Soundproofing on a Budget

In the past, soundproofing on a budget meant stapling empty egg crates to the walls and hanging blankets from the ceiling. However, times have changed. Today, if you need to soundproof your home, office, or an outdoor area, there are plenty of available materials from which to choose an affordable solution. The materials you use will depend on the type of room you will be soundproofing and what level of noise reduction you require. In this post, we’ll go over some simple tips for soundproofing any room on a budget.

When it comes to soundproofing, it’s important to start with the “low hanging fruit.” This means sealing all windows and doors first. While these will be your main sources of sound transmission, they can be remedied quickly and affordably. Our SoundAway window plugs can be cut to fit into any size window for the ultimate in soundproofing. These window plugs are made of a dense, closed cell foam specifically designed to block and absorb sound. We also have the most durable and reliable door seals for doors of all sizes.

If noise from above is a problem, try installing carpet with a thick padding in your upstairs rooms. In many cases, this will be enough to eliminate the excess footfall noise. If the level of noise reduction is not sufficient, you may need to isolate the ceiling with Sound Isolation Clips and Drywall Furring Hat Channels.

Floors are the final item in our soundproofing on a budget list and may be the most important. It’s best to install an acoustic underlay to prevent reverberations off tile, wood and other types of flooring. We have soundproofing materials for all types of flooring specifically designed to reduce noise associated with walking and other sounds. Whether you need an acoustic floor underlay for carpet, tile, stone, or wood, we have the most reliable materials available with great prices.

These are just a few tips for soundproofing on a budget. Remembering to take these small, preliminary steps can help you save time, money, and a world of effort. At SoundAway, we have everything you need to soundproof rooms of any size with the best materials on the market and the expert knowledge to help you find exactly what you need.

What are your best soundproofing tips and ideas? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below! 

A Brief History of Soundproofing

There are quite a few modern inventions that it would be difficult to imagine life without. Your TV, your mobile phone, and yes, even sliced bread are all fairly recent developments in global technological timelines. One other technological advance of the past that is often overlooked is soundproofing. While we may not always notice the effects of soundproofing, we would definitely live in a much louder and less productive world without it. Therefore, we’ve put together a brief history of soundproofing as a reminder of just how far things have come.

Humans didn’t begin attempting to tame sound until around the middle of the last century. Somehow, we were able to build planes and rockets that could go faster than the speed of sound, but we couldn’t figure out how to control or maintain soundwaves. That is, until we started using the simplest foam prototypes to pad rooms to deaden sound within the room. However, people quickly realized that the silence created by the foam padding inside the room didn’t do much to deaden the sound coming from outside the room.

After realizing that outside noise simply became more apparent when deadening the inside noise, people started implementing materials including sheet lead which could completely block outside sound (as well as radiation) from getting into an enclosed space. However, the amount of lead required to produce this soundproofing capability proved to be more expensive than it was worth.

From this point on, if the average individual wanted to sound proof a room, they didn’t have many professional options. Of course, the popular shag carpet walls became a popular aesthetic choice in the 70s both for their appearance as well as their ability (albeit limited) to provide some soundproofing for a room. Other people got creative by using egg cartons, beanbags, or the traditional foam padding as a way to soundproof rooms.

Thankfully, in the 21^st century, the price of soundproofing has finally been able to keep pace with the technology, allowing for affordable soundproofing solutions that actually work on even the most conservative budget.

As you can see, soundproofing technology has not always been as affordable or efficient as it is now. It took a while for the soundproofing technology available to professionals to make its way into the homes of average consumers without costing a fortune. With current technology, soundproofing both works better than it used to as well as looks better than previous versions of this technology. No longer do you have to deal with bulky, unsightly foam or heavy paneling around your home or office. Regardless of what soundproofing solution you choose, we hope that SoundAway can be your go-to solution for all of your acoustic needs.