It’s normal to want to be able to live in a house that is peaceful and quiet. The problem is that many homes have to deal with loud noises coming from the road or their neighbors’ houses. This can present a problem and it might turn your would-be peaceful environment into something that is far too loud. In order to fix this, it’s a good idea to consider soundproofing your home.
Soundproofing your home is a fantastic idea that can make a huge difference. The only problem with this is that it can be difficult to come up with the money that you need to take care of the project. If you’re working with a limited budget, then you might be worried whether soundproofing your home is even a practical idea. Thankfully, there are some very good cheap soundproofing materials and products that you can make use of.
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Soundproofing Materials: The Basics
Before moving forward, you should learn a little bit about the basics of soundproofing your home. How do these materials work and what are you going to need? Well, you’re going to need to understand that sound is a type of energy that travels through vibrations. Sound energy emanates from its source and causes vibrations in the air around you, and it also vibrates objects.
When you’re trying to reduce or eliminate sound, it’s important to disrupt this process using the soundproofing materials. Soundproofing materials can either block the noise from passing through a surface or absorb part of its energy, depending on what you’re using.
Sound Blocking
Adding mass to surfaces is the most effective way to stop sound from passing through surfaces. You see, something that has a lot of mass is going to block sounds physically.
That is going to reduce airborne noises such as loud voices or sounds from the television, but it won’t be as useful for stopping impact noises like the ones from footsteps.
These heavy and thick soundproofing materials are usually more expensive than other types. However, there are also some cheap options available.
Absorption
Absorption is another principle of soundproofing. You should know that sound-absorbing materials are different than normal soundproofing materials.
For instance, people use special sound-absorbing materials in order to improve the acoustics of a room. They stop the sound waves from bouncing around the room but, on the other hand, they don’t stop the noise from passing through the surface. These type of materials are essential for musicians and sound engineers who are trying to get things just right for recording in a given space.
Things such as acoustic foam work to help absorb sound, and so does placing softer types of furniture in your living spaces.
Decoupling
Decoupling isn’t really important for what I’m talking about today, but I’ll cover it briefly. This is mostly used in a professional capacity and is useful during construction. It isn’t going to work as well for your DIY project. This involves placing gaps in certain parts of a structure to decouple sound and prevent vibrations from traveling as they normally would.
It isn’t practical for this type of DIY project, but I’m mentioning it for the sake of being thorough. Just know that this is a technique that some people use when building new homes. Using decoupling principles to help with soundproofing an existing home would involve removing your walls, floor, and perhaps even the ceiling. Don’t worry about this for now.
Can You Soundproof a Room Using Cheap Materials?
Now you’re likely wondering whether or not it’s truly going to be practical to soundproof your home when you’re using cheap materials. The truth is that this could actually work out very nicely.
Even if you use cheap materials, you will still be able to get very good results. Some soundproofing materials are costly and these materials might be good for high-end soundproofing jobs. You’re still going to be able to significantly reduce the noise levels in your home without spending a lot of cash, though.
Some of the Best Cheap Soundproofing Materials to Use
I am now going to show you some of the best cheap materials to use for soundproofing your home. If you don’t have a lot of money to work with, then please don’t fret. The cheap materials on this list will be very easy for you to make use of. These won’t cost a ton of money and they’ll give you a lot of bang for your buck, so to speak.
1. Soundproof Curtains
If you want to reduce the noises that are coming into your home from the outside, then buying soundproof curtains is a very smart idea. These curtains are going to help to reduce the noise levels fairly significantly. Best of all, you’re going to be able to purchase soundproof curtains without having to break the bank. These curtains don’t cost too much money and they’ll do a good job of keeping things quieter.
One of the best options to consider for soundproof curtains will be these ones from Nicetown. They’re very cost-effective and they work nicely to keep things a bit quieter. Installing curtains such as these will be very simple and you won’t have to worry about doing anything complicated. If you want a simple solution that can reduce the noise levels in your home, then consider buying some of these.
I have a whole article dedicated to talking about soundproof curtains for you to explore. You can see what you’ll need to consider when buying soundproof curtains. There are also several other recommendations for curtain options. Take the time to read through it if you want to get the most out of soundproof curtains.
2. Acoustic Floor Underlayment
Acoustic floor underlayment (like this one) is another thing that you will want to consider. This can do a great job of reducing noises that are coming from your floor. If you really get annoyed by hearing people’s footsteps at night, then this is going to be a perfect choice. You can buy acoustic floor underlayment without having to spend a lot of money and it’ll make things a lot quieter.
Take a look at everything that you need to know about acoustic floor underlayment. This will show you many options that will work well for you. You’ll also be able to get a better idea for what installing this underlayment is going to take. This is an important thing to do when you want to eliminate noisy floors.
3. Acoustic Foam Panels
Acoustic foam panels are among the most common cheap soundproofing materials that people make use of. These panels don’t cost too much money at all and they can reduce the noise levels in your home more than you might think. This can be really good when it comes to reducing or eliminating echo from a room. You’re likely going to want to use this in conjunction with some of the other methods mentioned in this article.
You could use these foam panels in order to help soundproof an office area for yourself. If you work at home and need to be able to keep things quiet, then this is a very important part of the process. Installing foam panels is as simple as hanging them on the wall. It might not be practical to have foam panels all over your house but it can work for certain rooms where you need to reduce echo or make things a bit quieter.
4. Acoustic Fabric Panels
Some people even go so far as to create their own acoustic fabric panels. This can be a good idea when you have carpentry skills and want to keep your costs low. You could use something such as a mineral wool as your basic insulating material. This will be placed inside of a wooden frame and you can use it to soundproof a room.
This is going to be a bit more complicated than just buying some acoustic foam panels but it can be very satisfying. If you have the skills and the time to invest, then this is a good idea. Consider creating your own acoustic fabric panels if you want to keep your costs low.
5. Soundproof Wallpaper
Soundproof wallpaper is another option to think about when you want to quiet things down a bit. It makes it possible to dampen or block out certain sounds. This is going to be best for blocking out sounds that fall in the mid-range frequency category. This is a practical idea for eliminating simple noises and it can work better than you might assume it would.
Even though this wallpaper is not thick, it can make it possible to enjoy a more peaceful environment. For example, you might not be able to hear someone talking in another room if you have soundproof wallpaper installed. It can also reduce noises from other people watching TV in adjacent rooms. It’s another great, cheap soundproofing material to keep in mind.
See also: DIY Methods for Reducing Noise Through the Walls
6. Soundproof Blankets
Blankets might seem to be an odd thing to bring up during a conversation about soundproofing. You might not have considered this but you can use blankets to help soundproof your home without spending money. If you remember the topic of mass that was brought up earlier, you’ll recall that mass can help to block out sounds. The blankets can help to reduce noise levels by being placed in specific spots of your home.
In order to do this properly, you should place blankets on your walls and windows. This can block out noises that are coming in from the outside. It’s a surprisingly effective way to reduce noise levels and you won’t have to spend money if you have extra blankets at home already. This might not be the most stylish way to go about doing things but it’s a good idea.
Some people will also hang things such as fabric tapestries on their walls to get the same effect. Which route you decide to take will be up to you. If you’re on a budget and you want to quiet things down, this is a good idea. It just might clash with your décor if you don’t normally decorate with fabric on your walls.
7. Weatherstripping Kit for Soundproofing
Weatherstripping kits are perfect for helping to prevent sounds from coming through your doors and windows. The cracks by your doors and windows will allow sound to come in. This can wind up being really annoying and you’re going to want to take care of it. Thankfully, a good weatherstripping kit is going to be all that you will need to get the job done.
Basically, this involves using a type of tape to ensure that everything is as snug as it can be. It should prevent air and sound from passing through. This can even potentially save you money on your monthly energy bills. It’s going to be one of the cost-effective soundproofing tips that you should make use of first when you don’t have a lot of cash to work with.
You may also like: How to Soundproof a Door
8. Door Sweeps
Door sweeps are also worth looking into if you want to prevent outside noises from coming inside. A door sweep is something that you put on the bottom of a door. It attaches to the door and blocks out air while also blocking out noise. Many people buy these as an energy-saving measure in order to keep their air from leaking outside.
Installing door sweeps will not take a long time. You’ll be able to attach them to the door and you should notice a difference right away. It simply prevents some noises from coming inside due to there no longer being an exploitable gap for the air and noise to enter through. This is one of the first things that you should do since it can save you some cash on your monthly energy bills.
9. Carpeting
Carpeting is actually going to be very good to install when you want to get rid of unwanted noises. Of course, carpeting will make your floors significantly less noisy. It’s also going to help to absorb many other noises. Carpeting isn’t going to vibrate in the same way that wood flooring does so it doesn’t allow noises to travel as far as they normally would.
If you don’t want to install brand-new carpeting throughout your entire home, then buying some rugs will be a solid idea. You can buy several area rugs in order to help reduce noise levels. This is going to be easy to accomplish and you should enjoy the results. Also, there are many great-looking area rugs on the market so you’ll be able to find something that suits your sense of style.
See also: How to Soundproof an Apartment Floor
In Conclusion
If you make use of the cheap soundproofing materials listed above, then it’s going to be a lot easier to get the best results. You should be able to reduce the noise levels in your home while keeping as much money in your wallet as possible. There are many options for you to think about and using several of these in tandem will likely be the ideal solution. You don’t have to accept living in a noisy home when you can take steps to soundproof your house.
Consider each option carefully and don’t be afraid to read up on more information. You’ll be able to get the most out of these cost-effective soundproofing materials. Once you’ve installed everything, it’s going to be much easier to relax at home. You’ll be able to sleep easily and outside noises won’t be nearly as much of a nuisance.
