JOIN USThe honking of vehicles, vendors’ cries, chatter of passers-by…Urban living is a noisy mess today. In such a scenario, how does one insulate one’s home from the noise around? It depends on the kind of home you live in. Open-floor plans are gaining popularity today for their spacious feel. But, they also bring with them the disadvantage of allowing noise inside. So also with apartments, rowhouses or townhouses. The best specimen of a noise-free haven is the penthouse. These plush dwellings on high-rise buildings provide an escape from the congestion, pollution and racket below!
The kind of locality your house is located in also counts. Experts recommend that at least a quarter of your space should have absorbent material like carpeting, furniture and draperies. Carpeting the upstairs floors hinders the seeping of noise through the ceiling. Entrance ways multiply your noise problems. Ensure that door openings in hallways aren’t placed exactly opposite each other. Keep the doors of the rooms closed to prevent sound from travelling from one room to another. Huge rooms also guarantee that sound fades out after travelling some distance. Increasing the thickness of your walls, building double walls separated by an air gap, opting for thick stone walls and adding insulation to the walls also contribute to reduced noise flow.
Seal gaps under and around doors and opt for double-paned vinyl windows to keep noise out. Install indoor water features like waterfalls or fountains. Also, try lining the walls with book shelves to absorb at least some of the sounds entering from outside. Then, there is the option of a false ceiling. It consists of tiles/panels fitted into a framework of metal tracks suspended from the main ceiling. Its acoustic properties have made it the favourite ceiling choice for recording studios, conference halls, auditoriums and hotels.
Absorptive surfaces for the home theatre room’s front part (carpeting, acoustic-wall-panelling, curtains, sofas, cushions) and reflective surfaces for the rear (wooden or ceramic-tile flooring, gypsum-partitioning, concrete-ceiling) is the norm. The ceiling surface should be hard and painted black. Eliminate noise transmission to and from outside the room. Isolate the inside walls, ceiling and floor from the rest of the house. Soundproof the doors and windows first. Ensure your meditation room/corner incorporates enough techniques to provide peace.