15 Apartment Soundproofing Tips without Renovation
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Unless you’re one of the lucky ones who lives far out in the country, noise pollution is almost always a problem. From vehicles driving past your apartment to your next-door neighbors telling their kids to shut up so loudly that you’re too scared to talk in your own home – something needs to be done about the noise on occasion. Moving elsewhere isn’t always a viable option and discussing the problem with neighbors is sometimes impossible to achieve. Therefore, soundproofing an apartment is usually the only way forward. Get 15 amazing soundproofing tips in this article.
What is Soundproofing?
Soundproofing is a way for professional contractors and homeowners to prevent noisy sounds from the outside coming in and in some cases, to prevent sounds from going in the opposite direction. Soundproofing is usually conducted during the construction of a home when professional contractors implement various noise reduction materials in different rooms to ensure they meet the necessary building regulations. However, during that stage, contractors only barely meet the criteria, so it’s not always done to the best of their ability. Sound travels through low-frequency waves and only stops when something stops it from doing so, and that is the primary objective of soundproofing.
How to Soundproof an Apartment
We have multiple options when it comes to soundproofing an apartment. We can renovate or undertake basic remodeling jobs to try and prevent noise from entering the home – both of which are costly and messy jobs to undertake. Usually, this can be achieved with the implementation of soundproofing insulation/boards, whereas others prefer to implement the “cork” material into their wall designs because the material helps soak up the sound. Of course, renovations and remodeling jobs aren’t the only ways soundproofing an apartment can be undertaken.
Soundproofing Tips That Don’t Require Renovation
If you’re not looking to spend too much money or get messy with the renovation or remodeling processes, your only other soundproofing options are to take advantage of the following tips and tricks.
- Soundproof curtains are worth every cent if it’s the road keeping you awake at night.
- Hang thick tapestries to your walls to absorb the sound from your neighbors. A good trick here is to hang them behind sofas and beds to put an end to the low frequency waves that are getting through.
- Invest in multiple floor rugs around your apartment to act as a sound barrier.
- Plants with large leaves act as excellent sound reflectors that can bounce noise in the opposite direction – so it’s well worth visiting your local garden centre.
- Remove glassware & ceramic items – such items reverberate and they’ll make any noise sound louder than what it is.
- Invest in a door draft to keep your home warmer and to prevent any sounds outside from entering.
- Buy artwork canvases with acoustic tiles attached to the back to soak up some of the extra sound coming through the walls.
- Heavy bookshelves that are loaded with old books work a treat. This is a seriously effective way to drown out any noise coming from the neighbors.
- Buy rolls of felt lining and staple it to the back of your furniture – it will help reduce reverberation throughout your home.
- Move your furniture around so that items like your wardrobe and bookcase are against the noisiest wall locations in your home.
- Sticky window insulation to stop drafts is also an effective way to cancel out outside noise.
- Buy weather stripping and ensure all your door frames are nicely taped up.
- Ensure all your furniture is at least a couple of centimetres away from the wall to prevent vibration.
- Invest in other accessories such as larger lampshades and softer non-ceramic ornaments to prevent echoes.
- Look at underfloor or wall piping work to see if any casing can be purchased to further diminish reverberation.
In conclusion, soundproofing your apartment doesn’t need to be that difficult if you’re willing to get creative. While some homeowners choose to go down the renovation route to try and soundproof their homes once and for all, it’s not totally necessary – especially if you’ve got more important things to spend your hard-earned money on. Soundproofing is all about trying to minimize vibrations and prevent echoes from taking place and if you can prevent both things from happening, your apartment will be quieter than space!
Read more: How To Soundproof Your House With Creative Home Decor Ideas
Written by Rachael Everly. April 28, 2018
Rachael Everly is a passionate blogger who loves to write about trending topics, particularly in the tech sec. She is a workaholic girl who just wants to drive the perception of individuals through her writings and columns. She is a featured author at various top-notch blogs such as Forbes,Inman and others and is currently associated with All Around Moving Services Company, Inc. specializes in arranging and assembling services of professional and skilled local movers locally in New York City as well as areas in New Jersey, Connecticut and the Miami Dale area in South Florida for their blog operations. For all the updates follow her on Twitter @RachaelEverly.
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What if you want to soundproof your upstairs neighbor?
I like that you shared investing in multiple rugs is great to soundproof a room. My son intends on converting our basement into a music room. I think I will look into hiring a soundproofing company to help us out.