Occasionally you may find yourself in a room that is actually too large for your needs. You may be speaking, recording a personal project, or attempting to let a person record some music. If the room is too large for your needs you may find that the sound vibrates off of the walls and gives you a lower quality sound than you had expected.
One solution to this type of problem is to sound proof by using baffles. You can buy decorative baffles or build your own with drywall, green glue, and some decorative material. Regardless of what you choose to do, the following video will explain to you exactly how baffles work to soundproof a room. Check it out for yourself and see!
Can you imagine what it must be like to live directly beneath the take-off and landing paths for a major international airport? Ask anyone living in the Los Angeles area and they’ll tell you exactly what it’s like. They’ll tell you (likely in more colorful terms) that living in the flight path of the Los Angeles International Airport is incredibly noisy.
Why you would purchase a home knowing it is in on the flight path is beyond us. What you’d do about it after finding out is another. The owners of 42 homes took it upon themselves to complain - and they got exactly what they were looking for.
On Tuesday, July 21st, 2009, the Board of Airport Commissioners approved a plan that would initiate a soundproofing project to protect all 42 homes beneath the flight path. The total price tag will be over $1.37 million and will include the insulation of extra-thick doors, soundproof windows, extra insulation, and whatever other soundproofing measures they deem necessary.
Kudos to the Board of Airport Commissioners for taking action to do what is right. No one should have to live with that kind of noise!
Yes, you read that correctly - even the folks at the Comfort Inn use Green Glue to soundproof common walls throughout the hotel. Earlier this year Shelter Magazine published a case study about the hotel and their soundproofing methods.
If you’ve ever stayed in a hotel you’re probably familiar with the way noise travels. You hear foot traffic passing in the hallways, elevator noise, vending machine noise. The more noise there is the less sleep you get. The less sleep you get the less likely you are to return. With that in mind, hotel managers found it necessary to find a solution - and quickly.
So what happened? The folks at the Comfort Inn & Suites in Aurora, Colorado found it was time to renovate their rooms. As such, they made reducing noise a top priority and made sure that the contractor involved in the project understood their concerns. They looked at a number of different soundproofing materials, including paneling, soundboard, and mass loaded vinyl but Green Glue turned out to be the winner.
Using Green Glue meant workers would only have to add a layer of drywall to the existing room. They wouldn’t have to do any other modifications to the doors or windows. And, to make things even better, Green Glue turned out to be the most cost effective material as well!
Noise complaints in this particular Comfort Inn have significantly declined!
Those if you who use either gasoline or diesel powered generators frequently know how important it is to your own health and safety to make sure they’re used in a well-ventilated area. That does not, however, mean that you have to live with the noise your generator creates. You’ll just have to be a bit more creative about the method you use for soundproofing.
The first step is to create a box to enclose the generator. Unlike some of the other enclosures we’ve discussed previously, you can NOT use wood to create a box for a generator. You will have to find an alternative to wood such as soundboard or some sort of medium density fiberboard.
Make sure the box has holes on the top and on the bottom of the sides for proper ventilation. If you attach ducting to the holes you can guide the ventilation as far away from the box as possible.
Once constructed, all you need to do in order to soundproof your generator box is coat the insides with Green Glue and seal the seams of the box with acoustical caulk.
Suddenly, your generator will produce less sound and your neighbors won’t be as aggravated when you start doing work that requires the use of your little noise-producer!
If you’re lucky enough to have a speedboat, yacht, or cabin cruiser than you’ll probably want to take the time to soundproof the interior just a little bit. Who wants to be aroused from a seaborne nap in the cabin by the sound of the incredibly loud marine diesel engine or by the sound of the waves slapping on the side of the hull? Why not enjoy your time on the sea as much as possible?
Soundproofing a boat is easier than you might think. The main source of noise is, of course, the engine compartment. With that in mind you’ll want to adhere some mass loaded vinyl to the inside walls of the engine compartment. You can get it to stick by using some sort of contact cement or, for added effect, another acoustical product like Green Glue. Whatever you do, make sure the products you choose to use are waterproof.
To finish off the project you’ll simply have to apply some acoustical caulk around the seams and perimeter of the vinyl. Make sure you let your work dry completely before putting the boat in the water. The soundproofing effects garnered by just this little bit of work will prove astounding.
There’s no doubt about it - teens today listen to music that is completely different than the classic rock and roll we grew up with. Spectacular lyrics and unique guitar rifts have been replaced by mind-numbing screeches, unintelligible rants, and bass beats so low you can feel them trembling through your body.
But you can’t really force your kids to listen to what you want all the time, right?
So what are you going to to do in order to allow your child his unique sense of self while saving your sanity? You’re going to let your teen know that you’ll be soundproofing his bedroom.
It’s easy to do and well worth the effort. At most you’ll have to apply some mass loaded vinyl to the existing drywall, apply another layer of drywall over top, and refinish the paint in his room. We guarantee that the opportunity to repaint his walls the color of his choice (with reason, of course) won’t disapoint your teen, either - perhaps even inspiring him to help with the project!
Hundreds upon thousands of people spend hours every day sitting in their cars. While some of us enjoy rolling down the windows and blasting the radios, others prefer to ride in complete silence - enjoying the time alone. Sadly, those who really want to enjoy their ride in quiet usually have to deal with the sound leaking from the car’s engine compartment into the passenger area. So can this sound be reduced?
Believe it or not, it is possible to sound proof your car if you don’t already have a top-of-the-line model with soundproofing features built in. You’ll start by removing the hood liner you have in place and then follow by cutting a piece of mass loaded vinyl that is the same size. Make sure you clean the underside of the hood and let it dry before applying some contact cement to both the hood and the vinyl. When the cement becomes tacky you’ll apply the mass loaded vinyl directly to the hood.
It may seem strange to sound proof a vehicle but you’ll immediately notice a significant reduction in the amount of sound escaping from the engine compartment. Try it for yourself. We guarantee you’ll be impressed with the results!
What happens if you have two living areas, like a main living room and a toy/play room or a home theatre, that conflict with each other when it comes to noise? Perhaps you’d like to entertain your friends in one room while the kids play together in another but the sound is just too much to make adult conversation feasible. It’s time to consider soundproofing the wall between the two living areas.
Soundproofing your “party wall” is relatively simple. You’ll want to install furring strips and mass loaded vinyl over the existing drywall. Fill the overlapping seams with acoustical caulk and then seal over the top with some sort of gasket tape. Cover the completed project with a second layer of drywall, repaint, and your work is complete!
The project may take a bit of time and effort but shouldn’t be very difficult. In the end it will be worth it to be able to entertain your friends and family in a peaceful atmosphere!
Do you have an old computer that makes a ton of noise? Believe it or not, you can soundproof your computer as well and the process is incredibly simple.
You’ll start by opening your computer so that you can work with the CPU case or cover. You’ll want to take a small amount of mass loaded vinyl and glue it to the inside of the case so that it covers as much area as possible. It is important to make sure that you do NOT cover the areas that usually allow your processor ventilation system to work. Take a piece of vinyl and glue it to the bottom of your computer case as well (on the inside or outside).
Before you know it you will have drastically reduced the amount of noise your computer makes. Just make sure you are carefully when taking your computer apart so that you don’t cause a static charge that will damage your processor. If you are nervous about working with your computer ask something with a bit of technical experience to help you take it apart. Better safe than sorry!
Let’s face it - some of us are more sensitive than others. The sound of your aquarium pump may be a bit louder than you expected but, believe it or not, you can take care of the problem very easily if you understand the soundproofing basics. You have two options.
The first option is to create a soundproof blanket to wrap the pump. You can use a material like mass loaded vinyl and add some velcro so that it stays around the pump. Keep in mind, though, that this technique will only work if you have a pump that does not need air in order to function.
Your second option is to build a small, soundproof box that will enclose the pump. The problem here is that wood transmits sound so you’ll have to soundproof the box itself by adding a soundproofing material (again, like mass loaded vinyl) to the inside of the box.
To finish off the project, take a piece of the vinyl and use it to line the pedestal on which your aquarium sits. This will ensure that your entire aquarium system is operating as quietly as possible. It’s healthier for your fish and your sanity!