How to Soundproof a Wall Between Apartments – 10 Best Ways

by Jennifer Porterfield | Last Updated: March 21, 2021

Currently, I live in an apartment in Manhattan, New York City. I am sure when I say New York City one such thing that comes to the mind is Noise or Sound Pollution. Yeah, I used to get a ton of sound or noise from the street to my apartment. This was irritating so I started to research and find out how to soundproof a wall between apartments.

You might be wondering why soundproof wall between apartments? that’s because in an apartment there are multiple homes and I wanted to make sure that whatever research that I am doing on my home should not disturb and annoy my neighbors. So I isolated the walls in my apartment and concentrated more on how to soundproof the walls of my apartment.

So in this article, all the information that is provided will be answering the question ” how to soundproof a wall between apartments” so that you won’t disturb your neighbors. We will be discussing the 10 best ways on how to soundproof a wall between apartments. If you want to soundproof your wall in a private home then follow another soundproofing a wall guide that we wrote.

Table of Contents

• How to Soundproof a Wall Between Apartments
  • 10 Best Ways to Soundproof a Wall Between Apartments
  • 1. Fill the Empty Space in the Room with Furniture and Stack them against the Wall
  • 2. Use Mass Loaded Vinyl
  • 3. Install Acoustic Foam Mats
  • 4. Install A Layer or Two Layers of Drywall
  • 5. Paint the Walls with Soundproofing Paint
  • 6. Cover the Wall with Soundproof Curtains or Soundproof Blankets on the Wall
  • 7. Look For Possible Holes And Fix Them
  • 8. Focus On The Weak Points on the Walls
  • 9. Place White Noise Machine (Temporary Solution)
  • 10. Seal or Fill the Gaps on the Edges of the Wall
• Conclusion

How to Soundproof a Wall Between Apartments

10 Best Ways to Soundproof a Wall Between Apartments

1. Fill the Empty Space in the Room with Furniture and Stack them against the Wall
2. Use Mass Loaded Vinyl
3. Install Acoustic Foam Mats
4. Install A Layer or Two Layer of Drywall
5. Paint the Walls with Soundproofing Paint
6. Cover the Wall with Soundproof Curtains or Soundproof Blankets on the Wall
7. Look For Possible Holes And Fix Them
8. Focus On The Weak Points Of Your Apartment Walls
9. Place White Noise Machine (Temporary Solution)
10. Seal or Fill the Gaps on the Edges of the Wall

1. Fill the Empty Space in the Room with Furniture and Stack them against the Wall

You might think that I am crazy for suggesting this as the first method to soundproof a wall between apartments. But trust me it works perfectly. For this method to work you need to fill the room with furniture and also make sure you need to stack them against the wall for this method to work.

The science behind this method is that usually, the walls between apartments are pretty thin, so adding furniture like Couch, Wardrobes, closets, china cabinets or any type of cabinet or Bookshelves and many other types of furniture could work. When you stack these types of furniture against the wall you make the wall thicker and denser making it more soundproof between apartments.

One small hack to make this method more effective is that, make sure you add one more layer between the wall and the furniture. For example, add a soundproof blanket or a soundproof curtain in between the furniture and the wall. The blanket or curtain acts as a middle layer that could absorb more sound waves that are trying to pass from the furniture.

Even soundproof foam or acoustic foam can work wonder you can add them as the second layer between the furniture and the wall for more effectiveness and soundproofing the wall between apartments.

2. Use Mass Loaded Vinyl

We all know thatMass Loaded Vinylis the best soundproofing material there is in the market, then why not use it to soundproof walls between apartments. Mass Loaded Vinyl has multiple applications not only used to soundproof walls. Mass Loaded Vinyl can also be used for the thermal issues also.

These Mass Loaded Vinyl can act as a barrier on the wall which could tackle the outside thermal heat into entering the apartment through the wall. Mass Loaded Vinyl is more of a mat kind of material that is very thick and fast and is one of the best soundproofing material ever created.

You can install mass loaded vinyl directly on the wall with the adhesive that is present behind it or you can use any type of adhesive and install the mass loaded vinyl mat on the wall. These mats are not very pleasing to look at so you need to hide it or wrap it around other stuff on the apartment so that it’s not very visible to others.

Some ways to use mass loaded vinyl in the apartment are

• Install Mass Loaded Vinyl on the wall and place furniture in front of it so that it’s not so visible to other people and also acts as an extra layer.
• Install Mass Loaded Vinyl on the wall and cover or wrap it up with curtains.
• Install Mass Loaded Vinyl on the wall and cover it up with blankets.
• Install Mass Loaded Vinyl and add a Soundproof Foam on it.

If you ask me for the best Mass Loaded Vinyl to recommend for your apartment then this TMS Mass Loaded Vinyl is what I would recommend to my readers because this mass loaded vinyl helped me soundproof my wall effectively and also help with reducing the thermal temperature on the wall from outside during summer and winters.

3. Install Acoustic Foam Mats

If you are a regular reader of this blog then you would have read about times where I have mentioned acoustic foam mats. You might not know this but acoustic foam mats are not that good soundproofing material directly, that just make the room more acoustic where the sound signals bounce off the foam mats making it more tender and acoustic.

In this case, acoustic foam mats are perfect because as we had declared that apartment walls are pretty thin, so acoustic foam mats make the sound stay within the room making the apartment wall more soundproofed indirectly or directly.

Acoustic Foam mats or soundproofing foam mats as a solution to wall soundproofing between apartment are one of the best solutions because it is affordable and effective. Acoustic Foams doesn’t cost a lot so it’s affordable and at the same time acoustic foam are know to soundproof the room than most of the soundproofing material that is available.

These types of foam mats also have capabilities of reducing thermal energy from the outside wall surface. Installation of these acoustic foam mats is very easy and doesn’t require any handyman for the installation. Acoustic Foam mats are usually lightweight with more durability.

If you ask me for a recommendation for an acoustic foam mat then I would recommend this Foamily 12 Pack Acoustic Foam Panel. This foam panel comes with 12 or 24 Pack with multiple colors.

4. Install A Layer or Two Layers of Drywall

Installing a layer or two layers of drywall will directly thicken your wall which in turn absorbs or soundproof the wall between apartments. A Drywall is made up of gypsum, ceramics, and viscoelastic. But this is not my recommendation. My recommendation is two install two layers of drywall, which would increase its effectiveness and more soundproofing the apartment wall.

One disadvantage of installing drywall is that its not that easy. You definitely need a professional person to install the drywall in your apartment so make sure you hire one.

5. Paint the Walls with Soundproofing Paint

You think this is a joke, but it’s not. Soundproofing Paint does work and there is scientific evidence for it. These Soundproofing Paint or Sound Deadening paint can reduce the sound by 50% when applied in the apartment.

Soundproof or Sound Deadening paint is very thick in nature which makes the wall thicker and solid so that it could absorb all the sound in the room and not let it flow outside. The paint can also act as insulation to the apartment. Painting the apartment with soundproofing paint is quite affordable and at the same time very effective too.

The best soundproof paint or sound deadening paint is Acousti Coat – Sound Deadening Paint.

6. Cover the Wall with Soundproof Curtains or Soundproof Blankets on the Wall

This is an option that I mention in most of my articles because it works. I had already written an in-depth review of noise reducing curtains. This is an easy option and I am sure that most you already have curtains or drapes in your home, just replace them with Soundproof Curtains that we have mentioned here.

Just get the mentioned soundproof drapes that we have mentioned and place on the windows in your apartment. These soundproofing drapes will absorb the sound waves or reflect them back to the room because they are manufactured that way. There are many more methods to soundproof your windows. If you need this information on this then read this article on how to soundproof a window.

If you don’t wanna buy or utilize curtains in your apartment, then you can also buy a noise canceling blanket which is very thick. If you are asking me for a recommendation then get this Sure-Max Thick Soundproofing Blanket.Hang or attach this blanket on the wall so that the sound waves would not pass out from the thin wall.

7. Look For Possible Holes And Fix Them

This method could sound weird or even funny but its reality. There are holes on the wall which can’t be seen with the naked eye because the holes are that small in size due to the aging of the wall. Other than those minute holes there are holes that are done during the apartment construction for wires and other stuff.

These holes can easily let the sound waves to pass through it. So the one solution is to fix them. You need to fix them by sealing the holes on the wall. Also, one bonus information is to look for possible holes and cracks on your doors because that is a notorious problem. I also have information on soundproof a door so check it out.

If you are wondering how to seal the holes, then you can use this Green Glue Noiseproofing Sealant to seal the holes. This sealant work 100% and I totally recommend you to buy it and implement it.

8. Focus On The Weak Points on the Walls

I am sure you know the reason the sound passes through your wall because they are thin and in that, they are weak points on the wall. You need to take care of those weak points on the wall before doing any of the solutions that we have mentioned above.

You can fix those weak points on the wall by placing a soundproofing blanket or an acoustic foam mat. I have mentioned their links above.

9. Place White Noise Machine (Temporary Solution)

If you need a solution immediately then this is the one. You can get a White Noise Machine. This is a temporary solution so don’t expect it to work for a long time. This white noise machine is great for soundproofing.

White Noise Machine is a machine that produces sound drowning the background sound which implies soundproofing. It works by making you subconsciously drown the sound.  White Noise Machines are usually used during sleeping but in this case, it can be used for soundproofing also. We have an in-depth article on Ultra Quiet White Noise Machine so check it out before making a decision.

10. Seal or Fill the Gaps on the Edges of the Wall

I had already mentioned this but there are gaps on the edges of the wall due to aging to sealing them must be a priority. You can use this Green Glue Noise-proofing Sealant. Just make sure you fill-up the gaps using that sealant perfectly.

Conclusion

Figuring out how to soundproof a wall between apartments can be daunting task to say the least. However, after reading this article and learning the 10 Best Ways to soundproof the walls it should put your mind at ease. If you want to soundproof your apartment even more look into our article on soundproofing apartment floor.

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