Maybe your neighbours make noise all night, or you can hear everything that is going on in your building through the thick walls of your apartment. Since the pandemic hit the world, a lot of people have to work from home. All of them need peace and quiet in order to do their job effectively. On the other hand, there are people who don’t like to disturb their neighbors, and they are trying to find a way to control noise in their own homes. Luckily, there are so many solutions that can help.
If you read this paragraph and thought that it sounds like your problem, keep reading, because we will show you how to end your problem with controlling noise around your home. Nowadays, there are a lot of ways to keep sound inside or outside your walls. There are so many materials you can choose to put inside your walls. And, luckily, there are so many skilled workers who will finish what you dreamt about.
Here are the 10 best soundproofing materials for effective noise control. Read carefully and find the one that is the best for you. Here is our list.
Acoustic panels
Those panels are the best for media rooms, studios, offices, and living rooms. They work the best if you put them on the wall opposite to speakers and sound-producing devices. They look more like decorations or large photo frames and not a sound-absorbing panel. Furthermore, they are very easy to use and not expensive at all. They have multi-position use. One of the negative sides of this material is that fabric can fade or change colour over time.
Mineral wool
This material is used for both acoustic and thermal isolation. It is mostly installed in commercial and residential buildings. This is a natural material, very easy to use, cut, and shape. It is very soft and flexible. It provides a highly effective barrier for noise. The reason why this material is so commonly used is the fact it reduces noise transmission by more than 50 Db.
Mass loaded vinyl (MLV)
This material is very easy to install, and it is a very highly effective noise barrier. It can reduce noise by 20 to 25 Db. This material is a bit more expensive than others. It can be used on walls, pipes, ducts, and ceilings. It is used to add mass to walls and ceilings in order to control sound flow in your home.
Green glue
This one is the most used and the most effective material for successful noise control. It is also the most affordable one. Green glue is also very easy to use. You just have to put another layer of this material over your walls, ceilings, and floors to reduce sound transfer. It is safe material – water-based and non-toxic.
Acoustic foam
Acoustic foam is mostly used in small and medium rooms. Especially in places such as recording music studios. That is why it is mostly known as ‘studiofoam’. It provides strong sound absorption and noise reduction. This material removes echoes and background sounds. The way it works is very interesting because it doesn’t block those effects, it actually absorbs them.
Acoustic fibreglass
This material is excellent for soundproofing. It can be used on walls, floors, and ceilings. With adding this material to your home, noise can be reduced by 5 Db, and not less than 3Db. The fiberglass layer is very thick, so it cannot be as good as the other materials. This material is mainly used at homes, but also in churches, theatres, music studios, etc.
Floor underlayment
This material is the most effective for floor soundproofing. It can be used on laminates, hardwoods, and engineered wood. Floor underlayment is very easy to use. The roll has adhesive strips on one side, so you just have to lay it down over the subfloor. It is good for protecting your floor and also reducing noise at your home. The material is not very expensive, so if you have a problem with noises from upstairs, don’t hesitate to install this one.
Resilient channel
This material can reduce sound at your home very effectively. This is one of the most effective materials for this purpose and also the most affordable one. It dampens sound waves by suspending the drywall. How does it work? It breaks soundwaves by creating a path to dilute vibration. You have to place it over the soundproofing insulation. Maybe this all looks strange, but in practice, it works perfectly fine.
Soundproof drywall
Most people don’t know that drywall can be used for the soundproofing process at your home. This material won’t completely block out all the noises, but it will reduce them. There are few types of soundproof drywall, such as regular drywall (the cheapest one), mould-resistant drywall (the best for kitchen and other rooms with a lot of steam) or moisture-resistant drywall (perfect for the bathroom as it can resist water), etc. This material will best work if you double it up and use it with green glue, which we mentioned above.
Soundproof blankets
If you want to completely reduce or even block noise from your neighbors, you should think about covering everything – from your walls and floors to your windows. This maybe sounds funny, but those blankets can help with soundproofing your home if you use them correctly. Using only this material, you won’t prevent all sounds to enter or leave your home, but you can dampen the sound a lot. Maybe those blankets won’t look very nice on your walls, but you can always use soundproof curtains to cover them. Those curtains are not as effective as the blankets, but they look nicer.
Bonus: low noice devices
New generation devices like quiet ceiling fans, will boost quality of your sleep. They are energy efficient and they comes with smart features such as Alexa voice control.
Takeaway
No one likes to hear noise from neighbors during the night, everyone likes to have peace and quiet at their homes. If you choose to block noises that come in and out of your house, there are so many ways to do it. We have listed some of the best soundproof materials which you can use to do it.
David Tobin did his degree in psychology at the University of Edinburgh. He is interested in mental health and well-being.
