Acoustic Plasterboard vs Normal Plasterboard for Noise Reduction

Acoustics and insulation have always been frenemies. That’s why people came up with numerous solutions how to keep them in balance. Particularly when there are factors we cannot influence.

Many different materials and their combinations have been used to reach the perfection in terms of sound. After all, that’s one of the reasons my blog exists, to help all those dealing with wanted and unwanted sounds all around.

Plasterboard is becoming more and more popular, especially among DIY-ers. It replaced plaster or a combination of lath and plaster which were used to cover ceilings and stud partitioning. Plasterboard also serves as a wall lining and one can attach it very simply.

It turned out as a rather useful component for soundproofing, which is why I shall introduce you to plasterboard, its types, and uses.

How to Soundproof a Home Office: 10 Ways that Work!

Working from home can be great. You get to be your own boss and determine how long you actually work.

However, any noise, however little, can be quite distracting. For you to get work done, your home office should be able to block out as much noise as possible.

When I quit my job to work from home a few years ago, the biggest challenge I faced was all the noise in the house. The kids were a ruckus and that meant I couldn’t get much done from my home office.

It was then that I decided to soundproof my home office. I took a couple of the steps I have highlighted in this article and of course, the outcome was amazing. I have added a few other steps you can take should the ones I took not work for you.

How to Fix Squeaky Hardwood Floors (From Above & Below)

If you live in an older house, you’ll probably come across the problem of a squeaky floor.

Sure, vintage houses are unique and, in a way, charming, but problems like this make it difficult to enjoy the time you spend in them. You don’t want to feel like you’re living in a haunted house.

My friend used to put up with her squeaky floors for years just because she had no idea that it’s incredibly easy to solve this and that she can do it all on her own. She thought that she would need to hire a professional and spend tons of money just because she was not well informed.

Luckily, I am here to show you how to fix your squeaky hardwood floor and let you know that it’s rather easy. In fact, there is a number of different ways to fix your floors and you don’t even have to be a professional to do it.

You won’t need to spend a lot of money and time – the entire fixing process usually doesn’t last longer than ten minutes.

Is Sleeping with White Noise Harmful?

Sleep is the single most vital thing about keeping yourself healthy. No matter how well you eat, exercise and avoid stress, without being well rested you cannot be at your best.

Having experienced sleep deprivation due to having newborn babies to look after, I can assure you that it feels like a blessing to be able to sleep through the night now. However, often times, you don’t get to have that luxury.

Here, let’s list some of the many other potential problems that might prevent you from having a good night’s rest:

-Loud neighbors
-Loud family members
-Loud cars or motorcycles passing by your home

Notice how I easily listed at least 3 things that were a disruption because they were loud? From crying babies to airplanes, noise is what causes the issue.

That is why we will be discussing the potential consequences of using white noise to combat this. Keep in mind that if you’re a sound sleeper that falls asleep easily you don’t need to fret but most of us aren’t, so we need to look at other options.

Sewing Machine Noise Reduction: 6 Ways to Make It Quieter

Sewing has become a bit of a nice hobby these days. It used to be all the rage, back when clothes weren’t so readily available to all and when you made a lot of things by hand to use around the house.

These days, I sometimes get weird looks when I admit I like to sew. Hell, even people who do it as a job get weird looks.

So, while I do love it, it’s kind of hard to talk to people about it, without seeming old-fashioned and that, I will admit, kind of dampens my enthusiasm. But not as much as the damned noise.

You know that noise that pops up almost when you’re at your best? When you feel truly inspired and like you’re creating your masterpiece?

Bike Trainer Noise Reduction: How to Quieten Indoor Cycling

Staying fit isn’t the easiest task in today’s world. Let me tell you, being someone who writes for a living and thus works from home does not do you any favors when you start evaluating the best ways to shed a spare tire around your middle.

Hell, even just staying in generally good shape is a challenge. Who has the time, these days, to go to the gym, to take hours out of their day to devote to that?

It’s not impossible, but you tend to sacrifice a lot, and with my schedule and family obligations, it’s no mean feat. I’m sure a lot of you are in the same boat, and that’s why we all decided to get a bike trainer.

Gloriously easy and reliable, extremely effective exercise. Seriously, here’s just a few benefits:

-Cardio workouts that take care of your heart
-Weight loss and fitness gain
-Ease of use (it’s literally as easy as riding a bike)
-Accessibility (it’s in your own home. You lose not even a minute beyond the time spent exercising)

But then reality reared its ugly head. I’m sure you’ve all lived it too, it’s almost impossible to avoid.

The noise. It started right up. I’m going to be providing some general advice that I wish someone had told me when I had these problems.

reduce bike trainer noise
That way, hopefully, someone else won’t have to struggle and try to come up with solutions to these issues. Because as great as a bike trainer is, unless you pay a lot or live totally alone, in a remote house, it’s going to annoy some people with its racket.

Soundproof French Doors: 4 Simple Ways

When discussing how your home looks, often times the desire is that you have something you want to look at every day. Living in a home that has too many portions of it that downright annoy you can wear a person down really quickly, let me tell you.

Having shared a house with some roommates during college, I was treated, firsthand, to the anxiety-inducing sights of people transforming parts of the house into something unappealing.

Those parts always wore me down and made me consider living anywhere else, short of moving into a shoe box.

So, you’ll be glad to hear, now that I have my own home, I’m definitely enjoying myself far more. Especially since I can decide where things go and how, and French doors have always been something I’m fond for, so I got them.

Except one part of them isn’t even close to ideal, and you’re here today because you’ve seen or rather heard it yourself as well. The blasted noise they let through is sometimes enough to drive to tears or even thoughts of smashing them, despite how much I love them.

Despite how fancy they are, how refined my home looks thanks to them, they are really bad at ensuring a room isn’t bombarded with noise from outside. Or even keeping the noise of the room from going out in the first place.

So, let’s look at some options, from expensive and complex to simple and cheap, for resolving this issue. I will have to warn you up front that you might be out of luck if you are hoping for utter and complete soundproofing.

How to Soundproof a Room in an Apartment

Peace is priceless. Once you lose it, you start understanding its value.

One of the most annoying things that can disrupt the peace in your apartment is outdoor noise, right?

Whether you are a light sleeper, working from home, or you have a baby that needs a lot of undisturbed naps, the noise can sometimes cause some serious problems.

Believe it or not, I’ve lost my job as a home-based teacher due to some uncanny noise.

Basically, that was the breaking point when I started looking for a solution this, on the first look, trivial problem.

I’ve read a lot about it, consulted with my colleagues’ architects, and finally made a list of possible solutions. Now, I hope that this knowledge that I gathered will serve not only me but you as well.

Therefore, here, you can find some of the best ways to soundproof a room in an apartment.

6 Simple Ways to Soundproof Interior Doors

The importance of realizing what is the difference between interior and exterior door is huge, especially for soundproofing purposes.

Unlike exterior doors that are built of solid wood, interior doors usually have a hollow core. With that said, it’s easy to conclude that exterior doors are quite heavier, massive, while interior ones are frankly lighter.

This reflects into interior doors soundproofing power. They are a lot easier for the noise to pass through, unlike exterior doors.

Therefore, they require a bit more soundproofing.

I had interior doors all over my first apartment, and it was highly noisy. You could hear anyone without any problems behind those doors like there were no doors at all. So, I have found out about a couple of solutions.

Of course, changing doors is somewhat expensive, so soundproofing is a great alternative. In this article, I will explain basics of soundproofing interior doors, and hopefully help you solve your problem in the most effective way.

So, let’s get to the point.

How to Quiet a Loud Door Knob (And Fix Squeaky Ones)

One of the most irritating sounds in the world has to be the sound of a loud doorknob.

Well, it’s not the sound itself that makes us so bothered, it has more to do with the fact that this sound is always heard when it’s absolutely not needed.

Whether you’re going to the bathroom in the middle of the night, being extra quiet as to not wake the baby up, or if you’re just trying to concentrate on a task at hand, the sound of a loud doorknob can really ruin everything.

Luckily, we have some easy tricks that you can do yourself, depending on whether you have a squeaky doorknob or just a loud one!