How to Soundproof a Room

How to Soundproof a Room

Soundproofing a shared wall will minimise the disturbance caused by others and the disruption caused by yourself to others. 

You can place furnishings or large furniture items against walls to dampen noise, but you will need to install soundproofing panels to the wall for a more permanent solution. 

The most effective soundproofing usually combines mass, absorption, isolation, and sealing rather than relying solely on acoustic foam or paneling. 

While you can't completely soundproof a domestic room, you can reduce the noise levels to a sound which is acceptable to you. Using a combination of approaches can yield the best results. 

Below, we will run through how to install soundproofing to an existing wall and give you other options for reducing sound between neighbours. 

What’s the difference between soundproofing and sound absorption? 

While soundproofing and sound absorption may sound like they’re achieving the same thing, they’re actually quite different. Soundproofing is all about reducing the ability for sound to travel from one space to another. This is what many people want to do in their homes if they have noisy neighbours or a lot of road noise near their bedroom. 

Sound absorption is the act of reducing reflections or echo within a room. This is more important if you’re trying to create a great home entertainment centre and don’t want the sound from your speakers to be echoing around the room, giving you more of a cinema-style experience. 

This is an important distinction to make, as using just acoustic panels can improve a room’s sound absorption, but won’t be enough to soundproof a room from loud neighbours, music, or road noise from travelling through a wall. 

Before You Start: Diagnose the Source of the Noise 

To keep the scale and cost of your soundproofing under control, and to help improve the effectiveness of your improvements, take the time to identify where the noise is coming from. In most cases, the source of problem noise comes from one of the following:

Through Walls

• Noisy neighbours
• A TV or music in your house or building
• Traffic
• Roadworks/ building works

Through a Door

Gaps around the door, threshold (the bit at the bottom that normally has a strip across it), or the doorframe make it easy for noise to travel into a room.

Floors and Ceilings 

If you live in a flat, this can be a major source of noise. Especially if the floor above you has wood flooring, as the sound will travel more easily through this than a carpeted floor. 

Other Gaps

Check around the following areas for holes that might be causing sound to leak into the room: 

• Sockets
• Pipes
• Cable penetrations
• Skirting boards
• Ventilation openings

Choose the right soundproofing for your noise problem

Problem	Recommended Soundproofing
Noise through shared wall	Add mass, insulation, and separation
Echo inside room	Acoustic absorption/ panels
Noise through door	Seal gaps and improve door mass
Noise through ceiling	Insulation and suspended or independent ceiling
Noise through floor	Carpet and underlay, or an isolated floor construction
Small gaps	Acoustic sealant
Temporary external noise	Acoustic barrier

How to soundproof existing walls

Walls are dense, so they absorb sound waves and transmit them through to the other end. This means shared walls between neighbours can carry everything from babies crying to talking and music.

The best option for a permanent solution is to install soundproofing materials on your wall. Acoustic panels can be purchased to give a look of panelling to a room. Alternatively, installing soundproof panels and plasterboard over the top is a less obvious solution.

Whatever your choice, follow the instructions on your specific soundproof material. Some panels allow you to use adhesive, such as No More Nails, for a quick, easy installation, but below we will talk through screwing them to the wall.

You will need:

• Soundproof material/boards
• Drill
• Tape measure
• Rawl plugs
• Screws
• Stud finder
• Hammer
• Filler 

Don't forget to wear PPE when carrying out any DIY tasks. When drilling, you must wear eye protection and a dust mask. You can purchase PPE alongside your hire equipment straight from Speedy.

 

Step 1: Measure your wall 

Ensure your soundproof panel is large enough for your wall. To do this, you need to measure the width, height, and total area of the wall. You also need to mark the location of sockets and fixtures, as well as any door or window openings. You may need to cut it to size using a saw. 

Measuring accurately allows you to determine how much plasterboard and insulation is required. It can also help prevent wasted material, allowing you to keep the cost down. 

Step 2: Check for studs and pipes 

You don't want to drill through an electrical wire or water pipe. Use a stud finder to detect studs, wires, and pipes. Mark on the wall where it needs to be avoided for drilling and where studs are for preferential drilling. 

Step 3: Drill the holes 

If the panels don't come with pre-drilled holes for fixing to the wall, drill these yourself. Follow the instructions on how to space the holes and how many you need. 

Then, mark and drill your holes; remember to try and aim for where your studs are, and avoid the pipes. 

Step 4: Install the rawl plugs 

Hold the panel up to the wall. Mark on the wall where the holes in your panel are. This is where your rawl plugs will go. 

Drill a hole, then fit the rawl plugs, using a hammer to secure them flush to the wall. Alternatively, use a tape measure instead to mark where the holes must go. 

Step 5: Screw your panel to the wall 

You now have where you will be attaching the panel to the wall. Screw the panel onto the wall using the pre-drilled holes as a guide. Work from the top downwards to help steady and secure the panel. 

Step 6: Fill the holes 

Fill the holes in for a clean look. If you're not painting the panel, try to match its colour, so use wood filler for wooden panelling. 

When dry, lightly sand the filler to flush with the panel, and finish how you wish. You may choose to paint the panelling or need to install plasterboard over the top. 

Types of soundproof panelling

First, you need to decide on the best soundproofing solution. Some require more work than others.

• Acoustic wall panels

These panels are built with sound-absorbing material to reduce the noise that leaves a room. They can also help absorb the sound coming from shared walls.

They come pre-made and can look quite aesthetic and stylish, too. Commonly, they are styled like panelling.

Buy here from B&Q.

• Self-adhesive panels

These panels can be cut to size and can just be stuck on the wall with no screws or fixings. This is ideal if you're not keen on DIY or live in a rented property. Most of these are made from a foam-like material, but you can get various options now.

Buy here from B&Q.

• Internal stud wall with insulation

Insulation can be fitted onto a wall, then a stud plasterboard wall. This permanent solution to noise disturbance can be especially practical in older properties with thin walls.

Don't forget doors, windows, and gaps

Sound easily travels through any opening, no matter how small it looks. If you can see daylight through a gap, don’t expect soundproofing your wall to compensate for it. To help improve the soundproofing of your room after doing your wall, use the following on these common problem areas: 

• Door gaps: Use heavy-duty weatherstripping to close air paths around the doorframe and the door itself. For the threshold, you can buy drop-down door seals that automatically lower when the door shuts.  
• The door itself: Most doors nowadays are hollow-core, making it easy for noise to pass through them. It also amplifies sound waves that travels through them. Replacing a hollow door with a solid-core wood or composite option will improve the soundproofing of your room. For a cheaper but less effective alternative, adding Mass Loaded Vinyl to the back of the door can help to block airborne noise. 
• Window gaps: For leaky window frames, apply flexible, non-hardening acoustic caulk to seal the perimeter cracks. Sound-dampening curtains or fitted acoustic window inserts can help reduce sound travelling through the glass itself. 
• Treat vents carefully: While vents to the outside can obviously be an easy way for noise to travel into your room, these are often there for a reason. Air vents help to properly exchange air to prevent mould and damp. Acoustic baffles can help to disrupt sound paths while allowing airflow. 

Temporary soundproofing and noise control 

If you’re trying to control noise temporary, for example during construction, renovation, or for an event, a portable noise-control barrier may be more appropriate than permanently modifying a room. 

Speedy offers a 2m x 1.2m Noise Control Barrier designed for on-site noise reduction. Easy to maneuver, weatherproof, and suitable for internal and external use, it’s a convenient, temporary, and cost-effective option.

FAQ's

Can I soundproof a rented property without making permanent changes? 

Yes, but you need to check your tenancy agreement and ask your landlord for permission before making permanent changes. To start, use heavy curtains, rugs, bookcases, and wardrobes against shared walls to help absorb and block some sound. You can also get temporary acoustic treatments that are easy to remove and don’t leave marks should you need further soundproofing. 

How do I know whether I need professional soundproofing? 

If you’re dealing with permanent noise disturbance in a room, first try cheaper, DIY options as noted in this article. You can then slowly scale up your soundproofing efforts in an attempt to keep costs down. Should these cheaper options still not resolve the problem, it may then be worth getting a professional in. 

Structural soundproofing can involve altering walls, floors, and ceilings, and treating only one surface may not solve the problem if sounds if travelling through other parts of the building. A professional can identify the source of the noise and recommend and appropriate solution. 

Why is it hard to soundproof a room? 

Soundwaves can find their way through small gaps, and high-pitched sounds (such as a baby crying or a dog barking) can be challenging to ignore. Low-frequency noise travels a longer distance, so you may even hear motorway traffic despite not being close to the motorway, depending on the direction of the wind blowing. 

Older homes can suffer. You'd think that a terraced house built in the 1900s would be solid regarding shared walls, but insulation and noise levels were rare back then! 

So, while installing soundproofing will help, it won't reduce sound to zero.

Ready to soundproof? Get the tools to do the job.

If you don’t already have the tools, don’t bother paying more to buy what you might only use once. Hire the drills, saws, dust extraction equipment, and more from Speedy. With click and collect from more than 100 depots and nationwide delivery available, we help you get the tools you need, when you need them. 

Speedy has more than 200 local service centres nationwide, hire counters in selected B&Qs and nationwide 4-hour delivery. It has never been easier to hire the tools and equipment you need.