We have all been in a large room that makes you feel small. The room is loud and rather unpleasant to even have a conversation in. The room’s sound absorption needed to be improved and there are several ways to help this. Some of the ways are super easy to do and cost very little. Others will get into the building’s structure and tell you to insulate and do other things that will help. Installing a drop ceiling, for example, can really help with soundproofing. See what we have to say more about that with “Do soundproof ceilings work?” and find out more. We go into more detail on how to read the ratings on the ceiling tiles and understand them as well.
Let’s get started on looking for ways to help with soundproofing a large room.
Install curtains
Curtains are huge with stopping sound. They are soft and absorb the vibrations. They are not just for windows but can be put up on walls as well. If you are thinking that your room is too noisy, try putting some curtains up across the back walls for decor as well as helping with the sound. This works best if you do not have thick insulated walls. And, the thicker the curtains the better. This isn’t a huge expense and it is nothing permanent either.
Install bookshelves
If you have a lot of noise coming in from a particular wall, adding a bookshelf to that wall will help absorb the sound. Books are soft materials that can help you block out outside noise and buffer noise that is found in the room.
Use Fabric as Window Treatments
Yes, there are all kinds of fun window treatments. But, when you are working with a large room that has a lot of windows the window treatments should be something that is made of fabric. Blinds are a popular option but if some fabric could be incorporated that will help with the acoustics of the home and look amazing at the same time. Long curtains that are held up by a rod high above the window can further help dampen the acoustics in the room.
Use Rugs and Carpets
Use rugs or carpets to help further the acoustics of the room. When you are looking at making the room have better sound the object is to soften what is in the room the best you can. Adding carpets will certainly soften a hard floor and stop some of the vibrations bouncing in the room.
Avoid Framed Artwork
Artwork that is found in frames has glass, glass is a hard surface. So, instead of glass, go for a canvas instead. This can be something as simple as a canvas print. You can even have your own pictures printed on canvas as well. Besides decorating with curtains, decorating with tapestries is also an option. Or quilts are beautiful as well.
Add foam to the walls
Sometimes the room will need to have foam added to the walls. This will help absorb some of the vibrations and sounds. You can apply this foam directly to the walls or to a board and lean it up against a wall for a funky look.
Apply Acoustic ceiling panels
We talk more about “What is an acoustic panel ceiling?” But, basically, these are panels that can be used in the ceiling to help stop sound issues. These alone are not super effective as the sound is not like heat. Heat rises and sound moves in every direction from which it starts. So the walls and furniture are the most important when helping with sound issues.
Furniture
The furniture helps a lot with sound issues. Furniture is made of soft materials and stuffing that absorb sound automatically. The more furniture the better for sound reasons. And, try to avoid solid wood furniture, but soft chairs and couches are best.
Place large objects onto pads
These tips are not just for large rooms. But, commercial buildings have issues with sound as well as acoustics. Think about the malls, churches and even schools, the simple sounds of turning a page in a textbook can be really loud in the rooms that people have not considered putting some sound absorption options.
Acoustic ceiling panels South Africa are here to help with your acoustic needs. There are many options of ceiling panels to choose from and we even have spoken about this at “What is an acoustic panel ceiling?‘. We wrote about how to find things to help reduce the noise and sound in your rooms or commercial buildings. There are many ways that help with loud rooms and if you are looking to soundproof the loud room from outside noises. Sometimes what helps with the acoustics of the room also helps with keeping your room soundproof. Things such as bookshelves and felt feet can help you stay quite within your room. Other things such as putting on door sweeps can really make a difference as well.
If you have hard objects that are sitting on a hard floor, this is something that can rattle when people walk or move across the floor. Putting small felt feet on the bottoms will help with this.
Add another Layer of Drywall
Other things that help soundproof your room is putting up another layer of drywall with a substance made for helping soundproof the wall. This helps stop the walls from resonating. There are a couple of different options to choose from for the substance, however, any is better than none. This dampening substance oftentimes turns the sound waves into heat.
Better insulate the walls. If the wall’s insulation is old, this could be an issue as well. You can get foam insulation which will not require you to remove the walls. This is a relatively inexpensive way to put new insulation into the walls. And, foam is great at absorbing sound.
You can add insulation to your walls and ceiling as well as floors to help reduce what noise is penetrating into the room.
