Home Improvement DIY

These days you can use a basement for all sorts of different things.  People are now using their basements for listening to music, playing loud musical instruments and home theaters.  So if this sounds like you you will be wanting to find out how you can adequately soundproof your basements so you don’t end up with complaints from the rest of your family and also your neighbors.

When you begin to research the topic of soundproofing you will quickly realize just how many different methods there are.  Plus they can vary enormously in terms of cost, ease of installation plus also the amount of space they take up.

One method involves using a product known as Mass Loaded Vinyl (MLV).  They are effectively just heavy sheets of vynil that can greatly reduce the level of sounds being transferred.  MLV can be used on the ceiling, floor and also the walls.  It’s very popular for those who are into DIY because it’s very easy to work with.  You simply cut it to size and use staples or adhesive to stick it in place.  There are also sheets of foam-backed MLV that can be used as carpet underlay.  Now you need to realize that there are two different types of noise transfer and these are airborne sound and impact noise.  Airborne sound normally comes from music being played or loud shouting.  Whereas impact noise comes from people walking about or things falling.  MLV will help with airborne sound rather than impact noise.  However the foam-backed MLV as carpet underlay can help with preventing the sound of footfall traveling.

If you are in the basement and can hear people walking about then you can have carpeting installed in the upstairs room if it isn’t already installed.  This can really help dampen the sounds of footsteps.  However if you don’t want carpeting you should think about buying rugs or having MLV installed underneath the wooden floors if that’s what you have.  Floorboards should also have any gaps filled in with caulk.

You can also use what’s known as resilient channels which are just metal strips that keep the walls and ceiling away from the framing.  This gap can truly assist with soundproofing.  However it’s not exactly a straight forward solution and if it’s not done correctly it might not have any positive impact.  Therefore it’s perhaps better left to the professionals.

If you have windows in your basement then you could have them soundproofed too.  You can have any gaps around the window caulked which is pretty simply yet effective.  If you don’t need your windows for daylight, you can cover them up with a window plug.  There’s also a special acoustical noise-dampening plastic film that can be used over the window glass.

Install soundproof windows over your basement windows. Since your windows are the thinnest part of your basement wall, adding another layer of windows on top of them is one of the best things you can do to sound proof.

 

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