Today’s houses can be noisy. Modern homes have moved to newer trends having less walls for want of spacious spaces and open floor plans. Unless a house is equipped with sound proofing, it can suffer from noise generated and broadcasted by a combination of factors. Controlling noise involves cutting down on noisemakers and reducing the movement of sound from one place to another. Sound proofing techniques employ surfaces that absorb sound vibrations and structures that minimize sound transference. 1. Use Sound-Absorbing MaterialsHard surfaces reflect sound waves; soft surfaces absorb them. Materials that help control sound within a room are familiar to most homeowners. If you want to minimize sound bouncing around a room, opt for “soft” materials such as acoustic ceilings, padded carpeting rather than hardwood, tile, or laminates. You can also choose from acoustic tiles to drop-ceiling systems according your home requirements. 2. Sound-blocking doorsMost walls are characterized by large openings, usually the doors. Most interior doors are hollow and ineffective in blocking ambient noise. Install solid doors to avoid noise moving from one room to another. It’s a viable solution whether or not you are remodeling or building a new home.
3.Weatherstrip Interior DoorsBut most of the sound doesn’t come through the door, it sneaks around the door. Install weatherstripping or door sound proofing to provide a seal. Usually the easiest and best material to use is adhesive-backed high-density foam tape. Or, rubber bulb weatherstripping gaskets can seal the jambs and a weatherstripped threshold can seal the gap beneath a door. 4. Reduce noise makersA quick and easy solution to reducing noises within your homes is to choose for affordable quieter appliances or replace the ones that make unbearable noise. Regularly check for the appliances’ rattles or vibrations that could be resulting in improper placement or functioning. Get any unusual sound immediately fixed. 5. Tweak Your Sound SystemIf your entertainment gear is pumping sound through an inexpensive or poorly designed speaker system, it may be creating a lot of unnecessary household noise. The idea is to enjoy the sound when you’re at the television or near the media gear without imposing the sound on the rest of the house. Subwoofers, because of their booming low-frequency tones, are classic offenders. You can buy a subwoofer isolation pad to put beneath the subwoofer so it produces the base tones you want to hear but doesn’t vibrate the house like a freight train. 6. Silence Noisy PipesIf your home’s pipes rattle, chatter, or make loud banging noises when you turn faucets off or flush the toilet, it’s time to handle this problem. There are relatively easy steps you can take to solve these issues. The answer is usually to install water hammer arrestors on the hot and cold water pipes. Achieving a home that is quiet can take a little work, but when you’re ready to relax in a quiet room and enjoy a good book, you’ll know it was well worth the effort.
