Living in row houses and condos has become a popular housing option for many people in Australia. But often in this type of housing, the units are mostly adjacent to each other and the wall system is not particularly soundproofed which results in a noisy occurrence in the tower. 

These noises become way more prevalent when you have noisy neighbors, loud music, and kids. If this has become a serious issue for you then fortunately you don’t have to put up with the noise anymore.

For determining which type of soundproofing is needed you have to do two things. 

First, identify what type of noise you’re hearing. Is it the neighbor's dog, highway traffic, tv noise, etc? After that, identify the source of the noise or where it is exactly coming from. It might be coming from the bedroom to the front door. After identifying the part of the house, focus on soundproofing that part.

In this article, we will see the best ways to soundproof your condo and row house walls.

1. Add Dense Sheets

Although this won’t look good and you might not stand the way your house will look after adding dense mass like this but it does seem to work. So if you’re looking for a cheap way to resolve this you can opt for this method.

2. Focus on Specific Areas

If you’re tight on budget then lookout for the most specific area of your house from where the noise is coming in and try to block it out by applying soundproofing wallpaper or duct tape or sealant.

3. Insulate Interior Walls.

Insulation not only makes your house soundproof but will help lower your electricity bills as well. There are a lot of soundproofing materials in the market and you can choose the one which is perfect for your condo.

4. Add an Extra Layer of Drywall

Although it is a bit expensive, it is deemed to be a long-term solution. You can create a layer of double drywall all around your room as this will create a barrier and will make it hard for the sound to leave through.

5. Add an Audio Blanket or Soundproof Blanket

These are easy to block noises as you have to just simply hang them over the unit or the walls for soundproofing. Although a bit expensive these serve as a great option for condos or rowhouses. 

One thing you have to keep in mind is that you might need to cover these blankets with something else or hang something beautiful on them to cover them up as they are not aesthetically beautiful.

6. Damping

Damping reduces the vibrations of sound by absorption and helps reduce the overall sound level. Sound damping and soundproofing may seem the same and they are but one difference is that sound damping just involves dissipating vibrational energy before it can build up and radiate sound whereas soundproofing involves various techniques and different means to achieve the goal of reducing the noise.

7. Decoupling the Wall

The decoupling technique is a simple procedure but would require tearing down the walls and involves separating the two sides of the wall into two different sections. This technique helps as it makes it harder for the sound to pass through the wall and helps in reducing the noise overall.

Take Away

These are some methods you can use to soundproof your condo or rowhouse. You can use any of these methods to soundproof your wall. 

partnered post • cc-licensed image by Aaron Parker