Soundproofing A Garage

As you may already know, garages are no longer just used to store cars. Many people now use their garages as music rehearsal rooms, workshops and more recently due to the pandemic, a home office.

We receive many enquiries about soundproofing garages for all of these purposes. Due to the way in which garages are constructed, airborne noise and vibrations can easily pass through the walls and ceiling, making the entire space quite bad preventing noise from entering or leaving the space.

If you’re planning to use a garage for band practice, you should definitely consider other people and think of ways in which you can reduce the noise, or at least make it palatable.  As good as you think the sound may be, others close by may not be grateful for the noise intrusion.

Alternatively, if your garage will be your office for the foreseeable, you will probably be more concerned about the distraction of outside noise.

How to Soundproof a Garage

There are a few things to consider when soundproofing your garage. Here are the most important points to consider.

1. The best way to block airborne sounds is with mass, and lots of it. The denser a material is, the more mass it will have, and the more effective it will be at blocking sound. Here are some options for soundproofing the walls in your garage, and here are the best products to soundproof your garage ceiling.

2. When sound hits a surface, the vibration it creates can travel through most materials quite easily. Bass will create a lot of vibration. Again, dense material will help to absorb this vibration. Take a look at our SilentBoard Plus enhanced acoustic wall lining. It’s extremely dense, fire retardant, and can be applied to masonry or stud walls.

3. Think of filling a bucket with water. If the bucket has a small hole, the water will find its way out. In the same way, sound will always find the weak point in a room to escape. This is why windows, doors and air vents should all be considered when soundproofing, to make sure the room is as sealed as possible with ‘weak points’ reenforced as much as possible.

Our acoustic insulation products are very effective in garages and lofts that need to be used for noisy activities such as band practice. They’re also great for keeping noise out if you need some peace and quiet whilst you work in your office.

Soundproofing Doors and Windows in a Garage

The biggest weak spots for sound to escape from your garage will be doors and windows. Ideally, if you can get away with no windows in your garage, your soundproofing will be much more effective. Otherwise, triple glazing or specialist acoustic glazing are your best bets.

Doors with a high mass, with no air gaps between the door and frame, are important when soundproofing your garage. Heavy fire doors work well, or you could think about adding a layer of mass-loaded vinyl to your existing door.

For any help or advice on any of our soundproofing products, please send us a message, or give us a call on 01204 548400