How to Soundproof a Room Cheaply

Living in an urban area has its ups and downs. Among the major downsides of living in an urban area is having to deal with all sorts of noises from the external environment.

It gets even worse if your home is made of modern walling materials such as drywall that allow more sound to pass through than traditional brick and mortar homes.

Noise pollution is not something you should ignore especially if it is impossible to relocate to a different house. Read Also: Headphones for Music Production

How to Soundproof a Room Cheaply

1. Use furniture

This is probably the easiest and cheapest way to reduce noise levels in your home since it simply involves rearranging the furniture you already own.

If you’ve ever paid attention when moving in and out of a place, there is a big difference between how rooms sound when they are empty versus when you have moved in your stuff in there. An empty room has more echo and things sound louder.

This is because since there are no obstacles, sound waves travel faster and they are never absorbed by anything. On the other hand, a room full of stuff has no echo and usually is quieter.

To soundproof a room using furniture, you can arrange your heaviest pieces of furniture next to the walls that are letting in the most sound, such as the walls facing the street and in front of windows.

Some of the best soundproofing furniture includes sofas, wardrobes, dressers, bookcases, and tables. Read Also: Noise Cancelling Headphones

2. Use carpets and rugs to soundproof the floor

If you live in a condo complex or apartment building, soundproofing your floor is just as necessary as soundproofing the walls. Sound travels through the floor especially if it’s made of concrete.

Putting down heavy rugs or carpets can prevent sounds from traveling through your floor. Think of it as hitting two birds with one stone; you get a rug for your home as well as peace and quiet. On top of that, carpets will also help with heat insulation which helps you save energy costs.

The best type of carpet to use for soundproofing is a thick one made of wool or synthetic fiber that is woven together. The thicker the better.

If you are looking for a more permanent option, have a carpet installed. A rug is for those looking for a more temporary solution particularly if you live in a rented apartment. Read Also: Noise Cancelling Headphones Under 200.

3. Use door seals

Doors are one of the major sources of sound pollution in any home. Doors have many spaces where sound waves can travel through; the tiny spaces between the door and its frame, the keyhole, and worst of all, the space between the door and the floor.

There are various cheap ways to soundproof a door. First, you can get a door rug that blocks the space between the door and the floor or a quality door sweep. Another cheap option is to use acoustic sealant tape to cover door openings.

Acoustic sealant tape also works well on windows and wall cracks. A permanent and slightly more expensive solution is to have a mounted seal installed around the door. Read Also: Pop Filter for Blue Yeti. 

It can lower the quality of life in your home making it impossible to enjoy your time there. It can also ruin your sleeping patterns and make your stress levels skyrocket. 

4. Soundproof curtains

Windows are one of the biggest challenges when it comes to soundproofing. One of the things you can do to soundproof your windows is by using curtains.

There are various types of soundproofing curtains available to buy but the best should be heavy enough to block out light and preferably made of several layers of materials. Read Also: Earbuds Under 50

5. Weatherstripping for windows and doors

Weatherstripping is designed to prevent drafts and air leaks, but it can also come in handy if you want to block sound waves. There are many kinds of weather stripping for any budget but for the best results, you should use EPDM rubber since it has a lot of mass.

Before you try it, make sure you are familiar with how weather stripping works and how to do it properly. The goal is to ensure all openings that could possibly let in sound are covered.

So what do you do if you want to create a quiet environment in your home? Maybe you want to create a cinema experience in your living room.

Or maybe you want to make your new baby’s room more comfortable for her. Whatever your reasons are, soundproofing is the solution. Read Also: Noise Cancelling Headphones Under 50.

Conclusion 

Soundproofing simply means blocking sounds from entering or leaving a particular room. Office buildings, cinemas, and professional recording studios rely on costly soundproofing devices and clever building designs to reduce noise levels.

If you don’t have a lot of cash to spend on soundproofing, we have compiled a few soundproofing tricks that you can try on a budget. Read Also: Noise Cancelling Headphones Under 150.