Tag Archives: soundproofing

Solving the problem of noisy neighbours

More and more people are living in cities often in close quarters in houses split up into flats, and apartment blocks. Although people often move to cities partly for the social aspects, this way of living can cause tensions. There’s been a big rise in the number of neighbour complaints about excessive noise. This might also have something to do with the increased means of making noise that are available to us. It used to just be dinner parties and babies that caused excess noise. Now most homes are fitted with hifis, large TVs, home cinemas and all sorts of potentially noisy pieces of tech. So in the face of the mounting cacophony, let’s have a look at some sound proofing options available to you.

Option #1 – Specialist Wall Soundproofing

Soundproofing has been around for many years in buildings like recording studios. They are fitted with specialist insulated wall coverings to make sure noise produced outside the room does not get inside and make its way onto the recording. They also trap the sound produced inside the room which creates a better sounding recording, and cancel out any background noise. It is possible to have the same technology installed at home. But sound proofing your home this way is very expensive and is a major job.

Option #2 – Egg Boxes If you want to get really DIY then there’s always egg boxes. They’ve been used by many a parent to drown out the sound made by their teenage offspring band. They are super low budget and do actually work by trapping the sound waves. Although it’s effective it’s hardly attractive, and it can take up a lot of wall space, reducing the size of the room.

Option #3 – Soundproof Wall Liners If you don’t want to dish out for full on soundproofing, but fancy something more aesthetically pleasing than good old egg boxes, then there’s now the perfect product for you. Saarpor produce a range of specialist wall covering. Their Latex Sound Proof Wall Liner provides sound insulation for walls via a latex foam that is laminated to a non-woven fabric. They also produce Sound Proof Insulation Paper. This is like ordinary lining paper but has 6mm of absorbing foam attached to it. Both are very effective at soundproofing walls and can also be used for insulating ceilings.

The latest home decorating trend – DIY Soundproofing

If you thought home decorating was about the art of style and colour, then there’s a new development that’s bringing science to redecorating a room.

Last year it was all about using lining paper and thermal liners to insulate their homes, this year the trend is for soundproofing your home.

This post takes a look at the reasons behind the trend, how the technology works and how to use it in your home.

Why people are choosing soundproofing

More and more of us are now living in built up urban areas where lots of people have audio and home cinema sound systems, loud kitchen appliances, or even just noisy kids! One thing is sure – our environment is getting noisier, whether it’s coming from outside or your own household.

No one likes having their quiet Sunday afternoons interrupted, or being woken up in the middle of the night – so people are turning to wall soundproofing in increasing numbers.

Where in your house should you soundproof?

It’s possible to soundproof any room in a home, but the most popular rooms for soundproofing walls are:

  1. The Living Room – Soundproofing your living room can have the double benefit of not only keeping noise out so you can watch TV in peace, but also to improve the quality of the sound from home cinema and audio systems.
  2. The bedroom – Nowhere is quiet more welcome than the bedroom. Get your forty winks in peace by keeping the sound out.
  3. The Study – Create a peaceful space to concentrate on work.
  4. Laundry Room – Keep the sound of a washing machine or tumble drier from spreading to the rest of the house.

How Soundproofing Walls works

Soundproof wallpaper is now the easiest way to soundproof a wall. It is usually constructed of layers of lining paper, insulating foam of varying thicknesses and a thick layer of wallpaper. This means it insulates against noise while still being as easy to hang as normal wallpaper.

So, if you’re getting interrupted by noisy neighbors next time you read a book, watch a film, or try to sleep, consider using soundproof wallpaper to restore domestic blis