Does Insulation Help with Soundproofing?

First of all you need to identify why you need to soundproof your room/house/office. Where are the noises coming from that are annoying you the most? Are they external or internal noises? Or do you need to create a sound proof booth for recording purposes? The level of soundproofing you require will determine the type of soundproofing you need.

There are two types of soundproofing:

Sound absorbing:
Sound absorbing is where the materials used capture the unwanted sounds and prevent them from bouncing off the surrounding surfaces quite so easily. Usually this is achieved by softer materials absorbing the sounds thereby deadening them.

Sound blocking:
Sound blocking stops sound waves and vibrations completely by the use of very thick sturdy materials. By doing this the noise cannot be heard on either side of the blockade.

There are a few common misconceptions about soundproofing that you should also be aware of, for a start, egg boxes do not work. Egg boxes are made of cardboard which is a porous material which means it is not sound proof. They are also highly flammable, so we really would not recommend using them.

So what about insulation?

Fibreglass insulation
Fibreglass used to thermally insulate a room is extremely effective. It is a very popular choice and works really well to keep a room warm in colder months. It does offer some sound absorption as well, but will not totally block out the sound.

A few inches of fibreglass in walls and ceilings can absorb up to 5 decibels of sound. It is ok for the noisy office environment when you wish to reduce the noise pollution. Fibreglass insulation will absorb a lot of noise from chatter, for example, from bleeding into other offices.

As explained above, absorption of sound is not the same as blocking it. No matter how much fibreglass insulation you add to your walls and ceilings, you will never achieve full sound blocking. There will only ever be a reduction, and you may find that this reduction is just not enough.

Another consideration with the use of fibreglass insulation as a soundproof system, is that it won't work on echo. So if the noise is inside the room you are in, rather than from room to room, the echo will still bounce off the walls and create higher noise levels. This is because the fibreglass is inside the wall or ceiling and there is nothing to prevent the sound rebounding. The absorption only works from the outside to the inside of the room and vice versa.

What about other types of insulation?

Unfortunately insulation is just that, it is to insulate your space. Keeping the heat in and the cold out. Every type of insulation has its merits and pitfalls. But none of them are effective at soundproofing.

Many insulation systems will help in part with sound absorption, but if you want to properly soundproof your environment, then you need to use the appropriate soundproof technology.

Whatever level of soundproofing you are looking for, get in touch with one of our friendly and knowledgable team at Noise Stop Systems today. We can help you decide on the best solution for your soundproofing and noise reduction needs.