With summer here, we wanted to share some helpful ideas on how to soundproof your apartment.
1. Weatherproof your front door. It’s a well-known fact that sound can travel, and in order to protect your at home conversations and noisy family get togethers, we recommend sealing up any air gaps that may be around your front door. Sound travels on air, and any gap you can see light through will also let sound in or out. If you have a large gap under your apartment door, add a door sweep. Use a commercial-grade sweep with a thick rubber strip that seals against the threshold. This will also help to keep out bugs, dust and drafts as well as noise.
2. Add carpets, rugs, and furniture to hardwood floors, walls, and ceilings. The more “furnished” your apartment is, the less space noise has to travel. You may need to reposition your furniture to help create a noise barrier helping sound to become absorbed instead of an echo.
3. Pad your carpets or rugs with a thick pad. You probably already know that nothing muffles sounds in a high traffic area like carpet. So, if you have hard floors, it makes sense to throw down a thick rug – but here’s a side tip: slipping a density rug pad underneath it will give it extra padding and extra sound proofing results.
4. Muffle sound with a Bookcase. Adding a buffet, bookcase, or even a grandfather clock will help to absorb sound in large and small spaces. The more wall furnishings you can add will help to mitigate the noise coming from outside and inside. If you can find ceiling to floor bookcases or wall furnishings, fit them in snuggly and avoid air gaps to seal in and block out the extra sound.
5. Consider Acoustic Panels. Acoustic panels are available as boards or fabrics that you hang on walls. While most types are designed to stop noise from bouncing off hard surfaces, others are very effective at blocking racket from entering through a door or window. You can find these on Amazon.
6. Install soundproof curtains. Heavy-duty soundproofing window dressings help prevent outside noises, from ruining your beauty sleep, especially if you like to sleep with your window open. An acoustic curtain for an average size window can weight 15 pounds and lies flat against the wall or window trim to block out sound.
Sound proofing your apartment can help with the noise of busy traffic going by, loud neighbors, and extra vibrations.
