Sound Proofing a Room

Lepkh on 23/02/2018 - 02:52

Hello my dudes,

I am trying to sound-proof my small bedroom (3m x 2.9m). I currently live with my parents (uni student etc.) and I only recently moved to this bedroom due to the other room being taken up by a family friend. The room is on the second floor of the house and at the end of the hallway are my brother's and parents' room. There is 1 large window (but i am not concerned with sound-insulating this) and 1 normal sized (?) door.

My activities include using skype/discord/teamspeak etc. during gaming sessions/talking with gf and i also like to set the volume up pretty high on my speakers for movies and games. My parents and brother has complained several times and I also get conscious of what i say during my calls.

I have done some research on how to sound-insulate my room (I'm only concerned with sound moving from my room to the rest of the house) and although my walls have no form of sound-insulation whatsoever, I think the biggest sound-hole or whatever you call it is my door. It seems to be hollow and i have read that density is the key to sound insulation.

I have though of doing the following:

  • Buying MLV (cheapest i've found is $125 for 4k/m^3) and some sort of PVC tape and door sweep
  • Buying wall insulation (Polyester, 60mm thick but only $35) and installing that on a wooden frame for the door + PVC tape and door sweep
  • Buying a new solid-core door ($200 ish from quick research)
  • Sound-proof curtain on my side of the room over the door frame

I'm really skeptical on MLV because frankly, it just looks so thin and I guess i need anecdotal evidence of some sort to put me at ease. Please let me know which option has the most value. I would set my budget at around $750 ish. Any other suggestions are welcome. Please go easy on me this is my first post.

Thanks

Poll Options expired

  • 0
    MLV
  • 0
    Sound proof curtain
  • 1
    New door
  • 2
    Wall insulation on seperate panels
  • 33
    Move out
Home & Garden Sound Proofing

Comments

  • daalinz on 23/02/2018 - 07:09
    +12

    Why not use a headset or wireless headphones?

    • JimmyF on 23/02/2018 - 09:36
      +1

      ^^^^^ THIS!

    • try2bhelpful on 24/02/2018 - 09:30

      That was my first thought too.

  • theHMASfriendship on 23/02/2018 - 07:10
    +2

    Move out

  • AustriaBargain on 23/02/2018 - 07:23
    +4

    You need to move out. I know people like you and you scream into your bloody microphones for hours on end. The people you are screaming at hate it too, just ask them if you're too loud and tell them to be honest with you. If your mother screamed into her sewing machine like you do for hours you'd think she was annoying and insane. You need to move out and rent a huge house where your partner won't be annoyed by you, or live alone. Or stop being an (profanity) and just talk normally regardless of how loud your headphones are.

  • bobbified on 23/02/2018 - 07:23
    +4

    small bedroom (3m x 2.9m)
    I have though of doing the following:

    By the time you're done with all that, your room is going to shrink to the size of a prison cell and feel like a room in a mental asylum!

  • Aussar on 23/02/2018 - 08:14
    -1

    You can try foam mats from Bunnings/Kmart (you can always use a tool to sand/cut shapes and curves into the foam - http://www.kmart.com.au/product/giant-eva-foam-playmat-squar…

    Also check this out - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pABvTWSxOes

  • [Deactivated] on 23/02/2018 - 08:25
    +10

    I suggest moving out.

    Love
    Dad

    • try2bhelpful on 24/02/2018 - 09:31
      +4

      I second that

      Love
      Mum

  • Euphemistic on 23/02/2018 - 08:57
    +5

    Just turn it down. You are living with others, have some respect for them.

    Insulating the door for sound is not going to do much. You would need to the complete walls where they connect with the rest of the house and include ceiling and floor (unless you are on a slab)

    It's not just increased density that stops noise. It needs to be the right density.

  • Adz81 on 23/02/2018 - 09:05
    +4

    Do everyone a favour and GTFO.

  • Roofus on 23/02/2018 - 09:08

    You could always double gyprock the walls

  • [Deactivated] on 23/02/2018 - 09:21
    -1

    Stop having loud sex.

  • Youfah Mizzum on 23/02/2018 - 09:29
    +2

    So I guess you're not moving out any time soon, hence your post. With your assumption that the door is the big leak, I suggest two solutions together.
    1. Get a solid core door.
    2. Install a really, really thick hanging curtain over the door frame which hangs right to the floor & drags a bit on the floor. Think something like velvet or blanket. Overhang the curtain about 300mm to the left , right and above.

    Don't go the foam route, it doesn't do much.

    Source: I'm a semi-pro musician and have a home studio in a room similar to yours. I have wall insulation though, and triple-gyprocked the walls. Start with the door treatment and see how you go.
    If you still need more done, invest in 13mm soundchek gyprock, rip off the skirt boards & door architraves and get a gyppie in. Don't forget the ceiling too. Then put skirtboards and door architraves back on. Not sure what to do about the ceiling cornices.

  • litoria on 23/02/2018 - 09:38

    First try:

    1) reduce the volume

    2) block air gap around door completely (and other air gaps) - Bunnings sell rolls of door seal

    3) add soft coverings to floor/wall/door/ceiling e.g try Vinnies for floor mats, wall hangings …

    If that is not enough and you try more expensive stuff beware
    structure-borne sound can be hard to reduce

  • dasher86 on 23/02/2018 - 09:53
    +4

    Egg cartons on the walls.

  • pantsparty on 23/02/2018 - 10:30
    +3

    Can't you just goto bed at night time instead of doing these loud activities? Make your phone calls and play games during the day when people aren't sleeping?

  • ShortyX on 23/02/2018 - 11:10
    +2

    Just use headphones with mic monitoring and speak quietly.

  • myusername on 23/02/2018 - 11:29
    +3

    By headphones and be more considerate to people around you

  • rover on 23/02/2018 - 14:37

    Stack telephone directories up against the walls like Hunter has in his office in Callan.

  • [Deactivated] on 23/02/2018 - 17:21

    If you closed and locked the door you can watch red tube with earphones.
    You won't need to worry about anyone coming because the door is locked.
    Problem solved.

  • Quantumcat on 24/02/2018 - 11:17
    1. Get a job instead of playing computer games (I am picturing the guy from the South Park episode about world of warcraft) and/or apply for youth allowance from centrelink
    2. Be an adult and move out into your own place

    Anything else you do is a waste of money and probably won't work

  • myusername on 24/02/2018 - 12:10
    +1

    you should have an option to be more considerate

  • ego22 on 24/02/2018 - 17:22

    teamspeak/phone, fish bowl on the head.

  • Findo on 25/02/2018 - 12:47

    Stop playing league of legends and stop that autistic screeching. What’s with gamers and their random shouting/loud one sided expressions?

    • samfisher5986 on 26/02/2018 - 12:07

      Clearly you haven't played in a competitive team game before.

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