April 28, 2017

Does your teen want to start a band in your garage? It’s not the end of the world!

Garage Band

Got a budding rock star in your family? Chances are your kid’s band wants to practice in your garage. Of course, saying no will only cause upset, but saying yes could upset your neighbours. So, what can you do?

You might be panicking, but just remember that some of the biggest bands started out in garages, like The Who and Nirvana. Maybe they will actually be good and end up famous… maybe not, but at least you will have supported your kid’s interests. Whatever the case, you can reduce the amount of noise that seeps out of the garage into your house and the neighbourhood by keeping the following in mind.

Insulate

You probably already know this, but if your garage is attached to your house you must insulate adequately. Not only does this stop cold air from entering your house in the winter, it also creates a sound barrier. The same applies to detached garages: If your kid wants to play the drums in your uninsulated garage, your neighbours might be lodging noise complaints with the local police department!

If you have an attached garage that is less than 20 years old, it probably complies with state or province energy-efficiency insulation standards. In this case, the walls and ceiling should be fitted with an effective insulation, this is usually mineral wool panels. Mineral wool is a good thermal insulator and acts as a wonderful sound barrier because its structure prevents the movement of air. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for plastic-based insulation, such as polystyrene.

We should definitely touch on ways to reduce noise transmission, especially if you have a bedroom located directly over the garage. But even with noise transmission reduction methods in place, you will probably have to set a curfew so that band practice doesn’t affect your sleep!

Reducing noise transmission

We’re not going to go into this in detail, this isn’t Acoustics 101, but there are some actions you can take to reduce noise transmission. Instruments placed on the ground, such as drums and speakers, will transmit the most sound. Laying something on the ground, such as a rubber pad or sound-absorbing carpet will not have a great effect on the transmission of sound to the outside, but it can help.

Egg cartons and polystyrene foam panels won’t help. The best thing you can do is to create a room within a room.

Don’t forget about your garage door!

Insulating the walls of your garage to prevent noise transmission is all good and well, but well-insulated garage door with a system of effective weather-seals can reduce noise transmission by 50% or more. The most effective, is a 1.75-inch thick door injected with polyurethane foam with weather-stripping around the entire door, including between the door sections and exterior frame. Sound waves move like air, so any air that is travelling out of your garage will carry noise with it.

In conclusion

Contact us at 1-877-794-4223. We know the garage door industry better than anyone. We can email you a detailed estimate, or you can come to our showroom where we will show you our complete range and advise you on the best choice. If you already have an idea, play around with our design center tool to see what your door will look like, or send us a quotation request online.

Tags

Add new comment

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.

Copyright Garaga Inc. | Privacy Policy and Conditions of Use | Sitemap