How to soundproof a home office

Effective ways to soundproof your home office

March 2020 saw more than 60% of the adult population working from home during the Coronavirus lockdown. It was therefore no surprise that as people were confined to their homes, here at The Soundproofing Store we were busier than ever as customers adapted to their new workspace and found the noise from noisy neighbours extremely distracting.

A further announcement in September again asked workers who had previously been encouraged back into the office in August, to now work from home 'where possible'. With no specific timeframe other than being prepared to do so for at least the next 6 months. This 'new normal' way of working has seen some companies completely changing and adapting, siting colleagues working from home being a more permanent strategy and a long-term ambition. The BBC reports that a third of people will still be working from home, even after Coronavirus restrictions are lifted in the future, with the Guardian reporting 88% of people who worked from home during the lockdown wanting to retain some sort of capacity for doing so.

The dial is certainly set to homeworking remaining a constant for many and in doing so means a productive, noise free working environment becomes ever more important.

One of the things about noise is that it affects more than our ability to concentrate and do our jobs from home, it can also have serious effects on our mental health and wellbeing.

To help create a quiet space in your home to live and work, there are a number of soundproofing solutions available. The correct home office soundproofing solution depends on the type and level of noise being experienced. However, there are 5 main points to achieve when soundproofing the walls of a home office, which are highlighted below.

5 ways to soundproof home office walls

1. Improve the mass of the wall by adding high mass / density soundproofing products
2. Improve the walls ability to absorb sound energy and vibration
3. For stud walls, add mineral wool acoustic insulation between the timber battens to eliminate any reverberation of sound
4. Use different materials of high mass. Simply adding more of the same material will have very little impact on increasing the effectiveness of soundproofing the wall. Different materials perform better at blocking different sound frequencies
5. Top Tip - treat soundproofing like waterproofing, and be sure to seal any gaps with acoustic sealant.

Soundproofing solutions for home office walls

4 ways to soundproof a home office floor

If you are living and working in a flat with noisy neighbours above, or below, then you need to add soundproofing to the floor or ceiling to create a soundproofed home office.

It is always more effective to soundproof at the source of the noise. Are you experiencing loud noise coming from above? Is the noise impact noise, (such as footsteps or banging) and / or airborne noise (talking, TV, music)? The best way to soundproof the floor of a home office, or indeed a quiet space within the home in which to work would be to soundproof the floor above. If this isn't an option, then you would need to soundproof the ceiling.

1. Improve the mass of the floor by adding heavy high mass / density products
2. Improve the ability of the floor to absorb sound energy (airborne noise) and vibration / footsteps (impact noise)
3. Use acoustic insulation between the timber joists to eliminate sound from resonating and amplifying
4. Use different materials of high mass. Different materials perform better for different sound frequencies. It is not effective soundproofing to simply add more of the same material, or 'double up' materials thinking it will double the effectiveness of the soundproofing. A combination of high mass materials will achieve a superior soundproofing result for your home office or workspace.

Soundproofing solutions for home office floors

3 ways to soundproof a home office ceiling

If you are experiencing noisy neighbours above and it is not possible to soundproof the floor above (which is the preferred option) then the only option would be to soundproof the ceiling of the home office.

1. Add mass to the ceiling to block airborne noise (talking, TV, music)
2. Dampen vibration energy to stop it travelling through the structure from above
3. Add sound absorption to stop the sound echoing and amplifying in any sealed chambers, such as between the timber joists of the ceiling. This decreases the 'drum effect' and can be easily achieved by adding acoustic mineral wool between the timber joists of the ceiling.
   

Soundproofing solutions for home office ceilings

3 ways to soundproofing a home office door

If you are working from home and the unwanted noise is coming from your own family rather than noisy neighbours, then upweighting existing doors can be a good place to start.

1. Add mass to the door. If the door is lightweight and hollow, then sound will travel through it extremely easily. An easy solution to help reduce the unwanted internal noise when working from home is to upgrade your current door. Simply add a heavy dense material like FlexiSound 5 (a thin visco-elastic rubber which has the same density as lead). It is self-adhesive on one side and can be easily stuck onto the back of doors to add extra mass
2. Sound can travel through gaps. If there are any gaps, e.g. between the door and the frame, or gaps between the door and the floor, then sound will travel through these gaps. After upgrading the door with FlexiSound 5 also adding some good quality draft exclusion material around the perimeter will help to ensure the door is as airtight as possible
3. The other option when soundproofing the door of a home office, bedroom, kitchen or living room (as many people don't have the luxury of a home office) is to replace the door. Fire doors are a great option as they contain more mass and are heavier than hollow, light doors and will block more sound.

Soundproofing solutions for home office doors

Create a quiet place to work

Soundproofing solutions can help create a quiet place to work by effectively soundproofing home offices. Soundproofing can take place within any room of the house, to help limit the unwanted noise from noisy neighbours and to help create a quiet place to work. If you are currently finding it difficult to work from home because of unwanted noise, then The Soundproofing Store is an award-winning soundproofing company and is here to help. Don't be one of the millions of Brits who are reportedly forced to work from their cars, due to 'unsuitable' environments making working from home practically impossible.