Noise insulation between thin dividing walls
by
Jane
+14
Noisy neighbors making life hell. I've tried putting acoustic rubber, topped with polystyrene boards topped with cork tiles on my bedroom wall but sadly there has been very little difference. Desperate, can anyone help?
17 answers
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Have you tried politely asking them for quiet after 9 pm? They may not know they are disturbing you.
Darla
on Jan 25, 2015
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I had neighbors like that. They were very noisy, but good hearted. I think they tried to be quiet, but their embullience overcame their kindness. Home Depot/Lowes has sound buffering materials: http://www.homedepot.com/p/SilveRboard-1-in-x-48-in-x-108-in-R-5-0-Radiant-Acoustic-Tongue-and-Groove-STC19-Wall-Sheathing-SB12A1000STG/204399268 I am sure their staff could tell you how much you need to block them noisy neighbors!
Susan E
on Jan 25, 2015
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Could the sounds be traveling thru a shared air vent?
Boyd
on Jan 25, 2015
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Insulation boards will act as a sound barrier and solves your heating problems (if any). Just ask them to keep the noise down after a certain time.
Vetinia gorman
on Jan 26, 2015
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Do you run a fan at night? The sound of the fan will mask background noises, that's how we deal with our neighbor's barking dogs.
Bobbi Perreault
on Jan 26, 2015
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A hedge or shrubbery will absorb some sound keeping it down a bit but that would take time to grow. Vegetation (plants, flower bushes, trees etc) will absorb sound really well and the more you have the better it is. Notice how subdivisions close to busy highways use plantings and walls to keep the sound down for the home owners. If it is one wall in the house, putting up bubbly wrap under or over a wall will buffer the noise and be cheap to do. Put it over windows as windows will let in a lot of sound. It is a great weather installation to keep out cold/heat to. In home recording studios we put up sound board on the walls to absorb some of the sound so it might keep sound out to.
Janet Manger
on Jan 26, 2015
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I have never tried it but there are paints that are supposed to deaden noise! Perhaps you can research that option!
Holly Smith
on Jan 26, 2015
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We have a townhouse that we rent and the TV was backed up to the head of the bed in our master bedroom. The people living on the other side of the wall did not work, so they stayed up all night with the TV on. To remedy this, we build an additional stud wall, with regular insulation and insulation board, covered with sheetrock. None of the study touched the original wall. If they touch, like if you just nail them in up against the original wall, this will not work. Sound carried through wood. We had to set out receptacles and other things to the "new wall", but it worked beautifully. I sure wish I would have done this when my daughter lived there during college and the guy with the techno music lived on the other side. It cost us about $1,500 to get it done. I think it was a little on the high side,but it solved the problem.
Kathy
on Jan 26, 2015
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Build another wall. For max sound dreading drywall BOTH sides with 5/8" drywall and mineral fiber insulation batts. I also talk to them.
Al
on Jan 26, 2015
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If you have ever noticed, the inside of a sound proof room, such as a radio broadcast room, is insulated from sound with sound deadening acoustic ceiling tiles. The concerned wall would be stripped with 1" x 2" boards to attach the tile to. This besides supplying a base for the tiles, adds a layer of dead air space, another sound deadening factor.
William Tillis
on Jan 26, 2015
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I don't happen to have $1500.00 bucks to throw away!
Cynthia Burns-Mitchell
on Jan 26, 2015
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My brother-in-law has a "man cave" that he mostly uses to listen to his extensive vinyl record collection. He put carpet on the floor, walls and ceiling to keep the loud music from disturbing the rest of the house. You might put up soundproofing boards and cover them with a large decorative carpet or tapestry. Hope this helps!
Brenda Webster
on Jan 27, 2015
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Soundproofing a joint wall is difficult at best. You can do as Al from Hobart, IN suggested that really works. Adding another layer of sheetrock is the cheapest solution. You could also build a facade wall as in using studs, insulation etc. That would help a little bit more. Actual sound proof rooms, as in sound studios are built completely independent inside the building they are constructed in and are VERY expensive. Also, as suggested check to see if any vent ducts are shared. Remember that sound travels through almost all things, especially the lower or bass frequencies, including your body, and without separating your wall completely you are kind of stuck with their noise. I guess the suggestion of asking them to hold it down is the best hopeful avenue. Been there, don't have a t-shirt and glad I moved. Good luck.
Don
on Jan 28, 2015
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Oh, forgot the real acoustic paints do work to some degree but, again not cheap.
Don
on Jan 28, 2015
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Box fans give out lots of white noise and drown out everything! We live by train tracks and box fans drown out the trains!
Kris LaFavers Johnston
on Jan 29, 2015
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Enlist the help of your landlord.
Janice
on Jan 31, 2015
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This will require cooperation by tenants who may all have the same problem due to thin walls. Ask Home Depot expert, who can possibly talk to your tenant assn and landlord. Ask your County landlord/tenant group if they have solutions. Putting a hole into each stud cavity and blowing in insulation may help some. Foam eggcrate mattresses are cheap and could be hung and then disguised. You could give up a foot of your space and create an attractive shelving unit over the entire wall with doors, backed by foam, wallboard, etc., that will use foam and airlock as insulation. Get permission from your landlord if this would be attached to wall studs. It would not need to be expensive; you could make it a DIY project using pallets, but the more wood you use, the sturdier and more effective as a sound barrier. Also, dishwashers have fiberglass wrap as sound insulation; that helps some, so maybe that would work on your wall. Another solution is to create a floor to ceiling closet on that wall - hanging clothing, blankets, etc., would muffle the sound and would give you a lot of extra storage (who doesn't need that!). Also, sound waves "bounce" around, so anything on your ceiling (faux dropped ceiling tiles) would eat up sound waves. You can add drapery anywhere. Have an extra rug. If the sound coming from the neighbors is a low-decibel booming noise, that's really a tough one; there may be noise ordinances - check them out and give a copy to your landlord. And another thing - maybe your neighbor needs a new pair of stereo headphones - check Craigslist or other freebies and present them with a gift. If they are just "yelling", don't underestimate the power of a fruit basket!! (I have a terrible neighbor next door; though not an apartment, we have issues to work out). So I'm very understanding of your problem.
Mary knight
on Oct 17, 2015
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