Are you the type of person who uses their shed for practising an instrument, playing loud music, or working on projects? There’s no need to dampen the sound just to spare your neighbour’s ears. You can easily be as loud as you want– you just need to soundproof your shed.
If you have the money, you could always go out and pay someone to soundproof your shed for you, but if you want to save a few bucks, you can tackle the project DIY style. Doing it yourself is fairly easy when you really get into the swing of things. Plus, it’ll give you a fun project to work on!
While you’ll never be able to 100% soundproof your shed you’ll most certainly reduce noise levels by leaps and bounds. Let’s get started.
1. Soundproofing the Walls
Walls will be your greatest challenge, and the extent to which you can soundproof them will be largely contingent on your budget.
First off, you’ll need copious amounts of insulation. You can visit your local music store and purchase acoustic foam (big squares of insulation that have adhesive on the back) to stick to your walls. These are often used by musicians to soundproof a room when practising.
This method can be a bit pricey, however, so you can use regular shed insulation instead to save money. Keep in mind that while ordinary insulation will help to soundproof your shed, it still won’t work as well as specialised materials.
When purchased, take your insulation and tack it to the walls inside your shed. Next, take plasterboard and mount it to the beams of the shed wall. The plasterboard will add yet another layer of soundproofing protection.
Another soundproofing trick is to use as few screws as possible. Sound can often escape through screw fittings, therefore reducing the number of screws you use (while still maintaining the integrity of the shed walls) will help with your soundproofing efforts.
2. Soundproofing Your Floors
Oddly enough sound can also escape through your floors. You can tackle this issue by tacking down the carpet. You don’t have to break the bank here – any old carpet will do. The carpet will reduce the vibrations made inside the shed and thus trap in escaping sound.
Rubber gym mats are also an excellent option for soundproofing your floor. You may have to do a bit of cutting to ensure your mats cover the entire length of the floor, but your efforts will definitely be worth it when you consider the fact that rubber gym mats will serve as a far better insulator of sound than old rugs.
3. Windows
Windows can be a huge culprit of sound bleeding out of your shed. This is especially the case with older sheds which often have windows with fairly thin glass. To proceed, go to your local DIY store and search for a plastic sheet that you can glue to the window. This will essentially “double-up” the glass and make it that much harder for sound to escape.
4. Roof
If you wish to trap in the maximum amount of sound you’ll also want to insulate the roof (just like you did with the walls). Avoid using plasterboard this time around, and use plywood instead. This material is much lighter and will do a fantastic job of keeping the insulation in place.
5. Door
The door is actually the number one culprit of escaping sound from your shed. Most shed doors don’t come equipped with rubber seals (often used as weather stripping for doors located in housing). Sound can also bleed out from the tiny gap between the door and frame.
Don’t worry, this fix won’t be as expensive as some of the others we’ve had to deal with thus far. You can soundproof your doors by attaching plastic sheeting around the door itself. That way when it shuts it will cover the gap between the door and frame.
If you don’t mind spending a bit more money, you can add a rubber seal which will trap and prevent any sound from escaping out to your neighbours. Don’t forget about your key locks – noise can escape through these as well. Purchase covers to trap in as much sound as possible.
Soundproofing Your Shed the Right Way
There you have it! Soundproofing your shed will allow you to work on your projects without your worrying about disturbing the neighbours. Budget can play a big role in how effectively you soundproof your shed, so price out the materials you’ll need before making a purchase.
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