Soundproofing tips

[edit] Quick Fixes

• Place half-inch-thick pads of rubber or cork under the legs or corners of heavy appliances.

• Put stereo speakers on stands to prevent turning floors and walls into whole-house speakers.

• Mask noise indoors or outdoors with fountains, waterfalls, or outdoors add tall ornamental grasses and trees that make a soothing sound when the wind blows.

• Place weather stripping around all doors, even interior ones. Replace any weather stripping that is loose or admits light or air.

[edit] More Detailed Fixes

• Sealing any small opening through which air and noise can enter a room is the cheapest, fastest, and most efficient way to block noise. You can test for sound leaks by darkening a room to see where light--and therefore sound--is seeping in.

• Remove the faceplates from electrical outlets and switches and caulk the spaces between the box and the wall.

• Remove recessed light fixtures from the ceilings, seal the holes.

• Caulk existing windows and equip them with gaskets to provide an airtight seal.

• Line the cavities that hold the dishwasher, refrigerator, and trash compactor with sound-absorbing materials.

• Add mass to walls with a second layer of drywall. Place the second layer as a “floating wall,” apart from the first, to create an air space baffle. The thicker the space, them ore effective the barrier.

• Switch to a quiet computer, one that doesn’t have a fan, like a laptop, or that has a quiet fan.

• Replace hollow-core doors with solid doors.

• Install water hammer arresters, available at hardware stores, to absorb the shock of copper pipes clunking. Whole-system hammer arresters can be soldered into the water line; individual appliance arresters simply screw on.

• Conifers and broad-leaved evergreens are the most effective year-round noise blockers.

Windows

Windows leak sound far more than walls, and are the first consideration when looking at soundproofing a room. Several strategies can be employed. The most basic is to use heavy drapes over the windows. The more material that can be placed between the room and the window, the more sound will be deadened. This is a stopgap solution, however.

The best way to soundproof windows is to install double-paned windows. Some companies make special soundproof double-paned windows that can be used; otherwise, you can install a second window behind or in front of the current window.

Doors

Doors are next consideration for soundproofing. Common hollow doors pass sound readily; replacing the doors with a solid wood or MDF (medium density fiberboard) will help significantly. After replacing the door, add a sweep, a metal strip with a piece of rubber, to the bottom of the door, and soundproof closed cell foam around the edges of the door frame.

Walls

There are several options for soundproofing the walls. Adding insulation is one strategy, as is hanging soundproof foam on the walls. The best option, while complicated, is to build a second wall about a foot out from the main wall and fill that space with heavy soundproof foam. If you follow this option, do it to the ceiling as well.