When it comes to quick and easy installation, the walls of today are miles ahead of what we used to have in our homes. Decades ago, we had walls made of plaster and wood and masonry; walls that were durable, sure enough, but also took a lot of time to build. However, today’s drywall-over-studs style lacks a lot in the sound insulation department. They are easy to install and are relatively inexpensive, but their insulating capabilities for sound are definitely paper-thin.
Why is sound insulation so important, anyway? If you have been disturbed from sleeping by noise coming from the other side of the wall, you will appreciate a soundproof environment. Soundproofing is commonly used for stopping sound from a variety of external sources from getting into a room. Whether this is for commercial or industrial purposes, or just to have a quiet space at home, a properly-soundproofed room can be a much-appreciated asset.
You might be already familiar with the importance of sound insulation in recording studios. In that particular setting, it is extremely critical to have the recording studio soundproofed to avoid a recorded session from being contaminated with outside noises. If you happen to have a home theater, you will appreciate unwanted sounds and noises being kept to a minimum so you can fully enjoy the actual dialogue or music coming from the movie or show you are watching.
Sound insulation can certainly be useful at home as well. Some people may not realize how noisy a home can be, what with all the noises coming from several sources. Imagine this scenario: people are in the kitchen preparing food, guests are talking among themselves while having dinner in the dining room, while someone is using the washing machine in the basement. All the while, you’re in your bedroom trying to get some sleep because you were up all night working on an important project. Good luck with that.
Soundproofing a room properly will depend on a few things: your budget, the level of noise you’re having problems with, the level of soundproofing you want to have, and whether the room is already built or not. Generally, it is more difficult to soundproof an existing room rather than have sound insulation installed as the room is built.
If you want a room soundproofed, the typical steps would be to insulate the walls, replacing doors, replacing electrical outlets and switches, replacing any metal HVAC ductwork with flex tubing, adding additional layers of drywall, plugging the windows, and fixing the floors. These are just to illustrate what it generally takes to fully soundproof a room. As mentioned above, it will actually depend on your needs, what your desired level of soundproofing is, and how much you can afford to spend.
To give you an idea, level 1 soundproofing will include wall insulation and replacing hollow core doors with solid core wooden doors. Level 3 soundproofing, on the other hand, will need additional layers of drywall, using glue to create a dampening layer between the drywall layers, and building plugs for any windows in the room.
Ceiling Insulation 