Whether you like playing the guitar, rocking out on the drums or taking part in any other activity that can get a bit loud, sometimes your home doesn’t leave you a lot of options for enjoying that kind of pastime. Perhaps you’ve already heard from your neighbors once before or you simply would rather fend off that kind of conversation.
Fortunately, whether you have ambitions of starting a band or you just have a hobby that involves a bit of volume, there’s no reason to despair. Soundproofing your garage is an easy and effective way to keep the sound where you want it and far from those who would rather not partake.
Here are four simple tips that will soon make everyone’s ears happier.
The garage door has to be insulated
Imagine this: you’ve followed the below advice to a “t.” You’re enjoying your handiwork and shredding that guitar of yours for a crowd of one—or so you think.
If your garage door isn’t insulated, it doesn’t matter about the rest of the structure. That all-important-door is about to let every neighbor know just how good or bad you are on your preferred instrument.
Of course, having an insulated garage door is effective for more than just keeping the neighborhood happy. Our winters can be pretty brutal, but with an insulated door, your garage will stay nice and cozy. This is a perfect addition for those of you who enjoy doing some woodworking during the winter months.
This first tip will do a lot for your garage all on its own, but let’s not stop there. There are three other important tips to act on.
Don’t forget about acoustics
If you’re a musician, you probably don’t need a primer on how noise works. However, just in case, let’s quickly go over the basics:
- Sound waves travel via vibrations that act in a stream-like chain reaction
- The walls of your garage will vibrate when sound waves from your drums, cymbals, amplifier, etc. come in contact with it
- Your garage, as a whole, will either reduce or increase the transmission of this sound. In order to reduce it, your garage has to prove effective at sound absorption, which generally includes sound breakers and blockers.
Alright, let’s look at an example. Imagine the walls of your garage are covered in drywall that is a half-inch thick. This would put your STC—sound transmission class—at roughly 30. That would most likely means that the sound from inside your garage will make it to your nearby neighbors. To reduce it, then, you’d want effective absorbers, breakers or blockers that will increase the STC. No less than 5/8-inch drywall will be necessary.
Invest in the Best Sound Absorbers, Breakers and Blockers
Most contractors out there will either over- or under-insulate a garage. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though. It might mean that half your work is already done!
Let’s take a look at what materials work best for the type of STC you want in your garage.
- Absorbers – Ample insulation makes it easier for your garage to absorb sound. Loose fill usually does the job, but batting-style versions will work too. Just be sure you don’t stuff it in between your wall studs, as this will ruin the effect you want.
- Breakers – Soundproofed walls require some kind of resilient space between the wall and drywall studs. A sound recording engineer can give you the specifics. This type of channel is how you keep the vibrations from bringing sound through your studs.
- Blockers – If you really want to block noise, then you’ll need a blocker that gives you a room within your garage. Again, this is where you’ll want professional help to carry out this kind of soundproofing. Essentially, it involves a false wall that is just inside your garage’s normal wall. As long as this false wall doesn’t affect your garage door, this room-within-a-room will be great for soundproofing.
Remember the ceiling and floor
Soundproofing your garage isn’t just about the walls. You also have to appreciate the role your ceiling and floor can play. Sound will travel right through your ceiling if you don’t address it, meaning all your hard work will be for nothing.
Just like the room-within-a-room tip we mentioned above, you can do a drop-ceiling that does something very similar. Sound-deadening tiles are awesome too. If you’ve ever been to a concert hall or to a recording studio, you’ve probably seen them before.
While you are working on soundproofing the walls, ceiling and floor, pay attention to your garage door opener and especially the tracks that your door needs to open and close. The reason we bring this up here is that drop-ceilings generally don’t work very well for roll-up garage doors. Sound-deadening tiles are still on the table though.
Finally, as far as the floor goes, you’re in luck: the solution is very simple. Go buy an old rug—nothing that will break your budget and nothing you’ll want to keep clean—and toss it down over the area that your sound will be coming from. This is especially important if you plan on recording music as a concrete floor can provide unwanted noise.
Final advice
As you can see, soundproofing your garage is quite the project. However, each of the tips above will make a difference, so even if it’s something you have to take in steps, you’ll be making progress all along the way.
Any of you with a double-garage, will have a much easier time adopting the room-within-a-room approach by applying it to one half of the structure. This will also give you ample room for, you know, a car.
Return to our blog often for more tips on improving or repurposing your home’s garage.
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