Soundproofing is an important part of many industries, and with sound test certification commonly required in residential areas to avoid noise pollution, businesses will go to considerable lengths to ensure that their buildings are acceptably sound-dampened.
There are many different acceptable sound control tactics and materials, some of which are more common and conventional than others, such as the use of soundproofing foam, mats or blankets.
Here are some of the less conventional materials that have been used for sound dampening.
Curtains
Heavy blackout acoustic curtains are commonly used in music studios and small theatres, as the heavy material is not only aesthetically pleasing, but they are also often easy to install and provide additional benefits such as a blackout effect and thermal insulation.
Whilst it can simply be used near the window, many studios have curtains that go completely around the room space to enhance the sound-dampening effect.
Wallpaper
Another potential option is to take advantage of functional soundproof wallpapers that consist of a layer of foam that is applied to the wall, looks like brickwork and provides effective sound insulation whilst being inconspicuous and also removable if a space needs to be modified or vacated.
Bookshelves
Most people will be aware of how an empty room produces an echo due to how sounds travel through it. When people occupy a room and fill it with heavy furniture and insulating flooring, the echo is reduced significantly and in many cases eliminated entirely.
Therefore, a simple solution to reduce the travel of noise through walls is simply to rearrange the furniture in it so it rests a few centimetres away from the wall, acting as a second layer of walling.
Paint
It is possible now to buy paints that can provide soundproofing properties, primarily by using sound-absorbing fillers known as thermacels to create a layer of soundproofing.
As paint is a much thinner solution, it will never be as effective as a bespoke sound-dampening option, but it can help reduce faint background noise and help boost the effects of other soundproofing solutions.
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