Soundproof Paints | Does Soundproof Paint Work?[explained💯]

Nowadays many people are looking for soundproof paint for walls or ceilings because it can be done at a very less cost. But the majority of those people are confused about “does soundproof paint work?”

In one word, yes! They work very well but only if you will use them in a particular manner. There are many mistakes people do while using sound deadening paints and because of that they don’t get their expected results.

Soundproofing a room became a very hectic and necessary thing for the people who are living in apartments or beside any heavy traffic road.

A noisy room is really very much irritating and can affect our lifestyle and sleeping pattern. Soundproofing a room is the only effective solution to get rid from this. There are a huge number of things which you can do in order to soundproof your room.

Some of the effective ways to soundproof the room are using soundproof blankets, soundproof the floors and ceiling, use soundproof curtains, etc.

Soundproofing with paints is one of the most advised ways in the field of making your room quiet. Here we are going to focus on using soundproof paint for walls and see if they really work or not and if they work then how much do they work?

Acoustic Paint vs Normal Paint

What is Soundproof Paint?

Mostly, soundproof paints are also widely known as acoustic paints. It has way more benefits other than reducing sound entering your room. If you are irritated by little noises like neighbors shouting or dogs barking, then this acoustic paint can be a good solution.

Why to use acoustic paints over ordinary paints? The acoustic paint helps to decrease the echo inside the room because it has extra ingredients than the normal paints.

The extra ingredients like ceramic microspheres(sound-absorbing filler) and latex make the paint thicker and denser than ordinary paints.

These pains are fast drying, water-based viscoelastic compound. They have the ability to reduce the vibration of the soundwaves and that makes the result noticeable.

Note: The acoustic paints are more expensive than regular paints and can be used in lesser areas compared to normal paints. For example, ordinary paint can cover 400 sq ft/gallon but acoustic paints can cover roughly 120sq ft/gallon.

What Is Soundproof Paint Made Up Of?

As we mentioned above, acoustic paints have more ingredients than normal or ordinary paints because they have ceramic microspheres and vinyl acrylic or also known as latex(sound-absorbing filler) which makes the acoustic paint thicker and denser than ordinary paints.

Latex is the thing that is used as an insulator in any material. They are made up of chains of polymers that act as binders to the water-based surface of the paint. That’s why almost every soundproofing thing is thermal insulated.

So, we got to know about the things which are used for making acoustic paints but what is the use of them? For this answer, we need to know how soundproof paints work.

How Does Soundproof Paint For Wall Work?

There are some factors based on which you will get the results of using the soundproof paints on the wall. The major factors are the ingredients of the paints, and the number of coatings you are doing on the wall.

If we compare coating and ingredients, here coating plays only 10-20% role and rest 80-90% ingredients do.

Ingredients decide the density of the paint whereas the number of coatings decides the thickness of the paint on the wall. Both you need when it comes to sound absorption.

As you got to know that there are some extra ingredients in acoustic paints i.e latex and ceramic microspheres. Now, let’s know how they are helpful in sound dampening.

Latex is the vinyl acrylic substance and that is used for two things, one is soundproofing and the other is thermal insulating on the surface it is applied.

This acoustic paint is made up of sound-absorbing fillers i.e ceramic microspheres. They help a lot in the absorption of sounds. The ordinary paints have irregular filler which doesn’t flow exceptionally together well.

Those fillers leave a large gap between them and because of that sound-absorbing quality is not well. On the other hand, acoustic paints have short distanced or closely packed fillers and because of this property, sound deadening quality is better in acoustic paints.

As the fillers of the sound-absorbing paints have very few gaps, they work as thermal insulators and decrease the echo inside the room.

Does Soundproofing Paint Work?

So, this is a very famous question regarding soundproofing paints. Many persons are confused about does soundproof paint work? The one-word answer to this question is Yes!

Soundproof paints for walls simply decrease the echo effects of the sound inside your room and apparently the room seems quieter than before. How does echo decrease? Because of the thickness of the paint, the wall absorbs the vibration of the soundwave and doesn’t let the sound bounce back from one wall to another.

If we talk about the normal frequencies, these paints have the capability of decreasing the normal frequencies up to 30%.

Effective For:

✔️Human voice
✔️Normal TV sound
✔️Late night conversations
✔️Sound of vehicles passing by(without horn)

Those were some of the normal frequency noises. In simple words, you shouldn’t be expecting soundproof paints to block heavy noises.

Not effective for:

❌huge traffic
❌crying babies
❌the loud barking of dogs
❌construction work, etc.

They can only reduce the sound of normal things like mentioned above.

Answer: The soundproof paints can dampen the normal noises up to 30% but not the loud noises like vehicle horns or any construction work, etc.

Best Ways To Use Soundproof Paints

We need to know how to use soundproofing paints for the walls and ceiling so that the results will be better noticeable to us. For that, we have some tips for you, and if you apply them, you will get a better result than before.

1. Layers

You should know that the thicker material is the better the sound absorbent. So, in the same way, if you give one layer of coating, it will not give a very good result. You must apply at least 3 layers of the coating so that the thickness will increase and the result will be so much better.

The acoustic paints work in two ways i.e absorption of incoming noise and deadening the bounce back noises. The noise which is coming from your neighbors will be absorbed by the wall and will not bounce back to their room. That means using acoustic paint in your room will also profit them.

It is observed that each coat decreases almost 2 dB sound. So if you are using 3 layers of coating then almost 6-10dB sound can be absorbed.

2. Fill Cracks

If there is any crack or hole in the wall, ceiling, or beside the window or door then fill them with soundproof paints or green glues.

The holes or cracks can be a loophole in the room. It may not affect that much but if your has many holes or cracks on the wall then the effect will be noticeable.

This will not only make your room quieter but also work as insulation. So, always seal all the holes in your wall.

3. Coverage Area

As you know the thickness and density of the acoustic paints are very much higher than the normal paints so that their coverage area is also less. One gallon of acoustic paint can cover roughly 120 sq ft of area whereas any ordinary paint can cover almost 3.5 times of that area in the same quantity.

So, it is better not to use the soundproofing paint all over the walls and ceiling. Only paint the side from where sound enters. if neighbors’ noise comes from upwards then you can apply the paint only on the ceiling.

But if you are irritated with the traffic noise then paint the wall which is facing the road rather than painting all the walls. It will not be that effective but will be expensive.

4. Roller or Spray?

As we said earlier, the soundproofing paints are denser and heavier than the normal paints and because of that if you use the paint rollers, the rollers will become very heavy and will not be easy to handle.

It is advised to use pressure sprayers while applying soundproof paint on the walls. While using the rollers, you need to dip it into the paint and repeat the process again and again, but in the pressure sprayer, it is not like that.

So, if your budget is less and the area to be painted is less then you may go with the paint rollers but if your area to be painted is large, it is better to go with the pressure sprayers.

Benefits Of Using The Soundproof Paints For Wall

Let’s see why should you choose acoustic paint for soundproofing. There are various reasons but we will point out the best ones.

1. Firstly, obviously for deadening the sound which is entering your room from the outside. This will give you a peaceful sleep and the freedom to work silently.
2. As we mentioned above, the soundproof paints are thermal insulated and that means it will hold the heat inside the room and keep the room warm on winter days and vice versa.
3. Though it is expensive than the normal paints but way cheaper than the other soundproofing techniques like soundproofing the ceiling, etc.
4. As you know that the paints play a great role when it comes to the look of the room. This is the best soundproofing way by which you can boost the look of your room. Soundproof paints are available in a wide variety of colors.
5. This is one of the fastest ways to soundproof your room, at least faster than soundproofing the ceiling because in that you need to remove the ceiling and install the resilient channel and all.
6. In these paints, you will get more ingredients than the normal paints, which means extra protection of the wall.

Best Soundproof Paint

Acousti Coat – Sound Deadening Paint – 1 Gallon

This product is unlike anything you are familiar with, as it is the only product of its kind in the world. The combination of high loading of ThermaCels with their vacuum centers reduces sound produced in the area it is applied. The soft pigment fillers absorb sound and prevent it from bouncing off the surface.

Noise reduction in the 500Hz (500Hz is mid-frequency of the human voice) is reduced by up to 15-20%!! Acoustic-Coat is for use on interior surfaces such as primed drywall, ceilings, walls, plaster, metal, and wood. 

Some Quick Tips

1. Don’t use a lot of acoustic paints because they are very costly and roughly one gallon of acoustic paint can cover 120 sq ft of the area, so use only on the source of the sound side.
2. Don’t touch the painted wall for up to 15 hours because it takes a lot of time to dry up.
3. Thicker means more effective. So, try to go for at least 3 layers of the coating, and if you can do more than that then very good.
4. Use a pressure sprayer for fast and easy work. Only if your budget is not so high and the area to be painted is less then you can go with paint rollers.
5. Don’t expect any huge results from the acoustic paints. They can absorb the normal noises only as we mentioned above.
6. If you need a better result then you must go with the other soundproofing techniques other than only painting.

Some Other Methods To Add With

So, till now we have seen how to use soundproof paints and how much that is effective to the noise. If you are annoyed by huge noises like road traffic, for that you need to do something more than using soundproof paints.

Some ways can be costlier and some can be cheaper, some can be a faster way and again some can be a slower one. Let’s see what are methods you can implement to get better results.

1.Using Built-in Shelves

If you are gonna use the in-built shelves in your room, it is not only gonna block the outside noise entering your room but also reduce the echo of the room.

These shelves can be used in the living room, bedroom, or bathroom also. If you are using it in your bedroom or living room, you can fill the shelf with some thick and heavy books and copies.

And if you are using shelves in the bathroom then you can keep the towels on the shelves so that the echo will decrease so much.

Note: Use the shelves on the sound sourcing wall(from which wall sound is entering). Many people ask does soundproof foam work, yes they do work to an extent.

2. Soundproof Windows

After fixing the issues with the wall by using shelves, now you should go with the window. There are two things that you can hang on the window, one is a curtain and another is a blanket.

Using a soundproof curtain will help to reduce the sounds coming from outside thru your window and absorb the vibration of the soundwaves.

The soundproofing blankets also will help the same but the soundproof blankets are heavier than the soundproof curtains. So, you need strong curtain rods to hang the blankets in the window. There are various ways to use soundproof blankets other than hanging them on windows.

According to the look, the curtain will enhance the look of the room better than a blanket will do.

You have another option to soundproof your window other than hanging something, and that is the usage of double-glazed windows. This will help you to improve the sound absorption results.

3. Seal The Cracks

Usually, there are many cracks or holes beside the window walls and we ignore them. But for better results, you need to seal those holes.

In order to seal them, you can use green glues. Green glues are one of the best soundproofing compound available in the market. Many experts advise you to use them at home to soundproof your room.

4. Soundproof Ceiling

If you are annoyed by your upstairs’ neighbor, then you can use the 3 coatings of soundproof paint on the ceiling and if it doesn’t work, then you can soundproof your ceiling with different ways.

One of the best ways to soundproof the ceiling is, installing a resilient channel in the ceiling. The only problem with this technique is, you need to remove the current ceiling and install a resilient channel with the joist and fix the ceiling.

If you don’t want to remove the current ceiling then better to use two layers of drywall, this will increase the thickness and decrease the airborne noises.

5. Cover Hard Surfaces With Soft Materials

As you know that, hard surfaces make the sounds bounce back. So, try to cover your all hard-surfaced appliances with any soft material.

The majority of the hard surface is covered by the floors, so at first, do cover the floor and make the floor soundproof. You can use fluffy rugs, rug pads, or any rubber mat, etc to cover the floor.

After making the floor soundproof, try to cover the hard-surfaced appliances of the room like portable AC, top of the table, or any furniture like almirah, etc with the help of some soft materials.

FAQs On Soundproofing Paints

Conclusion

So, here we have discussed everything about the soundproof paints. Now, you may understand whether it is worth doing or not. If you are annoyed by the small sounds like neighbors’ late-night talking, then you can go with only soundproof paints.

But if you want to get rid of the huge noises like traffic noise and all, then you must try extra soundproofing techniques other than painting.

The soundproof paints are not as cheap as the normal oil paints so, don’t waste them on applying all the walls of your room.

Try to implement all the tips which are mentioned above and still if you have any doubt regarding the soundproof paints for walls then you can comment them down.