How to Sound Proof Your Memphis Apartment
Aug 17th, 2007 by Memphis Apartments
Noise is often one of the most common complaints about Memphis apartment living. Whether it is a neighbor making the noise or outside elements such as traffic, it comes with the territory. However, there are ways you can minimize noise in your Memphis apartment.
Let’s start with the floors. While hard wood floors are beautiful, they are also noisy. Use area rugs throughout your Memphis apartment to help buffer the noise inside your Memphis apartment. This will also minimize the noise in the Memphis apartment below your Memphis apartment.
You can also minimize noise if you do not wear shoes in your Memphis apartment. Practice walking softly across the floor. Heavy treads can cause the floor to shake. Remember that your floor might be someone’s ceiling.
The sound of other tenants walking in the Memphis apartment above you is a common complaint. If you have carpet throughout your Memphis apartment, the other Memphis apartments are likely to have wall-to-wall carpeting as well. As a result, noise should not echo on your floors or in the Memphis apartment below you.
Once you have sound proofed your floors, begin working on your walls. The best way to sound proof your walls is to use acoustic curtains. Obviously you can use acoustic curtains over your windows as regular window treatments. Acoustic curtains are lined with sound proofing material.
To provide extra sound proofing on windows, double up your acoustic curtains. Keep in mind that these curtains are heavier than most traditional curtains. If you decide to use two sets of curtains, get an extra strong curtain rod. If your local department store does not carry strong rods, visit a hardware store.
Acoustic curtains over your windows prevent noise from entering and exiting your Memphis apartment. They stop the outside traffic noise from entering your Memphis apartment. Your children can play inside and not worry about the noise they make. You do not have to worry about neighbors overhearing your conversations.
Now that you have sound proofed your windows, it is time to focus your attention on your walls. Purchase acoustic curtains in colors that coordinate with your walls and room décor. Hang the curtains on your walls and in doorways to further sound proof your Memphis apartment.
Get curtains in decorative material and creative patterns to add accent to your rooms as you sound proof them. Acoustical curtains are particularly useful when placed on shared walls between Memphis apartments. While you can’t control the noise in other Memphis apartments, you can control the amount that seeps into your Memphis apartment.
You can also strategically place wall hangings such as wall tapestries or decorative throws on or against your walls to help minimize noise. Large pieces of furniture placed directly against walls can be problematic. Place throws or blankets between furniture and walls. This will decrease reverberations into the room that can shake furniture, creating even more noise.
Hang decorative acoustic curtains in doorways to keep noise in rooms. You can secure the edges of the curtains to the door frames to improve sound proofing. One of the best ways to secure the edges is to use double sided tape. Make sure the tape is not too sticky. You don’t want to strip paint or otherwise damage the door frame when you remove the curtains.
Of course, you can change behaviors to minimize noise. For example, if you have children, do not allow them to run through your Memphis apartment. This can be annoying to the tenant who lives in the Memphis apartment below you.
These sound proofing techniques can be especially important if you are the noisy neighbor. If you have children or pets, neighbors might complain to the landlord about the noise coming from your Memphis apartment. Be proactive and sound proof your Memphis apartment as much as possible.
Just because you live in a Memphis apartment does not mean you have tolerate typical Memphis apartment noise. There are ways to sound proof your Memphis apartment. Most are fairly inexpensive. The resulting quiet is well worth the price!