Soundproofing is absolutely crucial for any homeowner. Whether you live in the city and are tired of hearing traffic 24/7, or you live in a rural environment and your peaceful evenings are disturbed by wildlife, not having proper soundproofing is a major problem.
Typically, homeowners think about their windows, doors, and wall insulation for soundproofing, but there’s something else that is absolutely necessary: Window coverings.
In this guide, we’re going to go over how soundproofing works, why window coverings are so important for it, and what window coverings you need to get the best effects.
Let’s get started.
How Does Soundproofing Work?
Sound is simply a series of vibrations passing through the air. The reason sounds seem less intense or noticeable at a distance is that those vibrations start to shrink as they pass through the air until your ears simply can’t pick them up. As such, when objects block those vibrations, they weaken, as well. This is important because it’s the key concept behind soundproofing. You can’t just get very far away from every noise you don’t like. You have to create a barrier that weakens vibrations enough that they’re not noticeable.
Typically, your walls do much of the work in this department. Unless you have paper-thin walls, they’re usually capable of dissipating noise vibrations before they get into your home and disturb you.
However, openings in your home, such as windows and doorways, aren’t quite as good at breaking up those vibrations and blocking them. They’re not filled with insulation and multiple layers of materials.
Doors usually aren’t too bad, because entryway doors are typically made of hardwood or other dense materials for security reasons, and they’re insulated around their edges to prevent drafts and noise from entering.
Windows are another story. Some companies are releasing special windows with better insulation properties, but they’re still not perfect. They’re thin, they can’t be filled with insulation, and sound waves tend to get through while still being noticeable.
Why Window Covers Help
As we said, windows are weak spots when it comes to soundproofing your home. They do break up the sound a bit, and it certainly won’t be as noticeable as standing outside if you have decent windows, but the noise still gets in, and it’s still noticeable enough to be annoying.
That’s where window covers come in.
Window covers provide an extra layer of material that the sound waves have to bypass before they can reach your ear and become a problem. Since the window itself does the bulk of the work, a simple window covering is typically enough to muffle any remaining sound to an acceptable level.
Which Window Covers Should You Get?
While simply adding any sort of window covering will help slightly, it’s best to opt for a more modern energy-efficient model that is designed to maximize its soundproofing potential. These newer window coverings are made specifically to help insulate your home from light, heat, and noise, and they’ll dramatically increase the effectiveness of your soundproofing strategy. Contact Utah Valley Shutters today!