Ways to Soundproof a Home Office

Working from home has many benefits – you roll out of bed, grab a tea, and get to work. You don’t even have to change your clothes if you don’t want to. But, it also comes with some disadvantages that can affect your mood and productivity.For remote workers, unwanted noise is one of the biggest challenges. Whether you choose to work from home or a coffee shop, there’s rarely a thing that cuts down productivity more than noise. If you’ve set up a home office, you know that means. Luckily, the team at NoiseStop Systems shared some of their soundproofing knowledge with us. Keep on reading to find out how can you soundproof your home office and work in sound conditions.

Inside and Outside Noise

There are two types of noise

• Inside noise – it originates inside the room and reverberates, creating an echo-like effect
• Outside noise – it originates outside the room but enters the space through walls, ceiling, windows, door or air.

You’ll want to know what type of sound bothers you more before starting to work on soundproofing the room, as there are different solutions to each of them.

Dampening Inside Noise

The echo effect is probably the easiest noise problem to correct. A simple change like installing heavier curtains can help absorb more sound, reducing the reverberation.

If you’re not looking forward to changing décor in your working room, you may want to look for more professional soundproofing alternatives. The most common solution is acoustic wall foam, especially for low-to-medium noise levels. However, it can be quite unaesthetic.

A more visually pleasant solution are acoustic panels, which can absorb high levels of reflected noise. They can be installed easily and they come in different colours.

Blocking Outside Noise

Tired of hearing your noisy neighbour or the traffic on the street? In this case, the solution is to block any noise from entering the room. This implies soundproofing the entire room – the floor, the ceiling, the walls, the doors, and the windows. Does it sound extreme? Most likely, some of these items are already soundproof and you just need to upgrade the rest of them.

High-density mats are suitable for both floors and walls, acting as a barrier for outside noise. Doors and windows should also be well insulated to ensure that no flanking noise can get through the joints. Moreover, the sound is amplified by hollow-core doors. If that’s the case, you may want to consider a soundproof blanket that can be installed behind the door.

Last, but not least, don’t forget about air vents and wall cracks and holes – it’s the little things that create the biggest discomfort. Once you seal the holes and cracks, the wall can better absorb the sound coming from outside, reducing the overall noise that reaches the room.

Soundproof Home Office

Even if it might seem there’s a lot of work to soundproof your home office, you’ll be glad you did once the work is done. A quiet workspace makes you more creative, more productive and contributes to lower stress levels.