Three steps to better acoustics in your home
Do you have problems with the acoustics in your home?
You can stop your search for a solution! We've gathered three steps below that can help you resolve just that.
The three steps
Acoustics has a greater impact on our everyday lives than we might think. Headaches, tiredness, and stress are just some of the symptoms bad acoustics can cause.
Therefore, it is of immense importance that the rooms we are in throughout the day have optimized acoustics.
Usually, we can't control the acoustics at work, but luckily there are many options to optimize the acoustics at home.
We will go through the three steps we recommend starting out with below:
- Determine your acoustic needs
- Utilize the walls
- Optimize your home decor
Step 1: Determine your acoustic needs
The first step is to find out what your needs are - which can be a challenge in itself.
Because what are acoustic needs?
If your space needs an acoustic upgrade, you will experience a small echo, sometimes even so small that you won't notice it until there are more people in the room or you e.g. can't find the right volume for the TV.
Want to learn more? Click here and dive into what acoustics actually is.
So, maybe you experience this in your home office where there's only a computer and a desk?
Or do you find that it can be strenuous to hear what your family is saying while eating in the dining area?
Wherever you might experience acoustic issues, it is important to consider the following:
- How extensive is the issue? Do you just experience acoustic issues sometimes or all the time?
- Is it in a certain place or area the problem arises or is it in the entire room?
Depending on how you answer these questions there're ways to resolve the problems.
Step 2: Utilize the walls
An easy way to optimize the acoustics is to use the walls.
The walls are often near the source of the sound so you will often experience a noticeable difference when including the walls in your acoustic optimization.
There're many different acoustic wall panels on the market that are both easy to install and at a relatively low cost - though of course, we recommend our DAMPA® Silent Board.
An acoustic rule of thumb is that to create a good acoustic environment, you need to cover the walls with sound absorbing material equal to approximately 10-20% of the floor area.
The exact percentage depends on the current interior and the intended use of the room.
For example:
You might experience acoustic challenges in the living room when you are entertaining guests, but on a day-to-day basis, the acoustics are fine. Let’s assume that your living room is 30 m2. In that case, you'll need 3-6 m2 of the walls covered with sound absorbing materials. This is equal to 3-6 DAMPA® Silent Boards.
If you only experience the acoustic challenges when many people are gathered, too many acoustic elements might spoil your day-to-day experience. Therefore, it is a good idea to start small – maybe start by adding 2 panels and some soft elements in the interior, such as pillows and blankets.
Read more about how to calculate the number of panels you need here.
Step 3: Implement the acoustics in your decorating
The last step is to add new elements to your interior.
As mentioned in step two, soft elements like pillows and blankets will also have an effect on the acoustics.
Don't worry we don't recommend that you replace your hardwood floors with wall-to-wall-carpeting (even though it would do wonders for the acoustics), but maybe it is time to get that soft chair you always wanted or add a carpet beneath the coffee table.
Small adjustments also matter
It can seem like a big investment to optimize the acoustics, but fear not, it doesn't have to be that way.
Small adjustments can also make a difference and have an effect on the acoustics in your home.
If you have any doubts, please do not hesitate to contact us at hello@dampa.dk
