How to Soundproof a Room

Interior doors don’t typically have weather stripping, but adding some around the perimeter of the doorway can help muffle sounds. Peel-and-stick foam rubber weather stripping forms a very tight seal, and is affordable and easy to install. Felt is one of the oldest types of weather-stripping, it comes in rolls with or without an adhesive backing, and is very affordable and surprisingly effective at blocking out noise. You can also install a door sweep or under-door draft stopper to the bottom of the door to seal off the gap along the floor.

Hard surfaces—like drywall, plaster and tile—reflect and amplify sounds. So, it only makes sense that soft surfaces absorb sounds, making rooms much quieter. Cover walls with thick blankets, moving pads, tapestries, or quilts. Virtually any soft material will work, though thicker ones absorb more sound than thinner materials.

If you don’t mind adding an industrial look to the room, fasten sound-absorbing panels to the walls and, if necessary, the ceiling. The panels are made from superior noise-dampening materials, such as soft foam rubber, dense polyester fiber, and cork.

Sound doesn’t only bounce off walls, it can be reflected by hard floors, too. If your room has a hard-surface floor—wood, tile, or laminate—the simplest solution is to lay down an area rug to help absorb noise. And, again, thick rugs are better than thin ones. Also, buy an extra-thick pad for under the rug for additional sound protection.

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Noise is transmitted through vibrations. Any booming piece of machinery or equipment produces vibrations that can transfer noise to adjacent rooms. This includes items such as speakers, appliances, stationary bikes, and treadmills. To dampen the vibrations and quiet the room, set the item on a thick piece of dense foam rubber, such as a home-gym floor mat or horse-stall mat.

Odd as it may seem, bookcases can help keep a room quiet. That’s because shelves filled with books create mass, and mass absorbs sound. Just be sure to build the bookcase to extend from the floor all the way up to the ceiling, and keep the shelves filled with books and magazines.

This racket-reducing technique requires a significant investment of time and money, but it’s one of the most effective ways to quiet a room: Cover the existing walls and ceiling with an extra layer of ½-inch-thick drywall. And as extra protection against noise transmission, secure the new drywall with special sound-deadening caulk, called dampening compound.

And while you can certainly cover the existing walls and ceiling with standard drywall, consider installing special sound-deadening drywall instead. It has a plastic polymer layer adhered to the back surface, which dramatically cuts noise. And at just 5/16-inch thick, the sheets are easy to install.

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Here’s another excellent way to soundproof a room, but it may be best reserved for when undergoing a remodel. The reason being, is that you must first strip the room down to bare studs. Then, you can install resilient channels, which are Z-shaped metal strips that go between the wall studs and drywall. The flexible, springy channels create what’s known as a decoupled wall, which effectively stops sound waves from passing through the wall.

While there is a lot you can do to cut down on unwanted noise in existing rooms, the best way to soundproof your home, is to do it at the start, when it’s being built—or remodeled. Instead of using traditional fiberglass insulation in the walls, use Rockwool, also referred to as mineral wool. Rockwool is denser than fiberglass insulation and does a remarkable job reducing sound transmitted through walls, from outside. It also has other benefits including fire, mold, and mildew resistance. And, if you want to soundproof interior walls, there is a Rockwool designed specifically for that too.

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