Which fabric works best for soundproofing walls?

Hi, I’ve got another soundproofing query.  Since I live in a rental apt with no soundproofing – even my landlord eventually owned up to this obvious fact – I want to know which fabrics work best to soundproof walls.  Given that I cannot make any changes, i.e. add another wall or ceiling, I need low cost, effective and temporary solutions so I can survive here for the remainder of my lease.  (I prefer not to break my lease for various reasons.)  I already have at least one wall covered with boxes of books and bookshelves, but unfortunately, I have a lot of walls.  I read that hanging fabric or curtains can help minimize the sounds from other apartments, but apart from that I don’t know if any particular thick fabric works best. Any advice before I go curtain/fabric shopping for the remaining walls?

lulumoolah

in Soundproofing 13 years and 5 months ago

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maryryan586 | 6 years and 8 months ago

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The noise is a problem but we can solve it by using [noise barrier](https://www.noisebarriertarp.com/noise-barrier/) which is working very nice and I use this in my room and get quiet to use it.

wgejcmpy | 8 years and 5 months ago

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in such a situation , best solution is to have a temporary sound proof wall, but for effective sound proof it is better to go for layer by layer tempory wall, or curtain for example, i recomment to go through this article http://www.soundbarrierfence.com/Sound-Barrier-Insulation.html and http://www.soundbarrierfence.com/Sound-Proof-Fencing-Introduction.html
look how 4 layer sound reduction is used to make a sound proof fence. and better part is its easy to remove and transport. i hope it is helpful for all

parallux | 11 years and 3 months ago

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Velour will definitely dampen the sound, and Mass-Loaded Vinyl will block most of it out. Here’s a product that combines the two for residential soundproof curtains. http://residential-acoustics.com/product/acousticurtain/ There are some really good industrial ones out on the market too.

needmtg | 13 years and 5 months ago

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And I think the reason eggcrates and rugs don’t help is that it’s a cheap attempt at mass-loading the wall, but you need a lot of mass and no gaps (a monolithic layer) for that to work.  I can see why egg crates might help to baffle sound going out, because they will disperse the waves to some extent.

needmtg | 13 years and 5 months ago

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Don’t know if it’s practical, but how about  heavy curtains (velvet?) hung ceiling-to-floor about 6″ in front of the wall? Tha air gap will help. The curtains need to be tight against all four surfaces…ceiling, floor and side walls. If you use panels, overlapping them a foot or so would be ok

lulumoolah | 13 years and 5 months ago

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Sorry, forgot to add about the egg carton/crate suggestion – I’ve read that it doesn’t work very well at soundblocking. I know someone who used it for soundproofing and said it worked to an extent, but even he couldn’t vouch for it’s soundblocking ability.  Can someone who’ve used it for soundblocking vouch for its effectiveness?

lulumoolah | 13 years and 5 months ago

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Hmm… I also heard that egg crates like curtains worked but it was more to prevent sound from escaping one’s space rather than preventing sound from entering.  I spoke to someone at the Guitar Center who handles soundproofing, but he was of no help.  He said that he only knew how to minimize or prevent noise from my space and not how to limit noise from other apartments into mine.  I found his answer insufficient and underwhelming not to mention puzzling.

Takeashi | 13 years and 5 months ago

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depending upon budget, you can do the following to minimize noise transfer – 1) popular in the 80’s cardboard egg crates, the texture prevents most sound from transferring. 2) Foam company selling a variant to the above design can absorb more sound due to texture 3) Professional sound companies like auralex sell more professional yet affordable options as well. Fabric is limited due to texture and well it’s design so if you’re looking to reduce noise, this would be best option. add a curtain if necessary to maintain aesthetics but the crate design can be an art piece by itself. Youtube it for some inspirations.

lulumoolah | 13 years and 5 months ago

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I’ve already caulked all the windows and I borrowed a friend’s white noise machine which she swore by.  Neither worked.  I’ve been told by one sound specialist that the reason why neither worked was because it was a structural issue and I would basically have to open up the walls (not possible in a rental) and soundproof or just move.  I’ve done the research and I’ve concluded that there’s squat in terms of practical help for a rental w/ no ability to make major renovations.  I was just hoping someone on this forum had more info.  Good to know that hanging the rugs didn’t help, though that’s an advice that appears quite frequently.

bowl-of-dicks | 13 years and 5 months ago

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also go buy yourself some white noise machines. they really work.

bowl-of-dicks | 13 years and 5 months ago

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I have one smallish wall that I share with a sometimes noisy neighbor. It was suggested that I hang up heavy fabrics on that wall to help absorb the sound transmission (also in a rental so there is not much I can do). I had three old heavyish area rugs that I hung up, layered, and they covered 90% of the wall surface. Well, they didn’t do sh!t to absorb noise. If you are trying to block low bass tones, no fabric will do that. Figure out what kind of sounds you are dealing with and research from there.

lulumoolah | 13 years and 5 months ago

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Thanks for the suggestion about the theater curtain.  I actually thought about it as an option, though now I need to find a place that supplies them for a reasonable price.  As for the walls in my apt, besides paint and very thin and ineffective plaster/sheetrock, there is definitely no other density.  A nightmare in an otherwise okay apt in a great location.

greenmountain | 13 years and 5 months ago

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Different length sound waves are blocked or reflected by different density material.  Your wall already has some layers of various densities.  I would think a thick fabric or quilting would be good sound insulation, and indeed many people ad fiberglass insulation inside of walls as insulation.  The good think about fiberglass is that it is not a fire hazard.  Alas, most fabrics you might choose burn.  I am sure this is a big problem for you, but try to resist buying fabric for it’s density alone.  The best fabric is a professional theater curtain, because all but the antique ones will be fire proof.