The garage can be a pretty useful area of any house if you have a habit of working. Creating effective things for regular use is a great hobby and if you have such a setup with machines you need to be careful about the noise you may be producing. The noise in the garage can be disturbing for the people living nearby your house. The permanent solution is to soundproof your garage and today we are going to help you with that. We have come up with a number of techniques that can assist you in stopping the sound from the garage from getting out in any manner. Let’s have a look at all of these techniques one by one. You may also check our article on how to soundproof a basement.
Use Proper Flooring for the Garage
The surface of the garage is usually not looked upon properly because it always gets dirty so not many people like to cover it. The issue is that it could be really critical if you want to soundproof the whole area so you cannot ignore it. You have to start with purchasing soundproofing mats for the floor so you can lay them around and get rid of the sound of foot thumping or different things hitting the ground and creating weird sounds every time.
These mats are not only useful in absorbing the sound but they would also provide a grip for the people moving around. They are also extremely easy to clean because you can just pick them up and wash them. In this manner, you can also clean the floor beneath them without any kind of wear and tear. This is an extremely affordable solution and you won’t have to spend a lot of money.
Handling the Windows Properly
If you have windows in your garage you need to treat them properly in order to make the soundproofing work properly. Even if you close the windows you would notice that there are few gaps in them. These gaps can be a culprit in terms of leaking sound so you have to cover them properly. A weatherstripping tape would work best in such a situation. The tape is available easily in the market and it wouldn’t cost you much. Make sure that you cover all the gaps.
If you want to increase the effectiveness of this method you can also buy some sound-absorbing curtains for these windows. This may seem unnecessary but it would help your decision to not let any kind of sound getting out of the garage. You don’t need to buy the expensive curtains but you have to make sure that the ones you buy have the sound-absorbing quality so they can get the job done for you.
Wall Foam Panels are Effective
If you are unable to solve the problem with the above-mentioned solutions you will have to buy acoustic foam panels. These panels can be set against the walls (read our article on how to soundproof a wall cheaply) or on the floor as well. They would not only absorb the sound but would also stop the echoing that could become an additional issue in such a situation.
The panels come in different sizes and colors so you have a lot of choices. They are also made by various companies so you can use the one that produces affordable products. In addition, you have to make sure that the panels you buy have proper thickness. It matters a lot and you would notice a considerable difference in the noise once you place them inside the garage.
Using Mass Loaded Vinyl (MLV)
Mass Loaded Vinyl (MLV) is a special material that is created for sound-absorbing purposes. This is available in the form of rolls in the market and you can lay it around the garage. The material is effective in absorbing the sound and even defusing it so you would have additional assistance in this manner.
Using MLV is easy as you just need to purchase and lay it in the area. All you need is standard glue used for sticking materials to the floor or the walls and the sheets can be glued to the whole area. It may not seem aesthetically good but it would help you in soundproofing your garage in an effective way.
Installing a Dry Wall
This is the most effective way to soundproof your garage but it should only be used as a last resort. The reason being it extremely expensive and it would also require help from professionals. It is like creating another wall inside a wall so that would take a lot of time and effort. You may have to do it for all the walls in the garage so you need to think long and hard before making this decision.
Once the drywall is installed you can paint it in your favorite color just to make it look good. If you are working inside you can also try to keep the volume low or you can use music in order to defuse the noise of the machines. In this way, you wouldn’t have to go for such a drastic measure at all. Keep in mind that this should be your last option if you want to save your money along with getting rid of the noise issue.
Conclusion
The decision to soundproof the whole garage could be a time taking and expensive process. This is why we have shared a number of affordable ways to do it yourself and you should give them a try before looking for professional help. You would be astonished after knowing how much you can save just by using simple methods and making an effort yourself. All of these solutions are tried and tested by people just like you.
There is no need of having technical knowledge or plumbing knowledge to get this work done. If any of these solutions help you in solving the problem we would like to know about your experience and you can use the comments section for this purpose. You can even contact us and add some information if you want to improve our blog and we will really appreciate it.
You might also be interested in our other article: how to soundproof a semi-detached houses.
