Soundproof home?

Question

I live in a mid terrace house on a very loud street. i have a new baby on the way so wish to try and block out the noise. i have recently decorated the house so do not wish to mess around with the interior decor. is there anyway round this? i have read about a foam that can be sprayed into the walls, would this help? can anyone suggest any ideas and a company that would do the work. Thank-you

Answer 1

The various foams tend to deaden sound *inside* the room.  You see the "egg-crate" type panels in recording studios.  It muffles echos and background noise.

It is *not* good at keeping sound inside (or outside) of the room.

In this case, you usually need to modify the wall's construction to remove "acoustic shorts" and to increase mass and isolation.  There are websites on sound control, and you'll see that they can get fairly involved.

Answer 2

You can't soundPROOF a home--the best you can hope for is to reduce sound. Your results will be roughly in line with how much you want to spend---reducing sound dramatically can be costly. The insulation you're describing is called polyisocyanurate. Here's a description:

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/...

Yes, it will reduce sound transmission through the walls but that would be an expensive way to tackle the problem. Better would be to hang heavy drapes over the windows (I know you don't want to mess with the interior but this is more cost-effective and realistic than many other approaches). Or you could replace your windows (probably not realistic in this case). At the very least, you could weatherstrip the windows. Not only would this make them more energy-efficient, but it would seal the small gaps and cracks that allow noise to creep into a room. Weatherstrip any exterior doors, too. Here's how to weatherstrip windows:

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/...

Answer 3

I would recommend not worrying about the noise. In fact, when you put the baby down for a nap, that's when you should be vacuuming the house and doing other noisy chores. Your child will thank you for this later in life.

When I was a baby, my mother made sure the house was very dark and quiet whenever I was put down for a nap. To this day, I can't sleep unless I'm absolutely exhausted in a light or noisy environment. It has to be completely dark and quiet, or else I just can't sleep.

When I was in the navy in the Philipines, a friend and I went to this bar upstairs (hardwood floor and solid wod walls) and they had a pool table. We played for about an hour when we realized that there were 3 kids (about age 3 through 5) sleeping on a shelf under the pool table. And despite the racket of the pool table above them and the jukebox in the corner, they were sleeping like - well, like babies.

When kids are tired, they'll sleep through anything. And, if you expose them to noise while sleeping at an early age, it won't bother them when they grow up.

Answer 4

Worse thing one can do is spray foam on a wall or ceiling and leave it exposed.  You don't want to place a baby or anyone in this situation.  It's an extreme fire and environmental hazard (gasing-off of chemicals).  It must be covered with at least a 1/2 inch thickness of gypsum board (drywall) to meet buiulding codes.  Instead, put something on the outside of the exterior wall to block-out exterior noise.  Do you rent ?  Better check with the landlord.

Answer 5

Check this site on soundproofing your home. http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infxt...

Answer 6

If you seriously sound-proof your home,

when there is a major disaster like earth-quake or some emergency.

You will not be able to hear due to "sound-proofed"

so it is really not advisible...............

So no escape................

Pershap Noise cancellation Headphones is better option,