How to Soundproof a Room: The Complete DIY Guide

Soundproofing Guide

Stop the noise.
Use the right material.

Most people buy foam panels for a noise problem. Foam does not block sound. This guide covers what actually works and why.

Walls & Apartments Doors Home Studios Cars & Vehicles Ceilings & Floors

The most common mistake

Soundproofing vs sound absorption

These two terms describe opposite problems. Confusing them is the most expensive mistake in DIY acoustics.

Soundproofing (blocking)

Problem: you can hear noise from another room, the street, or the flat above.

Goal: stop sound passing through a wall, door, floor or ceiling.

Material: Mass Loaded Vinyl, dense barriers, acoustic sealant.

Measured in: STC. Higher is better.

Sound absorption (treating)

Problem: your room echoes, voices sound harsh, recordings sound boxy.

Goal: reduce reflections inside the room.

Material: acoustic foam, felt panels, bass traps, fabric.

Measured in: NRC. Higher is better.

If you can hear your neighbours, foam will not fix it. You need mass. If your room echoes on video calls, foam is exactly what you need.

How sound blocking works

The four things that actually block sound

DIY projects usually only need principles 1 and 4. Everything else is a bonus.

1Mass

Heavy, dense material resists being vibrated by sound. This is why a brick wall blocks more than a hollow door. Mass Loaded Vinyl adds mass without adding much thickness.

2Decoupling

Separating two surfaces so vibration cannot travel directly between them. Resilient channels and staggered studs do this. Usually a construction-stage decision.

3Damping

Converting vibration energy into heat, typically with a compound between two rigid layers. A damping compound between two sheets of drywall is the standard example.

4Sealing

Sound travels through air. A 1% gap around a door can undo most of the benefit of a heavy wall. Gaps around outlets and at skirting boards are the cheapest wins available.

Start with sealing. It costs the least and often produces the most noticeable improvement. Weatherstrip a door and fit a sweep before buying anything else.

Room by room

What to do in each space

Expand each situation for a step-by-step approach.

🏠Shared apartment wall

Neighbour noise through a party wall is the hardest DIY problem because you cannot open up their side.

Seal every gap: skirting boards, electrical outlets, where wall meets ceiling and floor. Use acoustic sealant, not standard filler. Fit putty pads behind outlet boxes on shared walls.
Add mass with MLV fixed directly to the wall surface, overlapping seams and taping them.
If you can lose 30-40mm of depth, add a layer of drywall over the MLV. Mass plus a rigid layer performs considerably better than MLV alone.
For walls with cavity access, fill with mineral wool insulation before closing up.
Add absorption panels on top if the room also echoes. This is a comfort improvement, not a blocking one.

Expect meaningful reduction in speech and TV noise. Deep bass from a subwoofer will remain audible.

Sealing products

Self-adhesive door seal Foam weather strip Door bottom seal Outlet putty pads

Mass barrier

MLV Roll MLV Tiles Mineral Wool

Reduce room echo

Acoustic Foam Panels

🚪Doors

Doors are usually the weakest point in any room. Hollow-core interior doors have almost no mass, and the gap around the frame leaks sound freely.

Fit weatherstrip around the frame and a sweep at the bottom. Do this first.
Fix MLV to the door face. On a hollow-core door this makes a large relative difference.
For a stronger result, sandwich MLV between the door and a thin MDF panel.
Replacing a hollow-core door with a solid-core door beats any treatment you can apply to a hollow one.

Sealing products

Self-adhesive door seal Foam weather strip Door bottom seal Outlet putty pads

Mass barrier

MLV Roll

Complete solution

Shop Door Kit

🎵Home studio or recording space

Studios need both jobs done, and in this order:

Block first. MLV on walls, sealed door, treated window. If outside noise reaches the mic, no amount of absorption will remove it from the recording.
Then absorb. Acoustic foam at first-reflection points, bass traps in corners. This is what makes recordings sound clean and professional.

For podcasters and voiceover artists who need a quick portable solution, a vocal isolation booth is a practical alternative to full room treatment.

Mass barrier

MLV Roll MLV Tiles

Portable solution

Vocal Isolation Booth

Acoustic treatment

Acoustic Foam Panels

🚗Cars and vehicles

Road and engine noise enters through thin, resonant sheet metal. Treatment has two steps: damping the panel so it stops ringing, then adding a mass barrier.

Apply a butyl-based sound deadener to door skins, floor pan, boot and roof. 25-50% coverage per panel is enough to stop resonance.
Add MLV over the top on the floor and firewall for airborne road noise.
Alternatively, an aluminum foil insulation mat combines heat and sound deadening in one layer.
Cut materials with scissors or a utility knife and fit around trim and wiring.

Mass barrier

MLV Roll Aluminum Foil Mat

⬆️Ceilings and floors

Footsteps from above are impact noise, which behaves differently from airborne noise. Mass helps, but decoupling and soft surfaces help more.

Under flooring: MLV as an underlayment beneath laminate or engineered wood reduces impact transmission to the room below.
Ceilings: acoustic ceiling panels reduce echo and improve the quality of sound inside the room.
For airborne noise through the ceiling, MLV fixed overhead then covered with drywall is the most effective non-construction approach.
Rugs with thick underlay on the floor above are more effective per dollar than anything you can do from below.

Mass barrier

MLV Roll

Ceiling treatment

Ceiling Panels Acoustic Foam Panels

Find your product

Which product for which job

Match your problem to the right solution.

Neighbours through walls

MLV Roll

Cut-your-own 1m x 1m roll. Best for large continuous areas, behind drywall, and vehicle floors.

Shop MLV Roll

Spot treatment, small areas

MLV Tiles

Pre-cut 12 x 12 in tiles. Best for window recesses, behind TVs, modular wall coverage.

Shop MLV Tiles

Wall cavity insulation

Mineral Wool

Dense fibre insulation for filling wall and ceiling cavities. Absorbs sound energy inside the wall structure.

Shop Mineral Wool

Cars and vehicles

Aluminum Foil Mat

Heat and sound deadening in one layer. Fits door panels, floor pan and boot.

Shop Foil Mat

Podcasts, vocals, recording

Vocal Isolation Booth

Portable recording booth that reduces external noise for podcasts, singing and voiceovers.

Shop Isolation Booth

Room echo, recording quality

Acoustic Foam Panels

For reducing reflections and reverberation inside your room. Not for blocking neighbour noise.

Shop Foam Panels

Door gaps and draughts

Door Kit

Everything you need to seal and treat a door in one kit. Weather strip, sweep and barrier.

Shop Door Kit

Not sure how much you need

Free Tiles Calculator

Enter your room dimensions and get a precise quantity estimate before you buy.

Use Calculator

Performance data

Arrowzoom MLV — transmission loss

Engineering estimates for KK1146 roll and KK1246 tiles. Both share identical surface weight and material composition.

Surface weight 2 lb/ft² 9.8 kg/m²

Estimated STC 31-33 Speech-frequency range

Thickness options 1.2 / 2.0 mm 0.05 / 0.08 in

Material Non-toxic vinyl Low-emission, fire-retardant

Water resistance Waterproof Black finish

Certification UL Classified Wall, floor & ceiling

UL
CLASS

UL Classified product Approved for use in wall, floor and ceiling assemblies. A requirement for all commercial construction.

Transmission Loss vs Frequency

KK1146 / KK1246 — 2 lb/ft² — Internal engineering estimate AZ-MLV-INT-REV01

Material / SKU	125	250	500	1000	2000	4000	STC
KK1246 — Pre-cut tiles	11-13	21-23	29-31	34-36	37-39	40-42	31-33
KK1146 — Large sheet / roll	11-13	21-23	29-31	34-36	37-39	40-42	31-33

Values in dB. Internal engineering estimate AZ-MLV-INT-REV01.

Internal engineering estimate. Actual installed performance depends on assembly, seams, fastening and perimeter sealing. Reference: AZ-MLV-INT-REV01.

Product properties and format comparison

Property	KK1246 — Pre-cut MLV tiles	KK1146 — Large sheet / roll
Format	Pre-cut individual tiles	Cut-your-own large-format sheet / roll
Unit size	12 x 12 in (30 x 30 cm)	1 m x 1 m (39 x 39 in)
Thickness options	1.2 mm / 0.05 in; 2.0 mm / 0.08 in	1.2 mm / 0.05 in; 2.0 mm / 0.08 in
Surface weight	2 lb/ft² (9.8 kg/m²)	2 lb/ft² (9.8 kg/m²)
Unit weight	2 lb (0.91 kg) per tile	Approx. 22 lb (9.8 kg) per sheet
Coverage	1 ft² per tile; approx. 24 ft² per 24-pack	Approx. 10.8 ft² (1 m²) per sheet
Color / water resistance	Black / waterproof	Black / waterproof
Published STC claim	Approx. 31-33	Approx. 31-33
Best-use distinction	Spot treatment; modular coverage; small areas	Continuous areas; behind drywall, doors and vehicle floors

Common questions

Frequently asked

Does acoustic foam block sound from neighbours?

No. Acoustic foam absorbs sound reflections inside a room, which reduces echo. It has almost no mass, so it does not stop sound passing through a wall. To block neighbour noise you need a dense barrier such as Mass Loaded Vinyl, combined with sealing every air gap.

What is Mass Loaded Vinyl and how does it work?

Mass Loaded Vinyl is a thin, dense, flexible sheet loaded with mineral fillers to make it heavy for its thickness. Sound blocking depends primarily on mass, so adding MLV to a lightweight surface such as drywall, a hollow door or a car panel increases how much sound that surface stops. It is specified by surface weight in pounds per square foot.

What does STC mean?

STC stands for Sound Transmission Class. It is a single number summarising how much airborne sound a construction blocks across speech frequencies. Higher is better. A standard interior wall is often around STC 33, meaning loud speech is audible but not clearly intelligible. STC is measured for a whole assembly, not a material in isolation.

Can I soundproof a room without construction work?

Partly. Sealing gaps, weatherstripping doors, fitting sweeps, adding heavy curtains and fixing MLV to surfaces all work without opening up a wall. These measures reduce speech, traffic and TV noise noticeably. Deep bass and footstep impact noise generally require decoupling, which does need construction work.

How much MLV do I need?

Measure the full surface area you want to treat and add roughly 10% for overlapping seams. Partial coverage leaves weak points, so treat the entire surface rather than sections of it. Use our tiles calculator for an estimate, or contact our team with your dimensions.

Should I soundproof or absorb first?

Block first, then absorb. If outside noise is still entering the room, absorption panels will make the room sound cleaner without removing that noise. Once the room is sealed and mass has been added, absorption is what improves speech clarity and recording quality.

Is Arrowzoom MLV fire retardant?

Yes. Both KK1146 and KK1246 are non-toxic, low-emission and fire-retardant. Arrowzoom MLV is UL Classified and approved for use in wall, floor and ceiling assemblies, meeting the requirement for commercial construction installations.

Ready to block the noise?

Shop the soundproofing range or send us your room dimensions and we will tell you exactly what to use.

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Keep reading

Related guides

Soundproofing FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

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How do I soundproof my wall against noisy neighbours? 🤫

Soundproofing aims to prevent sound from entering or leaving a room, like blocking noise from those pesky neighbours. For more tips, check out our guide on soundproofing against noisy neighbours! 📖

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How many Acoustic Panels Do I Need?

The first step is going to be installing acoustic panels on your walls. These reduce the reverberations and echoes in the space.

Use our Free Tiles Calculator to find out

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How do you install soundproofing? 🔧

There are two main options for installing our DIY soundproofing solutions, and we're here to support you every step of the way!

DIY Installation:

All of our systems are DIY-friendly, saving you on installation costs.

80% of customers install the systems themselves because we’ve made it easy!

We provide simple, step-by-step installation guides and videos for a hassle-free experience.

Our technical team is ready to answer any questions and offer support. We're here for you! 🤗

Use a Local Contractor:

You're on your way to a noise-free home! If DIY isn’t an option, consider hiring a local tradesperson.

We simplify the process by communicating directly with your tradesperson throughout the installation.

Visit our installation page for more details! 📞

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What's the difference between impact and airborne noise? 🔊

1. Airborne Noise

This travels through the air, like conversations, TV sounds, or barking dogs. When sound waves hit a building, they cause it to vibrate, transmitting through the structure.

2. Impact Noise

This results from physical impacts on buildings, such as footsteps, slamming doors, or moving furniture. Impact noise can be harder to isolate, as these vibrations are stronger and travel further through dense materials.

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What are decibels? 📏

Decibels are measured logarithmically (not as a percentage) . This means that every increase of 10dB on the scale is a tenfold increase in sound pressure level (SPL) . Near silence is 0dB 🤫, while a sound at 10dB is ten times louder!