The team at NoiseStop Systems shared with us a few tips to keep away the buzz and enjoy a pleasant and quiet time in your own home.
How to Deal with Noisy Neighbours
If you want to block the unwanted sound coming from neighbours, there are a few approaches you can take – you can talk to them, make use of the furniture in your home to block the sound and soundproof the rooms that are most affected.
1. Have a Chat with Them
Tell your neighbours you can hear them. Sound propagates differently and just because you can hear them, it’s not necessary that they hear you, as well. So, they might not even be aware that you can hear them that easily.
2. Use Furniture to Block Sound
There’s another reason why people had large bookcases in their homes a few decades ago, besides the obvious one. A bookcase installed on the joint wall will absorb airborne sound – no more TV noise thanks to books! If the issue is with structure-borne sound, then you may want to install a heavier bookcase, that can absorb the shock of the impact.
Flower pots, sofas, even hanged paintings can help with this problem, especially if the noise levels are low or low to medium.
3. Soundproof the Room
If the first two options didn’t entirely solve the problem, you may want to turn to soundproof solutions. At this point, it’s important to soundproof the entire room and not just the shared wall. Because sound can leak, you may end up with the same problem if you don’t insulate all the walls.
Simply put, this solution implies thickening the walls or ceiling in order to create a barrier that absorbs or redistributes sounds. Even though you’ll lose a few cms of the functional room space, it will be hardly noticeable.
What to Know Before Soundproofing
Usually, the problem with noisy neighbours stands is airborne sound – the conversations you overhear. While soundproofing is the best option to keep all the unwanted sound away, it’s also one of the most expensive solutions.
Soundproofing is especially recommended when the discomfort levels are too high.
If you decided this is the best solution, determine whether your problem is airborne or structure-borne sound, to find the best-suited products for your need. Acoustic foam can work wonders for airborne sound, but it may look unappealing to some, and it isn’t effective against structure-borne sound.
Last, but not least, keep in mind is the flanking noise that enters through windows and through or under doors. These, too, should be well insulated, even if they are not shared with the noisy neighbours.