. They can reduce the level of noise by 50 percent. Some inserts are created for convenient use; that is, they can be simply pop out when not in use.
8. Be Creative With The Décor
This is the cheapest way to soundproof your room because you don’t need to buy any extra materials for this. Just rearrange the furniture and other items in your room by keeping soundproofing in mind.
Simply placing your bookshelf or wardrobe cabinet against can also help in curbing noise. This can be done with walls facing the street or the adjacent room.
You can also hang canvas or even a beautiful looking rug on your wall, in order to absorb maximum sound. The idea here is to go for “soft” materials.
Another idea that requires a little spending is to buy soundproof wallpapers. The wallpaper should be of thick foam material to absorb maximum noise.
Conclusion
Noise pollution has become an inherent part of our lives. It may not be as a danger as water pollution or others, but it can surely work to put us under stress. It can have serious health complications in the long run.
Thankfully, there are many ways to curb the effects of noise pollution by soundproofing your room through various materials and techniques.
It is best to keep room soundproofing in mind while constructing the building or during the project. From buying soundproofing materials to rearranging your interiors, there are different ways to soundproof your room.