Sound proofing

[Joelbanks5]

What are some cheap and easy ways to sound proof a room? My room is in the garage and I hear people simply talking outside all the time and cars, dogs, and many other things as well. And I'm sure they can hear me talking as well. 

 

Another thing i want to know is how to make the sounds in my room quieter. My ac, dehumidifier, and pc can get fairly loud. 

 

Thanks

[Zoravar]

I know garages sometimes have a hefty echo, which will probably make things sounds louder than they are.   I saw this video a while back about making DIY Sound Panels, which might help reduce the apparent sound from your computer/AC/dehumidifier, by reducing any echo present.  I've never made one myself so I can't tell you how well it would work.  

The other option would be to spend some money on upgrading things like your computer's fans or possibly even liquid cooling it to make it quieter.  You could also replace your AC and dehumidifier with units that are quieter to being with. 

 

I've avoided talking about the outside noise up to this point because that's probably going to be the hardest problem to tackle and I don't really have a good solution.  I do have a couple ideas though: 

• One, you could try hanging a large, thick piece of fabric that covers the entire door opening.  But I don't think that's going to do much for the type of sound your dealing with.
• The second, possibly better idea, would be to pack the garage door opening with insulation and then close it in with plywood (essentially making a wall).  It would probably work better than a piece of fabric and has the added benefit of insulating the garage more, thus making you AC work less.  But I'm also not a construction person so I have no idea if this would be acceptable as far as building code goes, let alone the cost. 

That's the best I can come up with.  Maybe someone else who has more experience with sound or possibly a similar situation could comment better. 

 

[charles899]

Use 125 layers of bubble  wrap and duct tape 

[CuriousPlaces]

You could go with a pricier option of just buying acoustic wedges, or you can do something like hanging drapes (thick blackout usually work the best) or tapestries if you want it to no be too dark. Along with that, you could try to make sure that all doors have a solid seal to the ground. Basically any bare and hard wall should be covered by something soft. 

If white noise doesn't bother you (I kind of like it) that can help a lot. 

As far as pc noise goes, you can invest in an AIO or buy higher quality fans. 

Wish you the best of luck!

[Joelbanks5]

On 12/2/2016 at 3:19 PM, Zoravar said:

I know garages sometimes have a hefty echo, which will probably make things sounds louder than they are.   I saw this video a while back about making DIY Sound Panels, which might help reduce the apparent sound from your computer/AC/dehumidifier, by reducing any echo present.  I've never made one myself so I can't tell you how well it would work.  

The other option would be to spend some money on upgrading things like your computer's fans or possibly even liquid cooling it to make it quieter.  You could also replace your AC and dehumidifier with units that are quieter to being with. 

 

I've avoided talking about the outside noise up to this point because that's probably going to be the hardest problem to tackle and I don't really have a good solution.  I do have a couple ideas though: 

• One, you could try hanging a large, thick piece of fabric that covers the entire door opening.  But I don't think that's going to do much for the type of sound your dealing with.
• The second, possibly better idea, would be to pack the garage door opening with insulation and then close it in with plywood (essentially making a wall).  It would probably work better than a piece of fabric and has the added benefit of insulating the garage more, thus making you AC work less.  But I'm also not a construction person so I have no idea if this would be acceptable as far as building code goes, let alone the cost. 

That's the best I can come up with.  Maybe someone else who has more experience with sound or possibly a similar situation could comment better. 

 

 

On 12/2/2016 at 4:59 PM, CuriousPlaces said:

You could go with a pricier option of just buying acoustic wedges, or you can do something like hanging drapes (thick blackout usually work the best) or tapestries if you want it to no be too dark. Along with that, you could try to make sure that all doors have a solid seal to the ground. Basically any bare and hard wall should be covered by something soft. 

If white noise doesn't bother you (I kind of like it) that can help a lot. 

As far as pc noise goes, you can invest in an AIO or buy higher quality fans. 

Wish you the best of luck!

Thanks guys! I have already been saving for a water cooler in my pc for a month but am waitin to buy it with my other upgrade parts. As for the acoustic wedges that'll help with noise inside the room as far as I've researched, however there's almost nothing I can do to keep the noise from outside my room from getting in since the wall is already up. I have bought a threshold for below my door leading from the room to the garage and we will see how much that helps. Eventually I will get some acoustic wedges for the noise in my room, but that'll be at a later date. I'm not sure if I will do the drapes or not. 

 

And I will probably be replacing my dehumidifier a little after January.

 

Anyway thanks for for the answers, I well let you know how well the threshold works and if the white noise from the ac helps drown out the noise from outside. And if I do decide on getting the acoustic wedges.

[Zoravar]

16 hours ago, Joelbanks5 said:

Anyway thanks for for the answers, I well let you know how well the threshold works and if the white noise from the ac helps drown out the noise from outside. And if I do decide on getting the acoustic wedges.

 

Good luck and keep us posted.  I'm interested to hear what works and what doesn't.