Many of us don’t like being disturbed by sounds around. While the natural sounds are quite pleasing to the ears, the sounds of neighbors and people around is quite annoying. God forbid, if the house is anyway located close to the main traffic areas, you will have to deal with honking of cars all around the day. In this post, we will talk of the ideas that can help in blocking the sounds that come in the interiors via doors, windows, floors, walls and ceilings. The main idea is to obstruct the sound waves to make sure the noises don’t disturb by any means.
(Image – Globus Cork)
Solutions for flooring: If you have hardwood and tiled flooring that is done over the concrete main floor, you have to consider options of carpets and rugs. There are unique carpets that are designed by manufacturers with the acoustical solutions in mind. You can even choose the regular carpeting for the floor with additional padding for sound absorbing. Carpeting and using rugs is the best solution when you have a budget to meet. When you are doing the flooring, you can choose cork or concrete flooring that doesn’t let sounds pass from one floor to another. There is another option of floating flooring where the upper flooring is done above the main floor with a gap, ensuring the sounds don’t get through easily.
(Image – Acoustical Solutions, Inc.)
Solutions for the walls: You may have a tough time in blocking all the sounds that come via the walls, but it is much easier to ensure that the sounds are absorbed and the impact is reduced. There are some amazing acoustic panels that are designed for the walls and can be used to absorb most of the sounds. These are generally one to half inch thick and be a good permanent solution for the problem. The best part of these panels is the fact that there are ample style choices and designs that can match the interior themes.
(Image – Acoustical Solutions, Inc.)
(Image – Homes by Tradition)
Solutions for windows and doors: For the windows, the best solution is to look for classic options like adding more panels or having a check on the frames. You need to check the gaps in the window frames and add more glasses wherever required. Also, you will find some acoustical seals that can be used for adding another airtight glass for additional sound blocking. Some owners do use more than a single pane for ensuring the outside sounds don’t bother.
As for the doors, you need to choose for solid wooden doors that can block and absorb a lot of the sounds. In case, it is impossible to get new doors, have a close at the overall door structure and check for the gaps and misses that can be filled. There are solutions for gap filling that many interior designers can offer, depending on the condition, and hence it’s better to get the doors checked.
