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If you’re looking for inexpensive ways to soundproof your apartment, here are three DIY solutions. Putting heavy books on multiple shelves creates a thick barrier between neighboring walls. If your apartment has hollow doors, you can buy acoustic door seal kits that will help eliminate those gaps.
Soundproofing is essential for homes to have a calm and peaceful environment in the interiors. The external noises can disturb the peace of any home and family. Noises from road traffic, pets, vendors, and construction at nearby places can disturb your peace of mind.
In addition to external, internal noises can also disturb the peace of homeowners and their family members. The internal sounds include noise from TV, music system, playing children, pets, tap noise in the kitchen, and bathroom. All such noises can be irritating for family members.
The best way to combat internal and external noises is soundproofing. Homeowners need to soundproof their rooms, doors, and windows to deaden the sounds and create a calm environment in their homes. Here are some easy DIY ideas you can try to soundproof your apartment.
Add an Extra Drywall
All the sounds travel in the form of vibrations, and dense materials can deaden these vibrations. Therefore, you can try installing extra drywall made of dense material to stop the approaching noise in any area.
Although it is challenging to change the bricks and concrete in your walls, you can add an extra layer of drywall to combat the noises. Most noises come from the kid’s room or the entertainment area. Therefore, it is best to cover the walls between your bedrooms and the entertainment area with a drywall layer.
To install new drywall, you will need to extend the electrical outlets as the overall thickness of the new wall will be increased. However, this is an inexpensive and convenient method of soundproofing your existing walls.
Hang Thick Curtains and Tapestries
To soundproof your apartment, you don’t always need bulky walls and furniture. The curtains and tapestries do their job well when installed with precision. You can install thick and soft curtains on your walls to dampen the incoming sounds from other rooms. Installing woven wall hangings is also a good option to reduce the noise in your rooms. The soft and non-uniform texture of curtains absorbs the outside noises and prevents them from approaching your ears.
Mass Loaded Vinyl
Mass loaded vinyl is a popular material used by professionals for soundproofing. It is a flexible material and comes in the form or 4 feet wide rolls. Homeowners can roll or install it on the walls and floors to reduce the sound.
Mass loaded vinyl has excellent sound absorption properties that can reduce the noise in any area of your home. You can use it between the layers of drywall to reduce the transmission of sound through the walls of your rooms. It is best to use it on the walls and ceiling to reduce the transmission of noises.
Acoustic Caulk Sandwich
Most of the sounds enter through the gaps and cracks in walls, doors, and windows. Acoustic caulk is used to plug the gaps and holes in spaces from where most of the sounds enter a space. Separate two layers of the drywall with 3/8-inch-thick acoustic caulk beads as extra protection. The caulk is suppressing vibrations that are trying to travel from one drywall sheet to another.
Rugs and Carpets
Almost every home has rugs and carpets to use on floors. Rugs and carpets not only protect your feet from directly touching the floor but also absorb the sounds. However, not any carpet works well for the absorption of noises. You need to use soft carpets and rugs on your floors to dampen the unwanted noises.
The carpets with soft fabric are usually expensive due to the high quality, but they are worth the money you spend. However, using a single carpet may not dampen the noises to a much extent. Therefore, it is best to use two layers of rugs with different textures. The irregularity in texture and space between two fabrics helps in the excellent absorption of sound waves.
Acoustic Panels
Other DIY options include installing acoustic wall panels. A good way to soundproof your apartment without spending a fortune is to install white noise machines and acoustic wall panels.
The acoustic panels help absorb the sounds and can reduce the noise in any space. That is why these panels are used in the walls of auditoriums and theaters. You can also use the acoustic panels in your home. They are best to use in the entertainment area and living room. Install the acoustic panels on the walls of your living room with a TV and home theater system.
Moreover, you can also install them on your doors and windows. However, they can cover the window panes to block visibility. You can put them on your windows when you need to block the external noises.
Close the gaps in doors and windows to Soundproof Your Apartment
If you see carefully, you will find a gap under the doors and windows. Gaps also exist between the trims and door/windows. It is these gaps from where most of the external noises enter a house. You need to close these gaps using relevant materials to prevent the entry of noises.
You can use acoustic seal kits to close these gaps and block the external noises. Alternatively, you can use any other foaming material, but you need to fix it firmly to the door and windows using an adhesive. There are many types of foam materials available for soundproofing that you can use to close the gaps in doors and windows.
Install Sound Absorbing sheets on walls
Installing sound absorbing sheets on the walls and ceiling is the most convenient option to soundproof a room. Sound absorption sheets are readily available in the market, and you can install them easily by using the adhesive that comes with these sheets. You can also hang these sheets on the walls if you don’t want to glue them, but the dampening of noise will be partial.
Noise masking devices
These devices are not much popular, but they have the ability to reduce the sounds in your home. Noise masking devices produce a certain frequency of sound to cut the noises present in the environment where you place them. In simple words, they use the sound to cut out other sounds present around them. You can search for noise-masking devices on Amazon and other popular online marketplaces.
Install a book rack
A book rack can also block the noises coming from an adjacent room to some extent. Although it cannot stop loud noises, it can block minor noises coming from an adjacent room. Install a rack full of books with the wall of the room from where most of the noises enter, and you can feel the difference by doing so. The trick is highly useful when you have a noisy neighbor family.
Upgrade your doors and window
Most of the noise enters into a house through doors and windows. If you have outdated doors and windows in your home, they can be the reason for the entry of external noises. Although replacing the doors and windows is not a DIY upgrade, it can do a lot to block the incoming noises. You can use the soundproofing windows if you live in or around Melbourne as they offer excellent noise blocking.
Final words
These are some DIY tips to soundproof your apartment. Using these tips, homeowners can reduce external noises and dampen the internal sounds to create a calm and peaceful environment in their homes.
