Home soundproofing products and methods

For most people, the home is abatement from the external world. It is a place where one goes for rest, serenity and quiet. However, many people are not lucky enough to be living in a quite suburb.

Nonetheless, they may have noisy neighbors, heavy traffic flow or even train lines or airports near to their homes. Things may be the other way round also. For example, a person might be interested in playing bagpipes or drums, or might have a home theatre system which is likely to annoy the neighbors. In such cases, soundproofing a house becomes the best choice to avoid noisy annoyances.

There are three main methods of home soundproofing, all of these work on the principle that sound waves keep travelling until they hit some resistance and that the volume of sound fades as it travels. For soundproofing walls, the first and the simplest way is to create space in the rooms. Large rooms stop sounds from travelling. However, if this is not possible, then inexpensive options of soundproofing products can be availed by putting heavy furniture across the house. Heavy items absorb sound and work as a resistance to sound waves. Common domestic items and building materials like dense curtains, sofas and also marble slabs work as a good soundproofing material.

The third soundproofing option is to get a house professionally insulated. Professional insulators use double panned windows to lessen noise travel. Window plugs are filled in the gaps to ensure that the room is completely impervious to sound invasion. Moreover, soundproof glass wall and also ceilings are required to make a room quiet. For this, layers of drywalls are added in between rooms so that they can absorb the sound waves. At times, wall papers can also work as good sound absorbents. For soundproofing floors, the best choice is to get dense carpets which dampen footsteps.

Ideal soundproofing not only prevents external sound from entering the house, but also prevents undesired sounds from annoying the neighborhood. This is why it becomes vital for the home owners to use the right soundproofing products and methods to make their harbor a comfort zone, away from the intrusion of undesired noises.

Well designed auditoriums are designed with non-parallel surfaces that assist to break up standing sound waves. Preventing scattering of the acoustics and dead spots are two other functions accomplished. If your room is shaped more like a gym, there will be repeated reflection of sound waves. This will enhance the possibility of live and dead spots, and therefore you require more soundproofing solutions. Remember that absorptive panels lessen background noise, and diffusion panels deploy sound reflections in different directions for better acoustic balance in the space. For auditoriums that are shaped like a fan with sloping floors, a ratio of 10:1 between the number of sound absorption panels and diffusion panels is suggested. Acoustical soundproofing is compulsory these days in interior decorator and designing.

Since 1998, O’Neill Engineered Systems has been specializing in the custom design and installation of noise control products and systems to help you control noise. We can provide on-site acoustic analysis,