The Quiet Site

Here’s another soundproofing mistake/myth for you to consider.

Should you, or should you not, attempt to soundproof a room by attaching carpet to the walls?

The answer is a resounding NO. First of all, the carpet won’t make much difference when it comes to the level of sound capable of entering the room. It may help the acoustic absorbency, or the amount of sound the leaves the room, but why would you want to settle for something that only solves 50% of the problem (and, honestly, looks pretty terrible).

The problem you will have with carpet is similar to the problem you will have if you attempt to nail a mattress to your wall. In the end, it’ll deteriorate, look bad, and may even begin to smell bad.

Don’t waste your time on materials that won’t get the job done. Get yourself the right materials and build yourself a sound barrier that will last.

We’re going to take some time to look at some of the most common mistakes people make when they attempt to soundproof their homes. One of the biggest (and most amusing to us) is the use of egg crates or cardboard egg holder style materials.

Egg crates are good for one thing and one thing alone – holding eggs. Egg crate material is not made to act as a sound barrier. Egg crates are made out of a lightweight material that is good for protecting eggs from the elements. This material is “holy,” meaning sound can easily pass through it in many places even though it appears to be solid.

Do not waste your time, money, or energy searching for large quantities of egg crate material. The time you spend hunting it down and attempting to install it will be time spent in vain.

And, to make matters worse, installing egg crates might even make your noise problems worse!

Just don’t do it!