How to Soundproof a Room in an Apartment
To soundproof a room in an apartment without damage, seal the door, swap in a solid core door, fit press-in window inserts, put padded rugs down, and make your source quieter. Shared walls are off limits for renters, and under the International Building Code they're designed to at least STC 50: National Gypsum notes the code sets STC 50 as the minimum between units.
Renter-safe fixes, in order
- Seal the door. Seals set a door's rating. TruStile's 1-3/4 inch MDF door rates STC 21 with basic seals and 33 with a full package. A stick-on perimeter gasket and a door sweep come off at move-out.
- Swap a hollow door. Masonite says its solid core doors use 70 percent more material than hollow core and "help reduce the transfer of noise between rooms." Store the original and rehang it when you leave.
- Insert the windows. Indow's inserts press in on a compression tube. Larger ones need small frame brackets screwed in, so ask first.
- Pad the floor. Owens Corning's assembly guide says carpet and pad greatly improve impact isolation while airborne STC "is changed very little," so rugs spare the neighbor below your footsteps, not your music.
- Shrink the source. Mix on headphones at night, track vocals in a portable vocal booth, and play electronic drums on a damper: Roland says its NE-10 Noise Eater cuts playing noise and vibration to the room below by about 75 percent.
Traffic noise is covered in how to soundproof a room from outside noise, and cheap sealing steps in how to soundproof a room cheaply. For permanent work you could do with permission, see how to soundproof a home studio.
Related questions
Can I soundproof a shared apartment wall?
Not properly without the landlord, because the fixes that work (resilient channel or a second stud wall) mean building work. Move your loudest gear and your desk off that wall instead.
How do I stop footstep noise from upstairs?
It has to be fixed on their floor. Owens Corning says carpet and pad greatly improve a floor's impact rating, so ask the upstairs neighbor or landlord about rugs with pads.
Will acoustic panels stop my neighbors hearing me?
No. Panels absorb echo inside your room but don't block sound through the wall. See do acoustic panels keep sound out.
More answers: Home recording FAQ