Sound deadening options in a basement

gmiller598

Senior Member
I'm looking at ways to deaden the sound in my basement of my house. It was built in the 1940's and while there is carpet on the "finished" part of the basement floor, the walls are concrete and the sounds echoes around down there.

I'm not looking to completely soundproof it but I would like to deaden the sound. Do I just need to buy some foam panels to hang on the walls to absorb the sound? Are there other things to consider I may not know about?
 
If you have an easy way of doing it, hanging foam on the walls should help. What you're trying to do is prevent soundwaves from bouncing from one wall to another, so anything to dissipate waves would help. Some people hang curtains...or you could invest in acoustic foam tiles.
 
If you have an easy way of doing it, hanging foam on the walls should help. What you're trying to do is prevent soundwaves from bouncing from one wall to another, so anything to dissipate waves would help. Some people hang curtains...or you could invest in acoustic foam tiles.
I'm sort of leaning towards the foam panel route in some strategic places on the wall. I just need to do some research on the best way to mount it to concrete walls. I don't necessarily want to do any drilling so I;m wondering if there is a good adhesive that will hold the foam on the walls.
 
I'm sort of leaning towards the foam panel route in some strategic places on the wall. I just need to do some research on the best way to mount it to concrete walls. I don't necessarily want to do any drilling so I;m wondering if there is a good adhesive that will hold the foam on the walls.

Yeah, this is always the tricky part. Maybe you could 'up' your installation and bolt sheets of 4x8 plywood to the concrete walls, then hang foam off of that? Heck, the wood alone might go a long way in helping out the sound too.
 
You might try some moving blankets. Whaterve you decide to use make sure that they are fireproof.
 
I made some 3' by 3' squares framed squares of 1x1 and stapled cheap foam backed shag carpet to them and just hung them like pictures all around my music room, it really helped with reflections and sound deadening. Got the carpet cheap from menards over runs and extras. You could even make it with 2x4's and put insulation behind the carpet. They work, They look good and can be moved easily.........
 
I made some 3' by 3' squares framed squares of 1x1 and stapled cheap foam backed shag carpet to them and just hung them like pictures all around my music room, it really helped with reflections and sound deadening. Got the carpet cheap from menards over runs and extras. You could even make it with 2x4's and put insulation behind the carpet. They work, They look good and can be moved easily.........

Do you have any pictures you can share of that? I'd be interested in seeing that.
 
I use extra old blankets and odd pieces of drywall. Actually my basement room may be too dead now. Granted it is not pretty but it works.
 
You might try some moving blankets. Whaterve you decide to use make sure that they are fireproof.

This makes me happy. Fire and life safety should be considered when doing anything. Hanging a bunch of combustible materials on your walls posses unusually high risks.

Anyways, back on topic...

Placing items in corners such as stackable drawers,amplifiers or even drum cases has helped me in the past.
 
Look into some Owens Corning 703 rigid insulation panels. Start with a box of the 2" thick stuff which should be around $100 if you can find a building supply place near you. Cover them with some cotton fabric (to limit the flammability although treated fabric is better). You should be able to hang them with some glue on hooks as they aren't that heavy.

Proper acoustic foam (also fire retardant which mattress pads aren't) like Auralex comes with double stick tape that will hold it up. You can also use construction adhesive.
 
Same as others have said - I hung up thick quilts that were long enough to extend from the rafters on the ceiling to the floor. I hung them up around the front and both sides and it helped a lot. My next step is to get carpet squares for the ceiling and a big quilt behind me to close off the space entirely - kind of :)

MM
 
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