You love your neighborhood. You’re sure you would love it even more if you didn’t live so close to the highway. Cars and traffic driving past your house tend to keep you and your family up at night.
You want to cut down on some of the noise but you’re not sure how to soundproof your house. Do you have to go out and buy an entire system? The answer is no.
There are many little improvements you can make around your home to help block out traffic and other sounds. Keep reading to see what some of these improvements are so you can get caught up on your beauty sleep. If you’d like to read more on soundproofing visit mummysam.com
1. Soundproof Curtains
One of the main factors that’s bringing noise into your home is traffic from the street. If you’re wondering how to soundproof a window from traffic noise we’ve got the answer for you.
It’s in the fabric. Certain materials keep out sounds better than others. So, invest in a few sound-blocking curtains. They won’t be too expensive to pick up and while they won’t do a great job of keeping sounds out, getting a set is a good step in the right direction.
2. Sound-Proof Acoustic Panels
Noisy neighbors put a damper on home recording studios and theaters. High-quality mics will pick up all that extra noise and in the case of a theater, you want to be able to hear your movie right?
The best solution for this is to put up a few acoustic panels. They’re stylish, come in a variety of different colors for you to choose from, and they do a great job of stopping sound from getting in or out.
3. Drywall
Brick and stone are durable materials but they don’t do a great job of keeping sounds out of your home. That’s why you should put in a layer of drywall.
Once you put in the drywall you’ll need to spend a little extra money to have it painted and finished. The good news is that you don’t have to put drywall in every room of your house. Just add it to the ones that you want to soundproof.
4. Plug Up Cracks and Holes
Sound can travel and leak through any small cracks or holes that you have around your house. So, if you’re noticing more sounds leaking in than normal, grab your caulk gun and take a look around.
Patch up any holes that you find near ventilation grates, window frames, switch boxes, electrical sockets, ceiling fixtures, and door casings. Speaking of doors, heavy amounts of sound can also drift into rooms through the gaps around the frames.
To put a damper in this noise, add weatherstripping around your door frames and then plug the bottom with a sweep.
5. Replace Your Doors
A lot of doors have what you would call, a hollow construction. It’s a lot of space that’s filled with air and not much else. As you can imagine, this design does little to filter out noise.
You may see better results if you trade your hollow interior doors for ones that are made up of particleboard, composite, or solid-wood. There isn’t much empty space available for sound to travel through.
One thing you should know is that these solid-core doors are a bit more expensive than the hollowed ones. The trade-offs are worth it though. Not only do they keep noise out but they’ll also bring an elegant touch to your house.
6. Insulation
You’d be surprised at how much noise a little bit of insulation can keep out. Mass-loaded vinyl can be placed behind sections of drywall to block out what the drywall doesn’t catch.
Neoprene rubber, fiberglass, and viscoelastic foam are also great choices that will serve the same purpose.
7. Replace and Repair Windows
Your doors aren’t the only thing that may need to be replaced. It will be expensive but if you swap out your old windows for double or triple-paned ones that will eat up a lot of noise coming in.
As far as frames go, PVC is a great choice for sound pollution. If you like the look of wooden frames though, then getting your worn out ones fixed may be a viable solution to your problem too.
8. The Bigger the Rug the Better
If your downstairs neighbors are being rowdy then you can block out some of the noise by putting a big rug in the rooms you want to soundproof.
Thick rugs will absorb loud sounds, bring a nice aesthetic touch to any room, and they feel cozy to the toes. It’s a win-win.
9. Rearrange Your Furniture
If you live in an apartment or dorm room you can’t go around putting in drywall or wall panels. What you can do is strategically place your furniture so as to block out noises coming from your neighbors.
Place large pieces of furniture like your couch or loveseat against the walls you share with the problem people. It will keep some of the noise from getting through.
Books do a good job of absorbing sounds too. If you have a rather large bookcase that’s full of your favorite reading material, that could do wonders.
How to Soundproof Your House When You live On a Noisy Street
Are you tired of trying to sleep through loud neighbors and heavy amounts of traffic? You may be able to cut back on some of it with a few tricks.
Try out these tips on how to soundproof your house to get the peace and quiet that you deserve.
Soundproofing isn’t the only great way to update your home. Check out our blog daily for even more improvement tips and tricks.
