Soundproofing Your Home Office
Have you ever thought of soundproofing your home office? Well, now might be the time to consider it.
The Coronavirus pandemic has forced us all to work from home. Governments from around the world are enforcing lockdowns. This means that it does not matter if you have local or international clients. Nobody can take international flights for meetings, and it is unwise to have local face-to-face meetings as well.
Your home is now your workplace too. This is both exciting and worrisome. Exciting, because you no longer need to take a shower and can simply work in your PJs. Worrisome, because there are distractions everywhere. Your child may want to play with you, your partner may want to sweet-talk you, and your upstairs neighbour might decide that this is the best time to take YouTube tutorials for tap-dancing.
Regain focus and boost your productivity—below, we walk you through seven steps to soundproofing your home office.
Tips to soundproofing your home office
1. Seal Holes in the Walls
A large wall is a great sound blocker, but it’s useless if there are any holes in it. Inspect the walls and ceilings of your home office, and if you find any perforations, fill them in with sound-absorbing materials such as fibreglass batt insulation.
2. Install a Solid Core Door
Solid core doors are much better sound absorbers that hollow core doors. If you want to ensure that no sound enters through your door, install a solid core door, and add vinyl weatherstripping and a bottom sweep and threshold seal.
3. Caulk Spaces in Your Drywall
Look out for cracks and crevices on your drywall around electrical boxes and ductwork, and caulk these openings to prevent noise from entering your work sanctuary.
4. Add a Layer of Acoustic Board
If you have the stamina for a bigger soundproofing project that may involve moving electrical boxes or reinstalling baseboards, you can glue a layer of acoustic board, and then another layer of drywall over your existing interior walls for added defence against noise from outside.
5. Soundproof Your Ceiling
If the noise is coming from above, nail 1×2-inch furring strips over three-quarter-inch rigid insulation on your ceiling. This will be a big job, as you will then need to tape, sand, and paint your ceiling after.
6. Soundproof Your Floor
If the noise is coming from below, lay an acoustic board on top of the floor, and ideally cover it with carpeting, which provides additional sound absorption.
7. Soundproof Your Windows
If you’re on a budget, install soundproof curtains. If you want to invest in even stronger soundproofing, install double-pane windows that can help block out noise from the street.
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