You’re just too darn loud: Soundproof shared walls to cut the noise

Can you really call it listening to music if you can’t feel it? Or watching a movie if the volume isn’t turned waaaay up? Because an explosion needs to be heard. But for some reason, your shared-wall neighbors don’t seem to agree. We know, it’s sad. 

Does that mean you need to give up on your favorite Saturday night (and Tuesday and Wednesday night) activity? That would be really sad. Don’t worry, KSL Homes has suggestions to soundproof your apartment — and they’re even landlord friendly. Of course, you won’t be able to completely squelch the noise, but you can reduce the volume that seeps through walls.

Temporary

If you are renting a condo or apartment, you are probably limited on what you can actually do. Putting up additional sheetrock — which is one of the best solutions — is definitely going to violate the agreement to leave the place as you found it. So you’ll need options that are removable.

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Furniture

The cheapest way to soundproof? Use what you already have. Create a barrier between your shared wall and yourself with your furniture. If you have bookshelves, a dresser or an armoire, put them against that wall. For an extra buffer, place blankets or foam padding between the furniture and wall.

Wall hangings

Have a decorative quilt from grandma? Put it on display. That fancy rug you picked up from KSL Classifieds? Put it up there, too. Hang up your framed artwork and photographs. Everything on the wall hampers sound from getting through. The denser your barrier, the more effective it will be.

Rugs

Beside blocking the wall itself, you can reduce noise by getting rid of echo potential. Game night can get seriously loud with reverberating laughter. If you have hardwood, laminate or tile flooring, lay down thick rugs to prevent sound from bouncing around. Even if you have carpeting, an additional layer can help.

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Curtains

Another simple solution to soundproof your shared walls is to put up heavy curtains. Again, the thicker they are, the more sound they’ll absorb. Heavy blackout ones commonly found on a high school stage or in a sound studio work well, but they aren’t too pretty. For home purposes, try curtains made of tightly woven materials such as a basket weave or burlap. But if you like the theater ambiance, suede or velvet work well.

Insulated curtains, intended to reduce sunlight and heat loss, are effective in quieting next door conversations and other general background noise, too. Look for ones with felt or thermal lining. Also, choose curtains long enough to reach from floor to ceiling — or at least as much of the wall as possible. 

Semi-permanent

If you’ll be living in your home for a while, it may be worth investing in a more dynamic solution. Using removable adhesives or nails — with approval of your landlord, of course — you can attach panels to reduce noise. The different panels use sound absorption, which works well for medium to high frequencies, i.e. kid screaming, conversation and small dog barks. Lower frequencies — your pounding bass — will still be noticeable. 

Foam panels

Acoustic foam panels nullify sound. The sound waves are absorbed by the foam instead of bouncing back off the walls. While it will not prevent all sound from going through the shared wall, the foam can reduce the reverberations in your room. 

Panels are typically made of polyurethane or melamine and cut into individual tiles. They have a texture, such as cones or cubes, on one side. The panels come in a few different colors — usually neutral black, gray and khaki — so you can mix them up and make patterns, if you want.

Fabric panels

Acoustic fabric panels are a slightly more expensive option, but they are also more effective at reducing and absorbing sound. These panels have a solid wood frame with fabric stretched across it. Some include fiberglass, which increases the effectiveness.

Acoustic panels are designed to be used in a home or office space, so they are usually large enough to cover significant wall space. They come in many different shapes, including squares, hexagons and rectangles. Panels are a more attractive option than foam, with custom colors and even designs such as a landscape or modern art.

Ceiling tiles

If you’re living in the middle of an apartment complex, with people above you, consider adding foam ceiling tiles, too. They usually have subtle embossed patterns and blend in with most decor fairly easily. These usually require glue to adhere, though, making them permanent.

Besides absorbing sound, all the panels may also improve acoustics in the room. Thus, your music and television shows may sound better. Oh yeah.

Courtesy check

Aside from major construction, you won’t be able to completely soundproof your shared walls. But any of these options can help you reduce the noise level, both ingoing and outgoing. So even if you can’t turn up your sound system as loudly as Christopher Nolan would like, at least you’ll be a better neighbor for making an effort.

And if your neighbors aren’t as understanding as you’d like them to be, find a new place on KSL Homes.