by Ndecam
Most of us would like to live in a house which is quieter than the one we currently live in. There are rare occasions when this may not be the case – as with older people living alone in rural areas etc., or musicians searching for excellent room acoustic qualities, but on the whole it’s true.
If you’re stuck in a noisy urban environment with children, music, television, traffic noise, people coming and going etc., then you probably yearn for a more peaceful existence. And there are some easy ways you can help yourself to achieving this.
First off – understand sound waves and how they travel. Sound waves bounce off hard surfaces but are “baffled” by softer ones. So use fabrics wherever you can rather than hard surfaces. This is particularly true, for example, with floor coverings. In these days where wooden and laminated floors are so popular, people often forget just how much carpet helps deaden noise (the thicker the better in this regard). Similarly, wallpaper has become progressively less fashionable over the last couple of decades, but it also helps quieten nose. The thicker, more fibrous wallpapers are best in this regard.
But if flock wallpaper is simply a bridge too far – how about hanging material on your walls in some way, via decorative quilts for example, tapestries, or via large, expansive and floor-length curtains? These will help kill acoustic quality which is what we’re looking for.
Doors and windows are vital too. Obviously, double-glazing is a pre-requisite if you can possibly run to it and don’t currently have it. Similarly, internal doors of good quality help kill noise. The denser the door’s layers within (not to be confused with having heavy doors by the way) the quieter the rooms will be when these doors are closed. This can make a huge difference. If you review the range of internal doors from Todd Doors, you’ll be able to find doors which are great for sound-proofing for example. Always make sure the doors fit as snugly as possible – and that they close by brushing over material (carpet) if you want to deaden the noise as much as possible.
Pictures on walls also help, particularly thicker, larger ones etc. and insulation, wherever you can fit it, has the same effect. Ask for advice when buying insulation as some insulation is specifically designed for noise-reduction.
Once you begin to understand where sound comes from and how sound waves carry, you simultaneously begin to understand how best to make your abode more silent. It’s really all about baffling noise and insulating sound with softer, thicker, more layered materials anywhere you can. If you do these things, you really will be amazed at the difference it will make. And most of these things are pretty easy to do.
If you’re really desperate due to noisy neighbours etc., then fitting a layer of polystyrene under plaster board will have a major effect. But this is very much a last resort as it cuts down your room size.