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A bathroom can embarrass you a lot if it is not adequately soundproofed, especially when it is next to the living room. From the sound of the toilet flushing to you taking a call of nature.
Fortunately for you, there are ways you can adopt to make it easy to go to the bathroom without the fear of embarrassment. To effectively achieve a soundproof bathroom, make sure you soundproof the bathroom door, walls, and the toilet seat.
Continue reading to learn how to have a soundproof bathroom or read my review on quiet close toilet seat.
How to Soundproof a Bathroom Door
The bathroom door is usually the source of every noise coming from your bathroom. You will notice that your bathroom door has significant gaps making it easy for sound to travel through.
However, that doesn’t mean you can’t eliminate or reduce the noise coming from your bathroom.
So how do you eliminate the problem? Here are some of the helpful DIY tips.
1. Use a Door Seal
If you have any cracks or gaps on your bathroom door, chances are those outsides can hear your private activities in the bathroom. Which is why you need to seal them with soundproof weather stripping door kit.
Follow these steps to seal the cracks and gaps:
- Measure your bathroom door accurately.
- Using a handsaw, cut the weather strips to the right size.
- carefully the strips to cover the gaps and cracks on your bathroom door from either the inside or the outside
Following this procedure to seal the cracks and holes will reduce the noise and sound coming from your bathroom. Make sure you seal it around the door frame.
An easy solution could be replacing the whole door; however, the cost of doing that is a bit high.
2. Sound Dampening Blanket
If the weather stripping is not right for you, you can try using a sound dampening blanket. What do you understand by soundproof blankets, and what kind of blankets should you buy?
These blankets are made of sound-absorbing and reducing materials. Besides being cheap, they are easy to install, so you don’t need to call professionals.
sound dampening blankets like Grommeted Industrial Blanket – 78in.L x 72in.W also absorb any vibrations.
Even though sound absorbing blankets are cheap, some are not so pleasing to look at.
How to Soundproof Bathroom Wall
The new walls of the modern homes are hollow, which explains why there are a lot of bathroom noises heard from outside the bathroom. Soundproofing a bathroom wall doesn’t have to be expensive.
The sound from your bathroom could be coming through the walls. If you wish to soundproof your bathroom wall, you need to:
3. Seal Up the Gaps and Cracks on the Walls
Look for any crack or gaps on your bathroom walls; any crack, no matter the size, has the potential to let through a lot of noise.
Fill the gaps and cracks using a compound sealant and spread evenly on either side. Depending on the size, if the crack is, you will need to add more sealant to secure the wall completely.
Once the sealant has dried, sand it down for it not to look unusual.
You can also use a weather-strip tape to seal the cracks. A weather-strip tape is made of either plastic, silicone, and even steel. A strip tape is a cheaper alternative for those with a tight budget.
4. Add Drywall
Adding more mass to your bathroom wall will reduce the bathroom sounds. Even though it is expensive, drywall is much sufficient. It is also used alongside resilient channel for effective noise reduction.
Due to its technicalities, you should consult a professional before you begin the work.
The drywall is intended to increase the mass of your walls so that noise does not easily pass through.
- Measure the wall where you intend to put the drywall.
- With those measurements, get drywall that is of the same measurements.
- Make sure the old walls do not have any holes or gaps in them. In case if any, fill them up with a sealant.
- When through, put up the drywall and carefully screw it on the wall
5. Fill the Bathroom
If your bathroom only has toiletries, chances are the noise from the bathroom is too much. An empty room or semi-empty has echoes, which can be annoying.
So look for stuff to add in your bathroom. Consider adding wall art or more towels on the rack in your bathroom.
Also, you can store your beddings and linens on the shelves of the bathroom. Other things to consider include books and magazines. Put a rack on the wall next to the toilet. Not only will it help in noise reduction but also make bathroom trips enjoyable.
How to Soundproof Bathroom Floors
6. Install Sound Absorbing Floor Mats
One of the easy and cheap ways of soundproofing bathroom floors is by installing sound-absorbing floor mats. The beauty of these is that you can install them as a DIY project, thereby saving you money.
There are two types of interlocking floor mats available in home stores: Rubber Puzzle and pin mechanism.
- To start, make sure the bathroom floor is free from dust, dirt, or moisture. Also, remove any grease and debris. Then the next step is installing the mats:
- Loosely layout the interlocking mats over the bathroom floor to have a sense of how they will be laid.
- Lay the first row of the interlocking mats against the border. As you do that, make sure the border sides are flat and flush by cutting out all the protrusions.
- Align the protrusion with the next border tile. Connect the protrusions with the recesses in the other tile.
- After you have set up the first row, connect the non-border tiles (those that don’t need trimming) to cover the inside area of the mat.
- As the last step, trim the remaining border tiles and connect them.
7. Install Floor Underlayment
Floor underlayment is considered much effective at noise reduction, unlike the interlocking floors. The underlayment is placed below mats to provide an extra form of sound reduction.
Check out Floorlot Shop. Floors. Delivered. 200sqft 3mm Laminate Flooring Vapor Barrier Underlayment for your floor. The floor underlayment is installed on top of hardwood or concrete subfloor or vinyl floor. Before installing the underlayment, make sure the floor is free of dust, dirt, and debris. Also, ensure the subfloor is completely dry.
If you are installing it over concrete, make sure they are no cracks or holes. Also, ensure the floor is leveled correctly.
In case of any cracks or holes, fill them with epoxy filler and get rid of any excess lumps that may be a hindrance to the installation.
For the wood floor, make sure the wood floor material is of good quality. Also, get rid of nails on the surface.
To install the underlayment, start by installing a perimeter wall strip. The wall strip will protect the floor against any wall or any protrusion. Then roll the underlayment material on the floor to cover every inch.
Then use nails to secure the material on the edge floor completely. Repeat the process on every inch to ensure the bathroom floor is covered.
8. Installing Carpets Padding
Install carpets with thick padding on your bathroom floor will work well to absorb any sound.
Carpet padding is placed beneath your carpet to reduce noise and also provide comfort.
Your type of flooring can influence how much sound is heard from the bathroom. Sound bounces off hard surfaces like wood or tiles. So if there is no sound absorber, there will be too much noise in the bathroom.
Sound is transmitted through vibrations caused through reflections from hard surfaces. There is no way sound can bounce off a carpet because of the materials in it.
The carpet fibers have an absorption ability, which is why a room containing a carpet is much quite compared to those without.
A carpet is effective depending on the material used to make it. Wool carpets, for instance, have much more absorption ability compared to other types of carpets.
What to consider?
When shopping for a carpet for your bathroom, it is essential to look out for the cushion density. Go for the carpet with not more than the 7/16-inch thickness and not less than a ¼ inch.
Make sure the subfloor is even before installation. Also, remember to get rid of debris, dirt, grease, and moisture.
If you install carpet on an uneven floor will not solve the noise problem entirely. So use a leveling agent to get rid of the problem. Remember also to get rid of any holes that may Interfere with the installation of the carpet.
Once you have cleaned the floor, install tackles strips around the perimeter of your bathroom. Then lay out the carpet padding perpendicular to the carpet’s direction of installation.
Once you have installed the carpet, use a carpet trimmer to trim out the edges to remove the excess carpet.
Then secure the carpet to the subfloor. There are two methods of doing that: stapling and using glue. Glue works best on cement.
Before finally installing the carpet, collect any scraps or other items that may blend into the carpet causing bumps
On How to Soundproof Bathroom
As you have read, it is possible to reduce the noise heard from your bathroom.
A soundproof bathroom is that which has adopted noise reduction and absorption measures. Start with the door, and then the walls then finish by soundproofing your floor depending on where there is a problem.