Soundproofing - Is It Possible To Soundproof Anything?
Not a fan of reading? Click play instead.
We would prefer to not be the bearers of bad news in your quest to research sound control products and methods, but here it is. It is not possible to soundproof anything, and your best results are likely just reducing, perhaps significantly, the sound you are trying to eliminate. Sound is a vague term, as sound varies greatly in frequency, intensity, and origin. Soundproof is not a vague term, as it simply means 'prevent the passage of sound' or soundproofing, which is 'making a room or building resistant to the passage of sound'.
Can you soundproof a casual conversation through a wall? Of course! Can you soundproof a ceiling from the rock band playing in the apartment above? Extremely unlikely. The casual conversation through a wall can be 'soundproofed' because the frequency range is minimal and easy to control, the intensity is minimal as the volume of noise is low, and the origin is airborne noise, which is the easiest type of noise to control. The rock band is a nearly certain no because the frequency range is very wide and can transfer directly through the floor or flank through any other path (side walls, other floors, HVAC, outlets, plumbing, etc.), the intensity is significant as the volume is likely very high, and instruments like drums and bass guitars have the means for structural transfer that make such sources of noise difficult to control.
The term or idea of soundproofing is likely just a misnomer that has carried throughout the years with no effort to correct the term. Kind of like the compressed fiber board called 'sound board' that you can find at any hardware store. It has no real value to sound, but someone called it that and now everyone calls it sound board. Soundproof is an unfortunately common term in this industry and one you will find that most manufacturers of sound control products do their best to avoid, while many online retailers of those same products do their best to include. To soundproof something invokes an expectation of an impossible goal of fully isolating sound from transmitting through a ceiling, wall, floor, door, window, etc. We have to sprinkle the word throughout our site because it is a word that some customers expect to read on a website offering products and solutions for sound control issues. We try hard to avoid it though simply because it is inaccurate.
Please do keep this in mind that we, or any other company for that matter, do not sell soundproofing products and you cannot soundproof any wall, ceiling, floor, window, door, car, or any other surface from all noise transfer. We do have great products that can significantly reduce sound transfer for nearly any situation. With the right approach, products, and noise issue, certain frequencies can be isolated to the point they cannot be heard through an assembly. Sound abatement, sound control, sound reduction, sound mitigation, those are the more accurate phrases for any sound product or method of dealing with sound issues. Using those terms in your research will likely yield better results as well, avoiding pie in the sky claims of achieving soundproof level of results.
