Reading rooms for peace and quiet

Many homes include rooms specifically designed for reading. If this room is conducive to relaxation and intellectual activities, what about music lovers or film fans who would also love to have a special area set aside for their interests? Here are a few tips for soundproofing a room, helping to avoid conflicts with other occupants of the house.

First of all, it is important to distinguish between insulation and the product developed especially for soundproofing. The former includes such things as decorative tiles for the ceiling which would only soften any resonance in the room. They do not prevent sound from spreading. Of all the different soundproofng components in a room, acoustic insulation inside the walls is the most important and the most effective. It could consist of fibre-glass, mineral or cellulose wool. Resilient bars, which are strips of galvanized steel, are then installed. Their function is to stop noise transmission through the plumbing or the framework of the home. They are fixed on the wall beams or the floor joists. After this, drywall can serve to finish the walls as well as to reinforce the sound-proofing effect.

As a last step, draught proofing tape, specifically designed for acoustics, should be used. Sound can be transmitted through even the smallest of cracks, between the frame of a door and the framework of the wall as well as between the dry wall and the floor. It is important therefore to seal the room’s perimeter.