Garden Music Rooms: Why Acoustic Foam Doesn't Work
You stick foam tiles to a summerhouse and think it will stop the noise. It won't. Here is the right way to soundproof a room.
The Foam Myth
You buy a basic timber summerhouse and stick some foam tiles to the walls. You think you've built a soundproof music room.
You haven't. The bloke next door can still hear the drums.
Those foam panels don't block sound. They just stop the echo bouncing around inside. If you want to stop noise travelling straight through a thin timber wall, you need mass. Foam has zero mass.
Heavy Materials
Soundproofing comes down to heavy materials.
We build the actual walls out of heavy SIPs panels. They actually have weight to them. Inside, we use acoustic plasterboard. It's just thicker and heavier than standard board, which is what actually blocks the noise instead of just deadening the echo.
The Weak Points
There is no point putting heavy boards on the walls if you fit a standard door.
Sound just finds the weakest gap and leaks out. A standard shed door or thin summerhouse windows will ruin the whole build.
You need heavier doors and thicker glass. We fit doors with rubber seals so the noise can't just leak out the frame.
Build It Right
If you want to play music at night, don't buy a summerhouse and stick foam to it. Build the room out of proper heavy gear from day one.
Stop by the office at 17 Tweedale Road, Bournemouth, or call 07835 390845.
