How to soundproof your home

How to soundproof your Home

There are many reasons why homeowners decide to soundproof their homes, obviously the most common being to stop noise from getting in (or out) and also to increase the property’s value.

Whether you live in a modern housing development scheme, or in an older period house from the Victorian or Edwardian era, noise pollution from outside of your property can prove to be an ongoing problem. Living in built-up, urban areas will usually mean higher levels of road and foot traffic near to your home. This can mean hearing revving engines, police or fire service sirens, nearby conversations or raised voices creating an unwelcome disturbance. Who wants to hear your noisy Neighbours Television or their late-night parties?

Modern houses are being built closer and using cheaper materials which has the effect of lowering the quality of sound insulation, whilst older houses often don’t have the benefit of modern sound proofing technological advantages of certain parts of the construction process. Soundwaves are able to enter the home through windows, doors, floors, walls and ceilings so your goal is to block them out.

We have come up with 5 Tips to improve the soundproofing in your home:

1. Fix & Fill

Firstly fix any holes or cracks in your walls. Inspect them and pay close attention to the areas around the window frames, and electrical sockets. If you find any holes or cracks repair them with caulk, if the damage is more severe then you may need to look to address the damage and re-plaster.

2. Mind the gap

The doors in your home can make a huge difference to noise levels inside. Like air, noise will get in through any gap so ensuring your doors and windows seal well is vital. Internal doors are commonly made with 2.5mm skins and are hollow in the centre, which means they don’t effectively reduce noise transfer. It might be worth replacing them with solid doors, this will reduce the amount of sound which is able to pass through.

3. Don’t amplify it

In simple terms, hard surfaces reflect sound waves, whereas soft surfaces absorb them. With floorboards, tiles and marble being popular choices, the noise is not absorbed by anything. If you don’t want carpet then simply lay down a few nice rugs to help with the acoustics. In rooms adjacent to main roads with lots of external noise, then consider putting up heavy curtains, and for a greater difference ensure these curtains also cover the wall below and above the window.

4. Research then replace

Simply replacing your windows will not make a significant impact on external noise, even adding an extra glass layer can have the reverse effect in that the extra layer can vibrate and amplify the noise. In our opinion the best solution is to use an acoustic glass panel – hence why we created Shield Glass in conjunction with GlassSolutions Saint Gobain. In tests Shield Protection sound reduction glass windows will provide a further 20% reduction in decibel levels compared to A-rated sealed units.

5. Don’t wait – Insulate

Installing insulation products in both walls and ceilings can drastically reduce the amount of noise coming in and out of your home.

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So this summer with so many choosing to STAY-CATION or undertaking home improvements to make their home into a castle, applying a few of these simple suggestions can make a huge difference to the quality of your life (and sleep!).

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