The Handyman Advice – 8 Tips to Reduce Noise in Your Home
Your home should be a place of refuge and comfort. Most of us forget about how our house sounds. Here are some great tips from our guest blogger Dmitri Kara, with ways to tackle one of the most common household problems – noise
If you live in a bustling city, you know loud sirens, honking horns, airplanes flying over or the subway rumbling beneath are part of the deal. But even the quietest areas are not completely safe from noise disturbance, be it from the inside or outside. So, if you’re dealing with a noisy home, a few occasional domestic repairs and minor renovations can help you make your home a soundproof heaven. Forget about the hustle and bustle of a city encompasses via three simple approaches:
- reducing noise transmission from the outside;
- reducing the noise that your household generates;
- using sound-absorbing materials to lessen the effects of noise that you do generate;
Decorate with Curtains and Rugs
Adding a runner to the kitchen work area is a great way to have beautiful wood floors while keeping noise at bay, here in Kroiss Development’s Artisan kitchen.
In an empty room, you can even hear silence, let alone noise. In order to avoid the annoying echo which makes the room seem cold, decorate with window treatments. Heavy drapes and curtains will stop noise at the walls and cleaning friendly upholstered furniture and rugs are great for absorbing the noise generated within.
The key to reducing inside noise is the floor, so consider flooring which will absorb the sound of shoes and pitter-patter of feet. Some of your options are wall-to-wall carpets, cork flooring, and area rugs. If you have an echo-inducing open-plan and often find yourself whispering so that your words don’t go bouncing off the surfaces, ask a handyman for acoustical ceilings. They will make any large space more intimate without the nuisance of echoing.
Add Insulation and Drywall
If you’re renovating, now is the best time to act against noise. Place insulation and a layer or two of drywall to take the volume of your daily routine a notch down. Professional handymen advise people living in noise polluted area to install an acoustical drywall, as they can reduce sound transmission by 25 to 40 percent compared to a wall built with standard drywall!
Try Sound-Dampening Underlays
Even if you have adopted a no-shoe policy, you might still find yourself tip-toeing around like a thief just because your floors are eager to make every step of yours audible. One way of shutting them up is by installing a sound-dampening underlay. These dense sheets are great for limiting the noise transmission from the floor, as they cover the entire floor underneath the top layer of flooring and are available for all kinds of floors. Depending on the type and material of your floor, a professional handyman could help you choose and install the most suitable type that will absorb noise effectively.
Weatherstrip Windows
If your cats and dogs are often staring blankly and pointing their ears anxiously, don’t call ghostbusters yet. They’re probably just sensing the draught from windows. Even if you can’t hear a whooshing sound, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t some air and noise making their way into your home through the windows. You know how important it is to weatherstrip windows to reduce heat loss and prevent water from coming in, but if you weatherstrip all points where sashes meet jambs, headers, and sills you will also notice the amount of noise coming from outside has been reduced as well. Don’t forget to fill any tiny gaps and moldings with an acoustical caulk sealant.
Install Sound-Blocking Doors
What’s great about installing doors is that you can do it whether you’re renovating or not. You won’t have to deal with the mess of installing wall insulation or floor underlay, and you will still be blocking noise from entering through the largest opening in your walls. Solid-wood doors surely cost more than the typical interior doors which are of hollow core construction but this investment will pay off over time, providing you with privacy and comfort. They act as a sound barrier and are available in a variety of styles to match your interior.
Weatherstrip Interior Doors
Even if you install a solid door, keep in mind that noise will still make its way around the door if you don’t install weatherstripping or door soundproofing. To seal gaps around the door, use adhesive-backed high-density foam tape, rubber bulb seals, gaskets or bulb seal weatherstripping. According to professional handymen, installing a solid door and weatherstripping the perimeter around it benefit greatly your sound reduction index.
Apply Duct Wrap
Now, while you can’t influence the physical laws of running water, you can reduce the noise it makes in your plumbing. Plumbing can generate a considerable amount of noise an not just in old houses. Why go with the flow, when you can easily cut the noises coming from your pipes by half with a bit of insulation. And you’d be surprised how much difference a simple solution like duct wrap makes in minimizing the whoosh of air rushing through ducts.
Cut Down on Noisemakers
And by noisemakers, we don’t mean your children or pets. Stomping little feet and thumping tails are inevitable. What you need to consider is the working order of your appliances. If you’re buying new ones, you’ll know that one of the features manufacturers are constantly working on improving is sound production. A loud air conditioner or kitchen appliance can be one of the most serious sources of noise in a household. If you’re not replacing, make sure your old appliances are properly functioning. If you hear vibrations, rattling, or buzzing, or anything else which seems unusually loud, have a repairman over to fix it for you.
Dmitri Kara is a writer and contributor to Fantastic Handyman