Whether you’re looking for studio soundproofing techniques or some simple tips on how to make a room soundproof, or even if you’d like to make a soundproof box or a DIY soundproof wall, we have soundproofing advice and DIY techniques for you!

These soundproofing techniques will not cancel out all the noise that comes into and out of living spaces. Unfortunately, that’s almost impossible without proper (and expensive) apartment renovations and soundproofing materials! Studio soundproofing can be very expensive! However, if you’re looking at how to make a room soundproof, these ideas will help reduce and dampen a lot of noise!

How to Make a Room Soundproof

Apartments often have thin walls in Japan, which means that the sound travels easily between rooms and apartments. It isn’t hard to disturb your neighbors! Sound from the television, footsteps, appliances, voices, music, and more all bleeds easily into the apartments of fellow neighbors.

If you’re a musician, this means it can be really hard to practice in your own home. If you have young children, it might be hard trying to control their sounds. In these scenarios, you may want to consider some DIY soundproofing.

In other scenarios, you may be bothered by other noise such as your neighbors, traffic, and trains. If you’ve been searching for how to make a room soundproof after one too many nights of being kept awake by frustrating noises, please don’t worry – you’re not alone – we are here to help!

Finding studio soundproofing techniques suitable for rental apartments can be difficult, particularly things that won’t damage apartments or cause any permanent changes. So, we’ve made sure to include a lot of these for any renters!

Soundproof Box

Musicians may be looking to make a little space to practice without the worry of disturbing anyone. Making or purchasing a soundproof box is a great solution.

Soundproofing materials can be expensive. So, if you make one designated soundproofed area, it will be cheaper than soundproofing a whole apartment or living space.

This isn’t the best solution for everyone, since it won’t help with blocking sound bleeding into and out of the rest of the apartment. However, it does have its benefits! A soundproof box can be useful for home recording artists since it will dampen some annoying sounds microphones pick up, such as fridge noise or traffic.

Soundproof box rooms are available for purchase in Japan. One brand of these boxes is ‘Danbocchi’. They are a small space, roomy enough to do desk work. They’re made out of thick cardboard, costing about ¥100,000. A much cheaper soundproof box option is to make your own using some of the methods we suggest below!

Studio Soundproofing: Door

When searching for how to make a room soundproof, please consider that a lot of sound leaks through the door. This means that the door is a great place to start.

Solutions for minimizing the sound that comes in and out through your door include purchasing a soundproofing door panel or making DIY soundproofing for your door.

DIY Soundproofing Door Panels

One thrifty way to DIY soundproofing panels is to purchase carpet squares from 100-yen stores like Daiso. In many Japanese apartments, the door is magnetic. So, by attaching magnetic strips to the carpet squares, you can attach the squares to the door without causing any damage to the apartment.

Door Flaps and Draft Stoppers

A lot of sounds can leak in and out from gaps at the bottom of the door. If your door has a gap, you can purchase silicone under door flaps to cover up the space. It has the added benefit of reducing drafts too!

A doormat, draft stopper, or even just some material blocking the gaps at the bottom of the door will still help to reduce sound traveling.

Hanging Curtain

Hanging a thick curtain or blanket at the step up into the apartment can also help reduce sound coming in from outside. Various DIY stores and even 100-yen stores sell suspension poles so that you can stick up a pole without needing to screw anything into the wall.

Studio Soundproofing: Window

The windows are the next place to work on when figuring out how to soundproof an apartment.

Window Foam Tape

Single pane windows usually still let a draft in, which also lets sound in and out. You can use window foam tape to fill in any gaps where sound may leak out.

Nitori Soundproofing Curtains

Soundproofing curtains are available at stores such as Nitori and online. They’re made out of thick material, helping dampen any sound that passes through the window. They can also work well for blocking out bright streetlights and sunlight.

DIY Soundproof Wall

When thinking of studio soundproofing, many of us picture the fancy-looking acoustic panels and foam soundproofing that you find in music studios.

While acoustic panels and foam soundproofing are effective, they are also very expensive. You need a lot of it to soundproof a music studio – let alone a whole apartment! Another option is to try out a DIY soundproof wall.

If you notice any gaps, cracks, and marks where air can travel through, sound probably travels through these too. First of you’ll want to try covering these cracks up with whatever works best for your apartment; foam tape, soundproof caulk, or any sealant or hanging a thick piece of material can all help. Duct tape works as a cheap alternative, but you may want to be careful with damaging the wallpaper.

A DIY soundproof wall will work much better when combined with other forms of soundproofing like on the windows and doors since these are what a lot of sounds travel through.

To make the cheapest DIY soundproof wall, it’s best to just find bits around your house that you can use to add mass to your wall. It won’t get remove all noise, but it can dampen sound.

You can get creative with this! You could use carpet squares, thick blankets, or any dense material. Pin these up or nail them if the material is heavy and they’ll help reduce the sound! Learn how to do this without damaging your wall here!

For anyone struggling to sleep due to outside noise, many often resort to purchasing earplugs, white noise devices, and noise-cancelling headphones. These may not be ideal, but they can help, especially when our sleep is being compromised!

Hopefully, these tips help you with how to make a room soundproof so that you can enjoy life in your apartment without any disturbances or concerns of disturbing people! If you ever need help finding an apartment, be sure to check out the Village House website for a variety of rental options!