If you are looking to make your walls soundproof then this is the place to be. Outdoor noises can be a real headache, especially if you have been home after a long day at work.
No one wants to bear the continuous honking noises and people making all sorts of noises that are an absolute headache to other people.
This problem gets worse if you have a little baby in the house, they get agitated by small noises and their sleeping schedule gets disturbed, hampering the sleep of the parents in the night.
The permanent solution to these problems, for working class people like us, is to get the walls soundproof for once and all.
Because let’s be frank, other people don’t give a damn about what kind of nuisance they are being, as long as they aren’t getting affected in any way.
But if you know some of these wall soundproofing tricks, you don’t have to give a damn about what they do either.
If you have this misconception in your mind that the journey to ultimate peace in life is very expensive, clearly haven’t come across this blog yet.
Because I will show you just how easy and non-expensive it is to get your house to be your peaceful abode.
A little side note: You wouldn’t need the help of any experts in the solutions mentioned below, just a helping hand if you would and you are good to go.
So, let’s explore our options!
Contents
Materials Required:
So below are the materials you require with my suggestion of the best materials out there (if you don’t already have).
Foam Mats: helps you to prevent noise and thermal loss.
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Green Glue: to fill all the cracks and holes.
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Vinyl Mats: these are put against the walls and help to reduce overall noise, especially low-frequency bass.
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Weatherstrip Tape: it is put on the bottom of your door to cover up some holes, it is usually made up of steel or silicon piece and sometimes plastic.
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6 Affordable ways to Soundproof Walls
1. Focus on the weak points in your walls
When you want to get this soundproofing done as cheaply as possible then you need to spend less material on it. And to make sure that you are using less material, you will have to cover very little area.
So, before you start with something big, look around your room and see if there is some window or room that can be tackled first. This will make sure that you are not spending money uselessly.
So, when we start talking about noise leaking we need to start with the weakest points in the room, this way you would be able to save a lot of money.
Let’s start with sealing all the gaps there are on door frames or between the doors, these are the areas from which a lot of noise can filter inside the room and disturb the peace. After inspecting doors, move to the windows.
A weatherstrip tape is a really cheap thing and you can find it anywhere online. It is made up of plastic and sometimes steel and silicon to and will prove to be super handy when it comes to covering holes on the windows and doors.
It not only serves as the best noise insulator there is but is very helpful in dealing with bugs and acts as a fine energy loss redactor.
Soundproof curtains for your windows and doors is another solution for your doors and windows and it is rather beautiful too. Just one layer of curtains will magically reduce the level of noises coming into your room.
Before going for spending lots of money on this soundproofing project, make sure that you know the severity of the noise level.
If the problem isn’t so serious than simply soundproofing your windows and doors will make more difference to that level then you realize.
2. Identify the source of noise
I don’t blame you if you thought of soundproofing your walls as soon as you thought of doing something about the noise. But before you go ahead for soundproofing walls you should know what materials you need to use.
And to decide the perfect materials required there is this little thing you need to know, and that is the source of the noise.
This might seem completely irrelevant to you if you are new to this, but this little piece of information is very valuable.
I will answer all your queries, just hang on with me. So, there are two different kinds of noises whose aim is to ruin your peace. One of them is impact noise and the other is airborne noise.
Airborne noise is the noise that reaches to you via air and their frequencies lie in the range of middle to high.
Impact noises, on the hand, have low frequencies, low enough for them to pass through windows, doors and even walls. Most of the times, impact noise is commonly referred to as structure-borne noise.
Materials like acoustic foam panels can only block the impact noises.
So, recognize the type of noise around you. Is it coming from a click of your gaming mouse/keyboard, or buzzing of your computer, maybe your loud laptop fan noise perhaps or are your neighbors the source of your trouble? For getting to an effective solution, you first need to figure this out.
If you have come to a conclusion already, then read on.
- If your noise is borne out of the air, or simply, if it is an airborne noise that is bothering you, then you have it easy. You are a few acoustic foam panels away from your peace.
Wondering what these acoustic foam panels exactly are? These are tiny adhesive blocks that are inserted in the wall to block the sound.
If you have ever been to a recording studio, then you have seen them being all over the place. Not only are these tiny blocks good at soundproofing the room, but they are equally good when it comes to decreasing the echo and improving the acoustics.
- Well, did you investigate and come to this conclusion that the noise that has made it difficult for you to live in peace is an impact noise? Too bad, they are a bit difficult to insulate, but not too much worse because we have effective solutions.
While dealing with impact noises, you need something stronger than a few acoustic foam blocks, so a big no to these blocks.
But the good part is, that the materials you use to insulate your surroundings from impact noises can be used for airborne noises too, they are just that strong.
I suggest buying a few vinyl mats, the most effective and affordable solution.
These mats are basically panels which are thick and soundproofing, they are put up against walls and they act as sound insulators. But these mats are bigger than you are so you would need a helping hand to set it up properly.
3. Fill up the empty space
Do you know one common thing between all the rooms that produces an echo?
Scientifically, I don’t know what the movies show, but scientifically, every room in which your voice echoes is empty. Empty, as in, a huge room with meager furniture.
So, if your room is huge too, and has so much empty space that the voices echo, then you need to fill up the room quite a bit.
You can try adding some nice furniture that is big and also covers more area, you can try going for bookshelves and furniture. Some wall art is a good option to cover your wall with.
Not saying that they are going to give you life-altering results, but these are the basics.
4. Time for drywall
Yes, I said I am going to give you cheaper solutions only, but it is a very effective method, aka, a good investment.
And, you might need some professional help to do the installation and such. But after you install this, there is no way any kind of noise will ever bother you again.
Installing drywall helps because that makes your thin wall, thicker, easily preventing any low or high-frequency sound.
There are a few preliminaries to the installation of drywall, if your walls are old then take care of any cracks or crevices.
These should be filled immediately, try any soundproof glue, I suggest using green glue. Now that your walls are secure, measure them and after placing them on the wall, make sure to secure them too.
5. Install Foam Mats
So, it’s okay if drywall is a bit expensive, or you think it will take lots of time and effort then there are other just as effective options on my list. This time, it is foam mats, easy to install and get over with.
These foam mats act as insulators, along with preventing the noise from ruining your good night’s sleep, they prevent thermal loss too. And the rubber foam that they are made up of, are very light and resist oil and petrol.
Usually, polyurethane foams release ghastly odors, but not these ones. Another nice thing about them is that they have adhesive on their back and can be easily stuck on the wall.
6. Combine Acoustic Foams with the methods mentioned above
This is an effective solution too, combining acoustic foams with all the methods mentioned above will yield the best results.
Using foam mats with acoustic foams will stop both the types of noises, gradually increasing the peace you will feel.
However, if it gets costly, then stick to the one you prefer and go ahead with it.
So these were the 6 easy ways to soundproof a wall cheaply. If you have any questions or suggestions in your mind do let me know in the comments section below.