How To Block Noise From The Noisy Neighbors
In life, you’ll have to go through plenty of ups and downs. There’s going to be several different things that can grind your gears.
However, one of the worst can be noisy neighbors.
Imagine coming home after a long day of work. You’re exhausted and sweaty. All you want to do is come home, take a shower, and relax.
But then all of a sudden, your neighbors just start being obnoxious. They begin to make noise in every way imaginable. Screaming, yelling, stomping, you name it.
Now an easy solution for this would be to just pack your stuff up and vacate the home. But for most of us, it isn’t just that simple.
We shouldn’t have to abandon the place that we call home just because of some incompassionate neighbors. We should be able to feel peaceful in the comfort of our homes.
But if you’re still living in the same house, it can feel like nothing is going to stop them from giving you a headache. And if you’re someone like me, then you’ve experienced it multiple times. You understand that it can get very tough to bear sometimes.
However, what if I told you that there’s a way to prevent some of the noise from bombarding your home?
The only legitimate method for not having to suffer through the nuisance is to suppress the noise from entering the house.
Since I’ve begun using this strategy, there is now a noticeable decrease in the amount of noise that I hear. It’s done wonders for me.
Now I can work and relax in peace without having to worry about those noisy neighbors. Invest in some of these products and you could do the same.
Although it may take some time for you to set the items in place, when you can finally enjoy the peacefulness in your home, it’ll all be worthwhile.
These Are A Few Things That You’ll Be Needing:
Use Fluffy Rugs to Soundproof the Floors
1. Soundproof The Floors
One of the primary places that sound can travel through is the floor. Therefore, to prevent sound from coming from there, then you must deaden the floor.
When beginning your process of suppressing the noise from the floors, your first task should be carpeting. With the permission of a landlord, you should carpet your whole floor. Although this isn’t required, it can add a tougher passageway for sound to travel.
However, if you are interested in adding carpet for an extra cushioning, it’d be beneficial for you to add carpet padding as well. This will help suffocate the noise from below and also prevent sounds from coming through.
Not much of a carpet fan?
Well luckily for you, there is an endless array of fluffy rugs available on Amazon that can help prevent the sounds of the noisy neighbors.
Whether you’d prefer to have carpet or rugs, you will still be presented with an effective way of deadening the sound from coming through the floors.
- Extra Soft Area Rug: The area rug is incredibly soft and features a top layer of fluffy material with sponge interlayer, which is softer and more luxurious underfoot; Its comfy fabric is very family-friendly and ideal for bedroom, living room
- Large Size and Modern Design: Our generously sized rug is 5 feet x 8 feet and provides excellent touch feeling; Each rug prints with a morocco pattern in modern design, to create a peaceful atmosphere for your master bedroom, home office, or dining room
2. Soundproof the Ceiling
Many different issues can be found when you’re living in an apartment building. However, one of the worst is that noise comes from literally everywhere. From experience, I’ve noticed that it usually comes from the upstairs neighbors.
With the constant stomping, dancing, loud music, it felt like I could never get a break. That’s when I decided to finally put a stop to it. I used the soundproofing method to my advantage.
If you’re experiencing this same problem or if you have kids upstairs who enjoy causing a ruckus, then soundproofing your ceiling could be a wise investment for you. There will no longer have to be a disturbance in your ears while you’re trying to sleep.
Now, the soundproofing strategy is fairly simple and can have a minimal amount of steps depending on how quiet you’d like your home to be. All you have to do is add a drop ceiling to your existing ceiling. A drop ceiling can be acquired from Amazon for a great deal.
Alongside the drop ceiling, acoustical tiles can also be added to your ceiling for your benefit. And the fascinating thing about acoustical tiles is that you can design the patterns to your liking while still being able to block sounds.
So after you pick the type of style that you’d like to go with, simply replace the old tiles with new ones and you will instantly see the results of having a sound-absorbing ceiling.
Use Acoustic Panels to Soundproof Walls
3. Soundproof Walls
On most occasions, walls are usually the main sources of your noise problems, especially if you live in an apartment complex. This is due to the thin walls that apartments usually tend to have. Therefore the walls should be one of your main targets for soundproofing and blocking out noise.
There are a few ways that you can go about using your walls as a source of noise suppression.
Although there are a couple of methods to choose from, one of the most notable strategies for soundproofing walls is cover our walls in acoustic foams and panels. Most boards are usually sound-absorbent due to them being made from materials such as fiberglass. These tough panels increase air resistance while decreasing the amount of sound that can be passed through them.
- 1' x 1' SonoFlat Panels - Burgundy
Another product that you should highly consider using is drywall. Drywall adds a noticeable thickness to your existing wall while also still providing a good barrier. If you’d like to get even more results, then you may want to add a second layer of drywall.
Although it may seem like an extensive task, installing drywall isn’t necessarily difficult. It requires nothing more than a few screws to hold the wall up.
However, I understand that times can be hard. Most of us may not have sufficient funds to purchase drywall panels to fill our homes. If this is the case, there’s no need to stress about it. The bass that comes from outside can be very intrusive. So it’s in your best interest to get the highest quality materials.
The unique feature about soundproof the walls is that you can substitute with things that are already found in your household.
One of the many things that you can substitute for drywall is canvas paintings. The thickness of the paintings will provide a solid level of sound barriers. Therefore, adding a painting to your wall will reduce the noise more than you’d expect.
Another thing you could use is a bookshelf. Simply position the shelf where the noise usually tends to come from and you’ll notice that the sound that usually passes through the wall is significantly lower.
If most of the noise usually comes from your walls, then one of these wall soundproofing methods may be ideal for you. Although this will still stop most of the noise from passing through the walls, there are still several places where sound can come through.
So if you’d like to completely deaden the sound from coming to your house, then you may want to soundproof a few more things. But soundproofing the wall is a necessity for reducing sound and shouldn’t be skipped.
Use Door Sweeps to Help Soundproof Doors
4. Soundproof The Door
Another one of the many offenders for transmitting noise from outside your home is the door. Most houses are constructed with very hollow doors. Therefore, this allows for a larger amount of sound to pass through them.
So the method for soundproofing your door would be to simply acquire a new one. Although this may be costly, it has a high level of effectiveness. But if you don’t intend on spending a good chunk of money on a new door, other strategies may suit you better.
While I was experiencing noise entering my home, I noticed that my door had plenty of gaps and spaces. Even though the gaps were small, this allowed for an increased amount of sound to pass through the door and give me a headache. This is where I realized that the gaps in between my door must be filled.
To seal up these gaps, you’ll need to apply a insulating foam sealant to the outer edges of the door. What makes the sealant so effective for blocking sound is that it’s made from airtight vinyl or neoprene strips. After applying the sealant and letting it settle, you will notice that the noise is largely reduced.
Although the insulating foam sealant may seem unnecessary, you will hear the difference once you’re finished applying it.
Pairing a door sweep alongside the foam sealant will give you the maximum amount of door sound reduction possible. The largest gap in most doors is beneath them, therefore it must be taken care of as well. The door sweeps that can be found on Amazon may do the trick.
- For residential or commercial use
- All-season protection against drafts, moisture, dust and insects
Once the door sweep is placed at the bottom of your door, it will deal gap whenever your door is closed. By doing this, it creates a compression that allows it to be airtight and stop sound from getting through.
The fascinating thing about these soundproofing items and methods is that they’re removable. Therefore, all you’re panes, sweeps, and sealants can be taken with you. This can be great news, especially for those who rent their homes.
Now when you get into your new place, you already have all the products needed for soundproofing installations.
Use Insulating Foam Sealant to Soundproof Windows
5. Soundproof Windows
Although you might have some noisy neighbors, the noise won’t always necessarily come from them. If you live in a busy town or neighbor, then the noise could be coming from another building.
If this is the case, you’ll need to soundproof your windows to prevent noise from coming into your household. However, the only downfall from blocking your windows from outdoor sounds is that you’ll also be blocking it from light. But that shouldn’t matter much.
The simplest method for decreasing the noise that comes from your window is using sealants. Much like the door, the windows also have plenty of gaps that allow noise to come through. Therefore, they are required to be sealed for you to no longer hear the sounds from other buildings.
The same insulating foam sealant that was used for the door can be utilized for your windows as well. This method can be advantageous because you won’t be blocking any light from coming through.
- The product is 12OZBigGap Foam Sealant
- Elegant design and Smooth finish
However, if the strategy doesn’t do enough for you and you want to increase the level of resistance against sound, then a different method is available.
Even though this method may be more costly, it could offer a very effective reduction of sound from your window. With this procedure, you’ll need to acquire double-paned windows. This type of window features an extra layer of glass that makes it tougher for sound to pass through.
The double-paned window should also be installed by someone with experience due to the degree of difficulty. But, if you don’t want to go through the troubles of finding somebody to install it, then you can simply add an acrylic layer to your regular windows.
With all of these methods, you generally get the results that you pay for. However, all the strategies are still effective.
Use Soundproof Curtains to Help Soundproof Windows
6. Soundproof Curtains
With all the other soundproofing methods, you should more than likely be able to block out most of the sounds. But if you still want to take that last step in completely compressing the noise from outside your house, then you could acquire some soundproof curtains.
With the thick material used to design the soundproof curtains, they’re ideal for preventing noise. The soundproof curtains are especially good for the late nights where crickets are chirping.
- Ready Made: 2 panels per package. Each Classic Lined Curtain measures 52" wide x 84" long (Total width is 104"). The unique design of the silver grommet (1.6 inch inner diameter) creates casual elegance for your house, which makes the curtains easy to install and slide.
- Blackout Effect: The real blackout curtains on the market. Sew in black liner backing makes the drapes thick enough to completely keep out the sunlight and uv ray. The benefit is to offer you a real dark environment, bringing you a good night's sleep during the day.
The curtains also help if sound somehow gets past the window. If noise finds a way to travel through the window, it’ll be very difficult for it to get the curtains as well. And with a variety of styles and patterns to choose from, you can get the perfect curtains to pair with your furniture.
Can’t Use Any Of These Methods?
Most of the methods that I presented to you involve having to make modifications to your home. However, if you’re unable to do any of these, there are a few different procedures that you can use to decrease the noise from neighbors.
One of these procedures includes getting a white noise machine. Although it won’t necessarily suppress the noise, it’ll be able to drain it. If you don’t have a white noise machine, you can substitute a fan or heater instead.
Hopefully, you can use one of these methods and be able to decrease the number of headaches that you get from your neighbors. From experience, these strategies can work and get rid of some of the noisiness that you’re forced to endure. Good luck on your journey to peacefulness!