How to Soundproof a Wall Cheaply – 10 Ways to Soundproof Wall

by Jennifer Porterfield | Last Updated: March 27, 2021

Soundproofing a wall can be an effective solution to reduce noise. Depending on your needs, soundproofing a wall or multiple walls might be exactly what you need. After needing to soundproof my own walls I did a ton of research and tested several solutions.

A lot of solutions out there offered little help. However, I did find several ways that helped tremendously. In the following article, I will provide you with the 10 ways for soundproofing a wall cheaply and affordably without compromising on the quality.

Table of Contents

• How to Soundproof a Wall Cheaply – 10 Best Ways to Soundproof Wall
  • 10 Ways to Soundproof a Wall
  • 1. Fill the Empty Space in the Room
  • 2. Install Foam Mats
  • 3. Find the Sound or Noise Source
  • 4. Put in Soundproof Curtains/Drapes
  • 5. Install Drywall
    • How to Install Drywall to Soundproof the wall
  • 6. Seal or Fill the Gap or Edges on the Wall
  • 7. Install Acoustic Panel/Foam
  • 8. Make the Room As Air Tight As Possible
    • How to Make the Room Airtight?
  • 9. Focus on the weak points in the wall
    • How to Fix the Weak points in the wall?
  • 10. Paint the wall using a Soundproofing Paint
• FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
• Conclusion

How to Soundproof a Wall Cheaply – 10 Best Ways to Soundproof Wall

10 Ways to Soundproof a Wall

1. Fill the Empty Space in the Room
2. Install Foam Mats
3. Find the Sound or Noise Source
4. Put in Soundproof Curtains/Drapes
5. Install a Layer of Drywall
6. Seal or the Fill the Gap or Edges on the Wall
7. Install Acoustic Panel/Foam
8. Make the room as airtight as possible
9. Focus on the Weak Points in the Wall
10. Paint the wall using a Soundproofing Paint

1. Fill the Empty Space in the Room

This is the best way to soundproof a wall to start and it’s cost effective. Filling up the empty space in the room to soundproof is a very basic and fundamental thing to do. Do you remember the saying “Empty Vessel Makes More Noise” that is exactly true.

If your room is very empty with no or less furniture then its gonna make a shit ton of noise and echo. So you need to fill the empty space in the room with Furniture, Decorations, Gadgets, or anything. This method will definitely help you soundproof your wall.

One suggestion that I would give is to use big and huge furniture for example like a Bookshelf or a Wardrobe to act as an insulator so that those items of furniture can absorb all the sound-waves coming through the wall. This will make sure that the wall and the room is soundproofed perfectly. You really need to experiment a lot when it comes to this tip.

As you don’t have to spend any money here you really need to spend your time. You need to keep moving your thing around in the room and analyze which works best. Just write down all the combinations possible and experiment accordingly.

2. Install Foam Mats

Installing foam mats will definitely help you in soundproofing walls. Foam mats are also called sound insulators. Usually, professionals such as Sound Engineers, Singers, DJ (Disc Jockey), Music Directors, Dubbing Studios and more use foam mats to eliminate sound to enter their studio.

Honestly speaking foam mats are pretty cheap, affordable and very effective in terms of soundproofing. If you ask for a Foam mats recommendation then I recommend this Soundproofing Foam Mats. In terms of installation, it is super simple.

These types of foam mats are very beneficial because they have multiple features and applications. The foam mats not only help in eliminating sound they also safeguard from the thermal loss. The foam mats are made up of a rubber foam type material that is very light in nature.

3. Find the Sound or Noise Source

This is a very important tip that I recommend you to follow the gist. It is very important to know the source of sound or noise you are getting before soundproofing walls. Find the sound.

There are two types of sound sources, they are:

1. Airborne Sound
2. Impact Sound

Airborne Sound is the sound that is transmitted through the air only and nowhere else. This type of sound that is airborne are usually of medium to high frequency so it is very important to soundproof the airborne sound.

Impact Sound is the sound signals that are very normal and also through multiple sources and methods. These types of impact sound signals are low to the medium frequency and not very consistent. The other name for Impact sound signal is called Structure-Borne Sound or Noise.

There is a different solution for a different type of sound source.

If you are getting most of the sound or noise by airborne then you really need to concentrate on eliminating that. The airborne sound is really easy to block. All you need to do is install some best acoustic foam panels, like the ones that are used in professional studios.

If you are getting most of the sound or noise by the impact which is usually of low to medium frequency then it is a bit difficult to soundproof because of the low frequency. You need really good soundproofing materials so that they can block or absorb the sound making the walls soundproof.

To block these Impact sound signals, we recommend you to install Mass Loaded Vinyl or Vinyl Mats. Vinyl mats are a very thick soundproofing panel that can be stuck to the walls to block the sound signals or waves. Vinyl mats are perfect because they are very affordable and gets the job done.

4. Put in Soundproof Curtains/Drapes

This is a straightforward tip. You can install a Soundproof Curtain or Drape in on the window to soundproof the room.

These are 10 best soundproof curtains that we recommend you buy and install.

Product Image	Product Name
	NICETOWN SoundProof Curtains (Editor's Choice)	Check Price
	H.VERSAILTEX Premium Blackout Wider Curtains (Editor's Choice)	Check Price
	NICETOWN Blackout Curtains Panels (Editor's Choice)	Check Price
	H.VERSAILTEX Classical Grommet Curtain	Check Price
	Deconovo Blackout Drapes Curtains	Check Price
	Sideli Solid Rod Pocket Matt Curtains	Check Price
	NICETOWN Three Pass Microfiber Noise Reducing Curtains	Check Price
	Warm Home Designs 1 Panel Curtain	Check Price
	Flamingo P Full Blackout Curtains	Check Price
	Absolute Zero Soundproof Curtains	Check Price

5. Install Drywall

This option which is to install a Drywall is quite expensive. So this is not really a mandatory method or option so it totally depends on you if you want to implement drywall. In terms of installation, installing drywall is a big fuss and really complicated.

So I suggest you get professional people to install drywall. Drywall is nothing but a wall that is very thick and old which makes it perfect for stopping or absorbing sound, making the wall more soundproof.

How to Install Drywall to Soundproof the wall

1. Firstly, before buying drywall, make sure you measure the wall properly with accurate measurements. After measuring the wall you can go ahead and buy the drywall according to the size and height of the wall.
2. Before installing the drywall on the wall, make sure that the wall is not very weak or it has cracks and gaps. If the wall has any such problem then make sure you solve all the problems before installing the drywall. If you install all the issues on the wall then you are simply wasting your money.
3. If you have any Cracks and Gaps on the wall, then you can buy this Green Glue to fill the cracks and the gaps on the wall to make it more soundproof.

6. Seal or Fill the Gap or Edges on the Wall

This is a very important method to follow before utilizing any of the other methods that I have mentioned. You need to seal or fill up the gaps on the wall will help with soundproofing walls.

To identify the Gaps and Cracks in the wall

• Turn off all the lights and also close all the drapes or curtains. Now see if there are any light passing through the wall, if there is light passing through it means that your wall has Gaps or Cracks. Make sure you do this in the daytime when there is sunlight outside.
• If there is no light outside then ask someone to go outside the wall, close the door and ask them to use a torch or light. If you see light coming in from the gaps then you have a wall with gaps and cracks. Check this article on how to sound proof a door for more information on this topic.

After you have identified the gap or crack on the wall then you need to fill it up with Green Glue. The glue will help you fill up the gaps and cracks on the wall.

7. Install Acoustic Panel/Foam

As I have explained earlier in the 2nd step where I said to install a foam mat, this is exactly the same but here I am suggesting you install an Acoustic Panel or Acoustic Foam which is better than a regular foam mat because the acoustic panel is built for professional purposes so it could do a better job in stopping the sound from entering through the wall.

If you are looking to buy an acoustic panel then we recommend this Acoustic Studio Panel from Foamily.

8. Make the Room As Air Tight As Possible

This step will definitely help you soundproof the wall as much as possible because when you make the room as airtight as it can max hold then you are abruptly stopping the sound to enter. That’s because for the soundproof to travel it requires a lot of air, so by making the room as airtight as possible, you are stopping the sound to enter from the source itself.

How to Make the Room Airtight?

• Try to fill up the room with furniture in the right places. Doing this will definitely create a vacuum in the room which will make the sound not travel making it more airtight and soundproof.
• Try getting moving or sound proof blanket. You might be thinking why moving the blanket to soundproof a wall? That’s because moving blankets can be very effective to soundproof the wall because of the thick and dense material that they are made up of. Try placing the moving blanket on the wall and windows of the room to make it more airtight and soundproof. If you need more information on soundproofing windows, check it out.

9. Focus on the weak points in the wall

If you are wondering what are the weak points in the wall then the weak points are the places in the wall that are weak and aged out. These weak points will let the sound enter from the outside making it a big source of the sound. You need to focus on those weak points and fix them as soon as possible to stop the sound from entering through it.

How to Fix the Weak points in the wall?

1. Make sure you find and observe the weak points in the wall. There are many walls to find weak points in the wall. One such effective method is to go to the other side of the wall and use a torchlight and look from the other side of the wall. If you see any light rays passing then that is the weak point of the wall. Make all the weak points to fix them.
2. Clean the wall surface. Take a clean and wet cloth and wipe the wall. Clean more on the marked weak points. This will help you clean out all the dirt and other stuff on the wall before proceeding.
3. Now buy an acoustic and soundproofing sealant to fix the weak points. Apply the sealant on the marked point and let it dry.
4. If you have more than 5 weak points on one wall then I would recommend you to get professional help in fixing it.

10. Paint the wall using a Soundproofing Paint

This is the final step where you need to paint the wall using soundproof paint. This type of paint is specially made to soundproof the room and wall. I would suggest you buy this soundproofing paint because it is really good and effective.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Conclusion

Finding an effective way to soundproof a wall can be difficult. There are lots of suggestions out there, yet some flat-out don’t work. Luckily, I’ve done significant testing to weed out the bad suggestions and found 10 ways that worked extremely well for me when I needed to figure out how to soundproof a wall. If utilizing a handful of the ideas listed in this article, you will be able to accomplish the same results!

Comments are closed.