How Much Does It Cost To Soundproof A Room?

If you’ve ever been in a room with terrible acoustics, you should know how sound can travel and echo in all the wrong places – it’s enough to drive anyone out of control. And if you’re trying to record an audio or video or trying to get some sleep, the sound can be even more of a problem. That’s why many people choose to soundproof their rooms. But after deciding to soundproof their rooms, they move forward to finding the cost of soundproofing which makes them ask the famous question ” How Much Does It Cost To Soundproof A Room?”

The truth is, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. The cost of soundproofing a room differs and depends on various factors such as the size of the room, the type of the room, the materials to be used, and so on. 

That being said, we’d be discussing a lot about the cost of soundproofing a room and other information about soundproofing in this blog post. So, if you have been asking the question “How much does it cost to soundproof a room?”, kindly read on for detailed information. 

Is soundproofing worth the money? 

Oh, yea! Soundproofing is worth the money, particularly when you have noisy neighbors. Noise has a way of penetrating a room. It could pass through walls, ceilings, doors, windows, or floors. 

And one way to prevent the noise from coming in further is by soundproofing the area you think the sound is passing through or soundproofing the whole room. 

Truth be told, we all need our space (a quiet home to be precise) to relax or work, but if it is invaded by noise, there’s no way we can enjoy the peace we want. 

How Much Does It Cost To Soundproof A Room? (A Detailed Explanation)

As aforesaid, the cost to soundproof a room varies and depends on the size of the room (mostly), the type of the room, the area you want to soundproof, and the soundproofing materials. However, the cost to soundproof a room is most likely to range from $1000 to $3000. 

In some cases, you might spend up to $5000 to $6000 which can be a result of the size of the room (large) and the quality of the material to be used. You should keep in mind that the cost of soundproofing a room that is still being constructed is lesser than the cost of soundproofing an already existing room. 

This is because the payment for labor would be added to the building costs and the workers can easily access the areas to be soundproofed. In addition, the cost of soundproofing a room could also depend if you’re hiring a skilled person or if you’re DIY-ing. 

The breakdown of the cost of soundproofing 

Typically, the actual reasons why soundproofing is done are to keep sound from emanating out of a room and to prevent noise from penetrating a room. As aforementioned, sound or noise is most likely to penetrate or emanate out of a room through some core places in a room such as a door, window, wall, etc. 

Hence, the way soundproofing would be administered and the cost would vary. That being said, the places in a room that commonly need to be soundproofed and the breakdown of the cost for each place would be discussed below. 

Places in a room that is commonly soundproofed	What can affect the cost of soundproofing each place?	Cost estimation for soundproofing each place
Walls soundproofing	Square footage and materials: These items mostly affect the cost estimation of soundproofing the walls of a room.  This is because the square footage of rooms could differ and the materials preferred to be used cost differently.  Not excluding the cost of labor if you’re not DIY-ing.	$1000 – $3000
Ceiling soundproofing	The square footage of the ceiling and the materials preferred to use could affect the cost of soundproofing a room’s ceiling.	Similar to wall soundproofing – $1000 – $3000
Floor soundproofing	Similar to wall and ceiling soundproofing, the square footage and materials you decide to use can affect the cost of soundproofing a floor.  Also, the type of project such as if the floor is still in construction or it has been constructed.	$1000 – $6000
Door soundproofing	The type of interior door you have in your room can determine the cost of soundproofing the door.	$1000 – $3000
Windows soundproofing	The cost of soundproofing a window depends mostly on the number of windows you have.	$385 – $1200

Related posts: Can I Soundproof My Ceiling?

What are the types of materials used for soundproofing?

There are diverse types of materials that can be used for soundproofing, they all cost differently, and have different purposes. Below are the most used soundproofing materials. 

Acoustic panels 

Acoustic panels are one of the most used soundproofing materials that are made with foam. The foam used in making these panels is designed in a way it deflects and absorbs sound waves. 

By doing these, echoes are lessened, sounds are trapped from leaving the room, sounds are prevented from entering the room, and sounds are enhanced in better quality. 

The acoustic panel’s cost often depends on the quality of the foam used and the size of the panel you want. But they are mostly sold for $2 – $4 per pack. 

Underlayment 

The underlayment is another material used for soundproofing floors made of open cellular rubber that is connected to a fiberglass backing. 

This material is a coating that develops a smooth, flat veneer for the surface of a floor covering. It is placed on the subfloor and the flooring materials such as tile, hardwood, stone, etc. The underlayment material is likely to cost $10 to $20.

Mass-loaded vinyl 

The mass-loaded vinyl is a soundproof material that is mostly used for soundproofing. This is because the insulation qualities present in this vinyl make it super beneficial for soundproofing. 

The mass-loaded vinyl is a delicate sheet made with adjustable vinyl that has small metal pieces added to it. Due to the effectiveness of this soundproofing material, it might cost more than other soundproofing materials. 

Soundproof drywall

Another soundproof material is soundproof drywall. The soundproof drywall material is manufactured with a combination of steel-like materials and gypsum. 

This material can be used for building new walls, placing on already existing walls, or replacing old walls. The cost of the soundproof drywall material differs depending on the type you wish to purchase. 

For instance, if you want the drywall material with the enhanced gypsum board, then you’d be paying $40 per sheet. But if you want the standard drywall, you’d be paying $10. 

Soundproof insulation

Lastly, on my list, is soundproof insulation. This soundproof insulation is quite denser than normal insulation, and it has fiberglass. 

The combination of the density and fiberglass in this soundproof insulation makes it a perfect choice for soundproofing. The cost of this could range from $3 to $5 – it could be higher than this. 

FAQs

What are the types of sound?

When attempting to eliminate sound, two primary sounds are being eliminated, and they are structure-borne sound and airborne sound.

Structure-borne sound 

The structure-borne sound is a type of sound/noise that occurs when two objects collide. An instance where your plate falls on the floor, the sound travels through the structural components of the floor. 

This implies that the structural elements are what accomplish the vibrational energy. 

Airborne sound 

The airborne sound is another type of sound that is commonly experienced. The airborne sound transpires when playing music, watching TV, talking, etc. 

After the sound is created, it induces a soundwave or vibrational energy which is then picked up by air. 

Can you make a room completely soundproof?

Of course, you can make a room completely soundproof. However, you’d need to address three major areas before you can completely soundproof a room, and those areas are the source of the noise, the entry point of the sound, and the reflection points of the sound. 

I believe if you’re able to figure out these three factors, soundproofing your room completely would be done easily. And when dealing with any of the factors, you’d be using materials like acoustic foams or panels, curtains, and other soundproofing materials to prevent sounds from coming into the room any further. 

Can you soundproof a shared wall?

Oh, yea! You can soundproof a shared wall. Typically, sound communication through shared walls is a common problem, so a lot of solutions have been found to solve this noise issue. 

The use of enhanced soundproof drywalls, thick membranes, and some other soundproof materials can be used to soundproof shared walls.

Final Verdict – How Much Does It Cost To Soundproof A Room?

Soundproofing your room becomes very important when you’re being disturbed by noise or if you have complaints from your neighbors about the noise emanating from your room to theirs. But since sounds tend to come in or pass through different places in a room, you’d have to first find out the area and properly plan how you intend to soundproof the area(s).  

Fortunately, we’ve provided a breakdown of the cost of soundproofing a room in this blog post. I hope this helps.