Your home is supposed to function as an area of comfort and refuge in the busy, noisy outside world. When you sit down in your living space, you want to be free from unwanted sound, whether it comes from out of your home or inside. Flat dwellers and people who reside in old homes, especially, can’t always have the advantage of ideal sound insulation. However, there are easy actions you can take to soundproof without significant renovations.
Floor
Hardwood or laminate floors have many advantages, but one major disadvantage is that the sound or echo you create if you walk them across. Carpeted rooms are quieter, but if you would like to decrease the noise your floor produces without sacrificing the hardwood, invest in a few large, plush area rugs. The more of the floor that’s covered in soft material, the more substantial your space is. In case you have laminate floors, you may try installing a thicker, sound-dampening underlayment.
Ceiling
Individuals who reside in apartments or two-story homes know how a person walking across a space above can sound like a herd of elephants in the rooms beneath. If you have already placed rugs or additional insulation on the floor above — or requested your upstairs neighbors to do so — and the sound nevertheless is intrusive, consider acoustic ceiling tiles. These dampen sound considerably, and the broad range of styles available means you do not have to sacrifice your decor to have a quieter room.
Windows and Walls
A lot of unwanted external noise enters through windows, so if this is an issue for you, ensure that your windows are properly insulated. If redoing your windows is not in your budget, a set of heavy drapes dampens external sound. If you stretch those drapes to the floor, or even across the whole wall, you’ll have the extra plus of muffling internal noise also. As with the floor, the more tough, empty wall area that’s covered with soft material, the quieter the space. Try tapestries or other cloth art on the walls in addition to large curtains or drapes. There also are sound-deadening paints available if you would like to give your walls a quick all-over coat of sound insulation.
Furniture
A very easy way to deaden internal noise is to include more soft things for your living room. Cover your wood table with a tablecloth. Put cushions on hard chairs or replace them with upholstered ones. Drape your antique wooden rocking chair with that heirloom quilt in the cupboard. The more you fill your space using sound-absorbing materials, the less opportunities noise needs to echo.