In earlier days, only musicians used to make their rooms soundproof for the sake of their art. Hence, the soundproofing solutions were neither convenient nor economical for most people. But the time has changed. Soundproofing your walls has become essential these days, especially if you live in a chaotic neighborhood. So, the new flexible technologies, e.g., spray foam insulation, have entered the market.
Compared to other inventions, spray foam insulation has captured more eyes in a limited time due to its effectiveness. But little do we know about the potential of this technology. Hence, we want to take a moment to share the tricks for maximizing noise reduction with spray foam insulation.
How Does The Sound Proofing Actually Work?
In our everyday life, we encounter three types of sound frequencies. Among them, the middle and high frequency noises, e.g., dog’s barking, vacuum cleaner, etc., are less strong. On the other hand, the low frequency sound, for example, vehicle or aircraft noise, are loud and travel longer distances.
Logically speaking, to soundproof a room, we just need to find a way to block or cancel out these frequencies. And how do we do that?
Of course, by creating a barrier in the path of the sound waves. An obstacle on the road weakens the sound frequency and allows us to get rid of unwanted noises.
The modern soundproofing technologies use reflection and absorption techniques to remove the vibrational energies. Our spray foam insulation adopts a sound blocking and absorption principle for noise reduction.
Depending on the type, the foams will either block the sound wave or absorb them.
Soundproofing with Spray Foam Insulation
The spray foams are made of two basic components, polyol resin and isocyanate. When you apply the foam on a wall, it will expand first and harden eventually, leaving a flexible and dense structure.
How does this barrier act soundproof? Here’s how,
- Intricate Open Cell Structure: The open foam matrix has a porous structure to trap tiny air bubbles. Sound waves get absorbed while passing through the intricate microstructure.
- Less Vibrational Energy: The dense, closed spray foam can successfully block and dampen the sound wave.
- Hard Insulation Matrix: The hard foam barrier does not sway along with the strong sound vibration. The frequency gets weaker as it counters rigid obstacles on the way.
Is Spray Foam Soundproofing Effective?
In the STC (a measurement for noise reduction) scale, the spray foam structure scores 39. This means the foam can successfully block the basic noise pollution.
As for the low frequency noises, no insulation guaranteedly works. However, spray foam does its best to dampen the sound effect. Therefore, only a muffled noise is audible which is neither disturbing nor nerve wrecking.
How to Maximize Noise Reduction with Spray Foam Sound Proofing
Improving the noise reduction quality of spray foam is easy if you know the following tricks:
1. Purchase the Right Spray Foam
Two types of spray foam are available in the market, the open cell and closed cell. As the name suggests, the open cell spray foam is porous and traps air bubbles in them. This can absorb the sound wave.
The closed cell spray, on the contrary, is rigid. Thus, it can block the sound wave transmission.
Our expertise says that closed cell spray foam is better for below ground walls. Purchase a foam with R-6 and R-7 per inch rating.
On the contrary, the open cell spray foam insulation suits well on residential and commercial buildings. You can choose between R-3.6 to R-3.9 inch rated spray foam for the best experience.
2. Focus on Installation Process
While installing the spray foam insulation, you need to ensure that the foam sticks tightly to the surface. Any air gap between the foam and the holes will leave room for noises to travel. Use the right motion and angle to cover the wall with spray foam without leaving any air gap.
3. Decide the Right Thickness
The thickness of the spray foam soundproofing definitely matters in minimizing the sound effect. A thin foam barrier can dampen high-frequency noises, while a thick barrier is needed to remove low-frequency noises.
So, which thickness do you need? The right way to calculate the R per inch value is to start by measuring the noise level in your room.
Determine the busiest and quietest hours in your area to track down the sound frequency. You can use online tools and software to process the data.
When you hire a professional, he takes care of the math and relieves you from the headache.
4. Use the Specialized Tools
As mentioned, to maximize the noise reduction, you must not leave any room for air between the surface and the foam layer. But you cannot achieve such precision with the usual leveling tools.
We recommend high volume spray rigs to get a top of the line spray foam layout. Once you can neatly patch all the cavities, there is no way the sounds can leak through your walls.
Concluding Remarks
Spray foaming has become a popular choice for soundproofing because of its effectiveness and affordability. This insulation is easier to install, and filling out the surface gaps is no big deal.
However, most people make mistakes in choosing the right type of foam spray and calculating the R-value. We recommend you ring up the nearest spray foam solution company and hire them for consultancy. This will make the job hassle-free and you can enjoy the maximize noise reduction with spray foam insulation on budget.