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March 12, 2005
Wall of Sound.
dear apartmentalist,
i just moved in to a new apartment that i am sharing with an old work friend. the layout of our apartment is such that there is one common wall between our rooms, and a thin one at that. there is also a door on that wall that stays shut, but is very uninsulated. my question is: is there a good way to make an attractive insulator to to help with the noise between the two rooms?
thanks for any advice.
—eric
Hi Eric,
It's hard to say without seeing the space, but my initial response is to be sure to get an area rug, as that will absorb a lot of sound and prevent it from traveling through the wall. Can the room fit a small upholstered chair or bench? The more soft surfaces you have in the space, the better it will prevent sound from bouncing off the walls and floors and escaping. Think of other ways to absorb sound on that shared wall... Can it be padded and covered with fabric-as-wallpaper without causing a fire hazard? Can you hang a painted canvas? Can you place other furniture along that wall to add additional noise-barriers?
If the always-closed door is thin, I would cover that space or fill it with furniture or some sort of soft art. I've heard of people building shelves in permanently-closed door frames. This is great if the frame is deep enough to hold shelves at least 4" or 5" deep. Simple brackets on either side of the frame will hold nicely.
If you don't mind the clutter, you could also use over-the-door hooks and hang your coats and jackets on your side to catch some sound.
But then you have the additional concern of blocking out your roommate's noise. To that end, white noise CDs and machines are fantastic, and can be found rather inexpensively here, here, and here. If you're able to splurge, I really like the look of this.
Good luck with the new place, and thanks for reading.
Ask Apartmentalist is a weekly advice column. It'll appear here every Friday (or late Saturday, as was the case this week). Do you have a question about crafts, decorating, or your living space? Email Lara@apartmentalist.com.
Posted by Lara at March 12, 2005 10:32 PM
Comments
in the "small space" issue of readymade magazine (jan/feb 2005 issue, www.readymade.com), there is a step-by-step guide to building a soundproof wall with styrofoam board.
Posted by: anna at March 13, 2005 02:39 AM
wow, so many great suggestions. i think i am going to try my hand at building shelves in the frame and filling it with books. i also like the rug idea. turns out this weekend my roomate hung clothes hooks on her side of the door, so maybe between our efforts we'll find a solution. thanks again, eric
Posted by: Eric at March 14, 2005 03:37 PM
Thanks for all the information! Great site!
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