Ultimate Guide On How To Soundproof Your Room On A Budget

how to soundproof your room featured

Tired of constant ambient noises ruining your video calls or interrupting your music? To keep these sound waves out, why not learn how to soundproof your room in Singapore! While professional solutions like setting up layered dry walls and installing resistance channels guarantee absolute silence, they do also cost a tonne. Start small and add sound absorbing elements to your room to dampen the noise instead. From understanding where the noise is coming from to affordable soundproof solutions like sound absorbing panels and sealants, read on as we teach you how to soundproof your room on a budget!

How noise travels in and out of your room

1. Air gaps

air gap how to soundproof your room
(Credit: David B. Gleason / Flickr)

If you see holes and cracks between your floors and walls — chances are these are the main culprits of the noise travelling out.  As sound waves bounce around, they’re likely to pick the path of least resistance and travel through these air gaps. The solution is to plug up every crack and hole! From hairline cracks between sockets to missable gaps, they all play a part in causing sound to seep through.

2. Lack of sound damping

sound damping how to soundproof your room
(Credit: William Clifford / Flickr)

If you hear echoes and find yourself struggling to improve sound quality in your room, then you have a damping problem. The combination of thin walls and a lack of furniture is a recipe for noise pollution as sound waves are able to freely travel through your room without much hindrance. Fortunately, you can solve this by either absorbing or redirecting these stray sounds with affordable solutions like sound absorbing panels!

3. Vibrations

girl listening to music how to soundproof your room
(Credit: Karolina Grabowska / Pixabay)

Even though it may not seem like it, everything in your room is prone to spread sound vibrations when they make direct contact with one another. From stools to desks, these types of furniture help the sound waves to travel as they reflect and direct noise. There are two ways minimise this — either attach rubber feet for furniture to isolate the contact points from the floor or incorporate heavier furniture in your room that’s more capable of absorbing sound waves!

Now that you’re all caught on up what’s causing the noise, here are our tips on how to soundproof your room!

DIY recommendations on how to soundproof your room

1. Sealants

sealanthow to soundproof your room
(Credit: HardwareSpecialist)

Tiny, floor cracks and wall gaps often allow sound waves to sneak through these small crevices. Thankfully, they’re the easiest to resolve as you simply need to fill these gaps with sealant glue. One recommendation on how to soundproof your room is to look out for electrical outlets. While they might seem soundproof, unscrewing the cover often reveals huge gaps between the plugs and the walls. To fix this, apply some silicone sealant (available on HardwareSpecialist) along the sides. Just make sure the power is off before you attempt this DIY hack!

2. Carpets

carpet how to soundproof your room
(Credit: Saturn Home Official Store)

Besides bouncing off our walls, sound waves will also be reflected off our hard floors. One crucial tip we have on how to soundproof your room is to invest in thick rugs and carpets to damp the sound! With the wide variety of carpet materials and cuts on the market, you must be wondering what’s best for soundproofing. Interestingly, carpets like Saturn’s fluffy carpets (available on Saturn Home Official Store) with multiple frays and fuzzy tops are most effective. Due to the stray strands and open fibers, these carpets effectively suppress ambient sound waves.

3. Door strips

door strip how to soundproof your room
(Credit: BIOAQUA Shopping Mall.sg)

Hands up if you’re familiar with using door strips to keep your air-conditioned room cool! Besides being an incredibly affordable way when you’re wondering how to soundproof your proof, such door weatherstrips (available on BIOAQUA Shopping Mall.sg) are extremely effective at keeping noise from getting in or leaving. While some might argue that the thickness of the door is more important in maintaining soundproof rooms in Singapore, we beg to differ. After all, it doesn’t matter how soundproof your room is if there’s a gap beneath your door.

4. Sound absorbing panels

acoustic panels how to soundproof your room
(Credit: uniquecherish)

Soundproof panels are your best bet if you’re trying to block out mid to high frequency sound waves for your soundproof room in Singapore! Once you put these up, sounds like bird chirps and traffic noise will be a thing of the past as these noises are absorbed by the foam. To spice things up and give your room that personal flair, check out these acoustic foam panels (available on uniquecherish) with wedge ridges. As they come in multiple colours, you can get creative and arrange them in whatever layout you fancy! 

5. Curtains

curtains how to soundproof your room
(Credit: Jasmine Fashion Home & Living Shop)

Apart from cosying up your room, curtains are also great if you’re wondering how to soundproof your room! As for specific recommendations, these blackout curtains (available on Jasmine Fashion Home & Living Shop) help by absorbing surrounding noise and reducing echoes in your room. Due to their hefty weight and thick material, these curtains serve the dual purpose of blocking off the sound and preventing light from entering your window!

Enjoy pindrop silence with these DIY soundproofing solutions

From sound absorbing panels to fuzzy carpets, discover everything you need for soundproofing without breaking the bank! Done creating your soundproof room in Singapore? Check out our Home and Living collection, for inspiration to spruce up your pad. Want to give your home that minimalist aesthetic? Browse this list of the best Muji products! While you’re giving your room that soundproof makeover, you might also want to tidy things up with these best robot vacuum cleaners.