When you are trying to soundproof a room, the first question you should ask is not “What material should I buy?” The first question must always be: “How is the sound actually reaching my ears?” In architectural acoustics, sound does not just travel in one way. It takes different paths depending on its source. If … Read more
This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, we may earn a commission. If you are trying to soundproof a room, you can add all the heavy drywall and mass-loaded vinyl you want. But if you don’t seal the edges, you have wasted your time and money. Acousticians have a … Read more
This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, we may earn a commission. I cannot sleep without a breeze. But I also cannot sleep with a rhythmic click-click-click above my head. Most cheap ceiling fans are noisy for two reasons: The Motor: Cheap AC motors have a constant 60 Hz … Read more
This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a commission. I enjoy a long, hot shower. What I do not enjoy is the roar of a cheap builder-grade exhaust fan rattling above my head. Most standard fans run at about 4.0 Sones. That is roughly the volume … Read more
This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a commission. If you have a bedroom above your garage, you know the sound. Someone comes home late, hits the button, and the entire floor shakes. It sounds like a roller coaster track rattling directly under your bed. That … Read more
This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, we may earn a commission. When I first treated my room, I bought a pack of cheap grey foam wedges from eBay. I stuck them to the wall. They looked terrible, smelled like chemicals, and barely made a difference. I learned that … Read more
This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, we may earn a commission. I learned this lesson the hard way: Buying a cheap rug pad is a mistake. I bought a $15 waffle-style pad from a discount store. Not only did it do zero for the noise, but it stuck … Read more
This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, we may earn a commission. You just bought a thick, fluffy rug for your hardwood floors. It looks great, but there is still a problem: when you walk across it, you can still hear the heavy thud-thud-thud of your footsteps echoing through … Read more
This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, we may earn a commission. If walls are the shield of your home, windows are the chink in the armor. You can have thick brick walls and solid doors, but if your windows are single-pane or poorly sealed, you will still hear … Read more
This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, we may earn a commission. If you live in a modern apartment or a rental home, you likely have “Hollow Core” doors. You know the type: they feel light as a feather, sound like a drum when you tap them, and block … Read more