If you love playing the guitar or any musical instrument, the chances are that you want to practice at home.
The guitar, drums or most instruments can create a large amount of noise, therefore you need to ensure that you have a means of deadening the loud sound so as not to disrupt your neighbours and family’s lives.
If you have an ambition of playing musical instruments or you want to start a band, one of the best places to practice is in the garage.
Soundproofing your garage become a must. In addition, the soundproofing will help insulate the garage too, which means you can hit those drums with your top off without the fear of getting cold! Just don’t let the kids see you…
This way, you can do all your practice without interference. With a soundproof garage, you will have peace of mind. You will be able to play all your loud instruments and have your sound controlled to a manageable level.
Now, how do you go about this soundproofing exercise? Good question, and one which we will answer below. I found the soundproofpanda.com website to be really helpful for a lot of this information.
We shall discuss a few of the many ways that you can go about the exercise of soundproofing your garage. Here are 4 tips to help you get started today, so you can play tomorrow:
1. Insulate the garage door
You should start with the door of the garage.
It has to be soundproof and this can be done through insulation. Even if you were to soundproof the rest of the garage, without soundproofing the door, the sound will still be audible to the outside world.
When your garage door is insulated, it will also look cozy and nice too. You can use acoustic blankets for this purpose.
These blankets are made from fiberglass, a good sound absorption material. The door could prove to be one of the most difficult to soundproof due to the fact that it is mobile. However, with the acoustic blankets and a good tradesmen to do the job, you can be sure the problem will be sorted out.
2. Soundproof the windows
This is the best thing you should do after the door is soundproofed. The fact that glass passes more sound than the wall, your windows could be one of the biggest places that noise escapes from.
So how do you do this? You can brick the windows so that they no longer cause a problem. There is something called the acoustic plug that can be used on the windows.
Measure your window and cut the acoustic plug into suitable dimensions. Once fixed on the window, it acts as a sound absorption material. You could also buy soundproof curtains, made to measure blinds and window blankets to help ensure that extra layer of protection from the sound escaping.
3. Soundproof garage ceilings
The ceilings also need to be soundproof so that no noise escapes from the garage through this section. This is especially important when you have bedrooms built over it.
To do this, you can make ceilings out of acoustic sheets or use of panels. You can also use soundproofing panels made of foam.
These are good at absorbing the sound and reducing any echoes from the musical instruments. Acoustic sheets are another option that can work for the ceilings.
4. Soundproofing the walls
Acoustic sheets are suitable for this section, too. The sheets and the blankets come in many designs and you could use these to add some kind of ambiance and cozy look for your garage.
You can mould the sheets from the walls into the ceilings if you want to reduce the number of joins that you have in the fabric. Therefore making it much more soundproof.
This video is a good example of what’s possible with some good soundproofing in the home, but it’s equally applicable to your garage.
What about egg boxes…?
You might be wondering, like I was, about using egg boxes for soundproofing the room. You see it all the time on the TV…
Apparently this does not work according to Quora.
It’s also important to note that depending on whether you want to prevent sounds getting in or out, it might change your approach to how you go about it and what materials you use.
The reality is, you can’t make your room 100% soundproof. You will just be able to block a decent amount of noise from leaving, which should hopefully be enough to allow you to play your music without interfering with everyone else’s lives too much…
Detached Garage
Having a garage which is at the end of your garden could be another way to help reduce the impact of sound. Although most people have garages which are full of rubbish in their gardens, so you might have a big job trying to clear it all out.
