In today’s world having peace and quiet within the home is a much sought after experience. Whether you want a quiet reading area, a spa like bathroom retreat or a bedroom that is an oasis of calm and relaxation. The problem is, we also live in much closer contact with our neighbours, have more traffic on the roads and generally a lot more noise pollution than ever before. The first thing that can help you to reduce the noise is understanding how sound travels and where it is coming from. There are two types of sound that travel, structural and airborne. Airborne, as it the name indicates, is noise that travels through the air. Things like talking, TV, stereos and dogs barking would be examples of airborne noise. Structural sounds are vibrations that are carried through objects. Examples of these would be footsteps from the floor above, banging on the wall or a jackhammer in the road outside. These two types of sound vibrations require different methods to reduce their impact. The problem is, it can be difficult to identify where exactly the noise is originating from. This is because sound waves will follow the path of least resistance and sneak into your room via multiple points of entry. The smallest hole in a wall can be an opportunity for sound waves to enter a room. So the first step of any project would be to identify where the sound is entering the room.

Noise Reduction In An Existing Room

According to Mike from Noisestop Systems “It is much easier to build-in soundproofing with a new building, but we will take a look at the steps you can take to reduce the noise pollution within your existing environment.” Some of these methods will require changes to the existing structure, others will be simple additions that can help. It all depends how much you want to reduce the impact of noise pollution. To completely soundproof a room requires a much more in-depth approach.

Wall Soundproofing Systems

Acoustic wall panels can be added to any existing wall to dampen the sound of TVs, talking and other airborne noises between you and your neighbour. These panels are fairly simple to attach to existing plaster or you can use soundproof plaster board combined with acoustic insulation if you are able to add on to a stud wall for a more complete soundproofing system.

Seal Gaps

As stated above, sound waves will find the smallest of gaps to travel through. So sealing around your doors and windows is another way to reduce the noise by stopping it’s point of entry. Air vents and electricity outlets are another problem area. Basically, if air can get in, so can sound. Obviously you don’t want to seal a room so tightly that there is no airflow, but sealing up larger gaps such as under the door will help to reduce the noise travelling. Using products such as isolation tape, isolation strips and perimeter strips will help you to seal areas where sound is travelling and reduce the impact of the noise.

Softer Surfaces

As sound bounces off hard surfaces and travels through them by reverberating, hard and flat objects such as wooden floors, tiles and windows are all things that increase the sound vibration. So softening the surfaces by adding carpets, soft furnishings and window trimmings can all help to reduce the sound waves ability to bounce around. But for a truly effective reduction in noise, especially between floors, we would recommend using acoustic underlay or acoustic insulation under the wooden floor or carpet. You can also purchase acoustic underlay mats that will reduce noise. While soundproof curtains will reduce noise around a window, remember that unless that window is properly sealed, this won’t have much of an impact. However, adding soft plush furnishings, even plants, will help a little overall as it will interrupt the sound wave and prevent it from gaining traction.

How Quiet Can It Be?

Realistically you are not going to have a totally soundproofed room by adding in a few things. Even acoustic panels, without all the extras such as sound breaker bars, will not totally block out noise. But you can expect a significant reduction if you take a few simple steps like the ones mentioned above. Of course if you are planning a new build, you can speak to an expert and have the soundproofing installed as part of the build to ensure you get the maximum peace and quiet possible from the outset. There are ways to completely soundproof any existing room, but this is something we would again recommend you talk to an expert about.