I’ll walk you through the various aspects of soundproofing a garage to help you achieve a quiet ambiance.

Furthermore, almost all the methods that we’ll be discussing in this article are budget-friendly as well as highly effective.

 As a soundproof consultant with a decade of experience, I can say with confidence that there are a good number of people who aren’t utilizing their garages to their full capacity. 

For example, recently one of my clients was looking for a space to help his teenage son with the band practice.

I asked him about what he is doing with his garage and he said NOTHING much.

Well, I’m sure that he is not the only one who was not sure how to efficiently utilize the vacant space such as a garage.

But, before you start practicing drums in the garage it is advisable that you soundproof your garage else your neighbors’ will have an altercation with you.

In short, you don’t have the RIGHT to spoil anyone’s peace of mind whether it’s your neighbors or someone else.

The neighbors may start whining every now and then when your son starts his band practice.

He may even hear the doorbell in the middle of his band practice or a heated argument.

Trust me, even though he starts practicing band in the garage he may not continue it for a long time without soundproofing the garage.

 There isn’t much information available on the internet regarding soundproofing a garage, so people find it really difficult to soundproof a garage. 

In this post, I’ll try to provide you with as much information as possible to help you soundproof your garage.

The good news is that most of these methods are cost-effective as well as less time-consuming.

How to Soundproof a Garage Cheaply

Well, I’m gonna walk you through 9 soundproofing solutions that will definitely make your life easy.

Also, these solutions will help you to concentrate on your band practice without any fear of conflict with your neighbors’.

The good news is, even though you’re a newbie you can easily implement these hacks.

Soundproof the Windows

In my article on soundproofing rooms, I’ve explained in detail why the final outcome of a soundproofing project depends to a great extent on soundproofing windows and doors.

Remember, windows and doors are an important passage to the external environment.

So, you need to be very careful while soundproofing your window.

One of the easiest and most cost-effective ways could be to brick your window.

By doing so, you’ll have more walls and less glasses.

And, as we all know, the glasses leak the sound because they are too thin to combat them.

Don’t worry, bricking your window will NOT cost you a fortune.

As compared to many other soundproofing methods, this one is cheaper.

The other thing that you can do is to add something such as an acoustic plug for windows.

You can think acoustic plug for windows as an additional window.

Take the measurement of your window and then cut the acoustic plug as per the dimension.

This method will help you to come up with something such as an air seal and thus, will capture the unwanted noise inside the garage itself.

Check this guide for a DIY window plug project.

This method has become quite popular recently because they are removable.

For example, if you practice band in the garage then place these window plugs before you start the practice and remove it once you’re done with it.

Lastly, you can also use moving blankets and noise-canceling curtains to dampen the noise.

As the name suggests, moving blankets are quite heavy and dense.

These blankets are capable of absorbing the noise to some extent.

In the latter part of this post, I’ll talk in detail about the soundproof blankets.

As of now, allow me to walk you through the soundproof curtains.

Soundproof curtains are made of sound-absorbing materials and are capable of both absorbing unwanted noise and blocking external noise.

These acoustic drapes are good especially for the drumming session as it prevents the sound wave from bouncing back.

Once you’ve installed these heavy soundproof curtains on the windows, you’ll find a tangible improvement in the quality of sound.

These noise-canceling curtains help in reducing echoes, reverbs, and vibrations.

Always buy a soundproof curtain that has grommets installed.

Look for the curtains that are multi-layered.

Moreover, the length and breadth of the curtain also play a crucial role in dampening unwanted noise.

 For the optimum result, I would recommend you have the curtains at least 10 inches longer than the window frame and twice the breadth of the frame. 

Soundproof the Door

Similar to the windows, soundproofing the garage door is also very important.

Soundproofing a garage door isn’t as easy as you think.

At times, soundproofing a garage door can be quite troublesome since the door is the only moving part of the garage (except windows).

So, what’s the best solution?

You can hang acoustic blankets on the door.

The acoustic blanket performs quite well when installed on a door or other movable parts of the garage.

Moreover, acoustic blankets are very heavy so you’ll need a couple of helping hands to install them on your door.

Furthermore, you need to put some extra effort into cutting these blankets and resizing them as per the dimensions of your garage door.

If you’re on a shoestring budget and can’t afford acoustic blankets then I would recommend you to go for moving blankets.

Moving blankets are similar to acoustic blankets in terms of properties and end result.

However, it will cost you less than the acoustic blankets.

Once you’re done with the insulating of your garage doors and windows, you’re halfway there to completely insulate your garage.

Alternatively, you can also try a quiet garage door opener. (Check the Current Price On Amazon)

Soundproof Garage Ceilings Using Panels and Acoustic Sheets

Since you’ve soundproofed your doors and windows, now the noise can go out only through the ceilings, floors, and walls.

Let’s see what we can do to soundproof the garage ceiling.

The soundproofing ceiling can help you to get rid of upstairs noise.

Definitely, you can use acoustic sheets and moving blankets for soundproofing the garage ceiling.

However, soundproofing tiles and foam panels could be a better option.

You can cut the soundproof foam panel into tiles with pyramids or wedge shapes and place them on the garage ceiling.

It will drastically reduce the echoes, reverbs, and vibrations as the foam panels will absorb the sound waves and thus, prevent them from reflecting back.

Even the stand-by waves will be minimized.

Foam panels are used in audio recording studios to enhance the quality of sound.

Similarly, acoustic sheets can be cut into the desired shape and installed on the garage ceiling using a soundproof adhesive such as green glue.

Nonetheless, I’ve always preferred soundproof panels over acoustic sheets because they are easy to install as well as affordable.

In case, you’re looking for more information related to foam panels, then I would suggest, you should see our buying guide on acoustic foam panels.

Soundproof Garage Wall Using Acoustic Blankets and Sheets

Most of the garage walls are thinner than the normal walls, so you’ll need to add mass and density to enhance its capability to combat unwanted noise.

If the wall isn’t too thin then installing acoustic sheets or blankets will do the work for you.

Once the acoustic blankets are installed on the wall, you can expect a 50 percent reduction in unwanted noise.

These multi-layer blankets will absorb the unwanted noise and thus, will keep your neighbors far from you.

The best way to capitalize on these soundproof sheets and blankets is to hang them from the ceiling to the floor using hooks or curtain rods.

Since these blankets come in a variety of colors and designs, they will also add to the aesthetic of your garage.

In short, it will make your garage more visually appealing.

To increase the overall noise reduction, you can couple soundproof sheets & blankets with other soundproofing materials.

For example, installing soundproof wallpapers on the garage wall can further enhance the quality of sound in the garage.

Soundproof the Garage Floor

Soundproofing a garage floor can help you to reduce the reflection of sound waves.

In most cases, floors are made of hard surfaces such as wood, concrete, etc., and when the sound wave interacts with these surfaces it bounces back all the way to ceilings and walls.

So, to get rid of the hard surface of your floor, all you need to do is to cover it with a soft material such as thick carpets.

The market is saturated with carpets and to make an informed decision, you need to be well aware of the various aspects of a carpet.

Carpets come in different shapes, sizes, and designs.

Especially in the case of impact noise, a thick carpet can be of great help.

One of my close friends told me about a mind-boggling contest.

He was taken by storm when he saw a completely deaf person singing.

In fact, the entire crowd went into silent mode.

I didn’t believe my friend at first but when he explained it to me logically, I didn’t have any option but to believe him.

So, the question is how the deaf girl sang?

Well, she explained that she exploited the vibration of the floor to catch up with the rhythms and dynamics of the song.

She was focussing on the vibration that comes from her own band through the flooring.

Though over time we as human beings have learned to ignore them still it is quite possible that our neighbors wouldn’t forget them at all.

In case, you’re skeptical about the selection of the carpet, then you can check out my recommendation on Amazon.

If you aren’t satisfied with the outcome after placing the carpet then you can add a couple of rugs as well as place a foam panel between the floor and the carpet to get a better result.

Build a Room Inside the Garage

Soundproofing a garage can be further subdivided into soundproofing walls, ceilings, floors, doors, and windows.

The more you soundproof each of them the better will be the end result.

In fact, each layer that you’ll add to your garage will further enhance its soundproofing capabilities.

Wall multiplying is a great way to soundproof your garage.

As compared to the aforementioned methods wall multiplying is tedious as well as time-consuming.

The main materials that you’ll need are wooden pallets and drywall.

 Have you heard about drywall before? 

Drywall is nothing but a Gypsum panel made of sulfate calcium hydrate.

Gypsum is mostly used in construction or interior walls and ceilings.

Drywall performs well against high-frequency noise and prevents them from escaping your garage.

In short, you’re building a room inside your garage.

To take the performance to the next level you can add fiberglass as well.

If you’re an avid reader of this blog then you’ll be well aware of the fact that fiberglass is one of the best layers of protection against noise.

Another benefit of using fiberglass is that it can be used as a thermal insulator.

If you consider value and price simultaneously then this is one of the best solutions available on the market.

Install Resilient Channels

Resilient channels are one of the best alternatives to the previous step.

These channels work well against the sound bouncing from the wooden floors of your garage.

However, to get the best out of the resilient channels you need to add these intelligently designed solutions.

Most of the newbies make mistakes in the placement of the resilient channel.

For the optimum result, you need to place these resilient channels about 3 feet away from both, the ceiling and garage floor.

By doing so, you’ll prevent the sound waves from getting transferred to the wall frames.

Now, the question arises, how many resilient channels do I need to soundproof my garage?

The simplest answer could be IT DEPENDS.

However, I would take an example to help you get some insight.

For an 8 * 8 garage, you would need a pack of 24 resilient channels.

(Check the Current Price On Amazon)

The estimated cost of this resilient solution would fall between $500 to $700.

Take Your Neighbors’ Into Confidence

This is one of the smartest hacks that you can try.

Taking your neighbors into confidence can help you to get rid of heated arguments.

It goes without saying that convincing your neighbor wouldn’t be as easy as you may think.

However, I would advise you to try this hack.

Then, the best thing that you can do is to bring all your neighbors to the garage who have previously complained about your noisy garage.

Without wasting any time, reassure your neighbors that you did all the things that you were capable of to dampen the unwanted noise.

There is a high probability that by seeing your wholehearted efforts your neighbors’ would realize how much effort you had put in to help them with the epitome of silence.

Nevertheless, use it as a separate weapon and it will be highly effective if you have tried all the aforementioned methods.

At times, they may ask you questions, so be prepared to handle the objections with a cold head.

At the same time, never allow anyone else to decide your musical career.

You may find the comments of your neighbors a bit discouraging.

However, you don’t have an option but to learn the ways to deal with them perfectly.

It is quite obvious that your neighbors will try their best to discourage you from making noise.

Try a Combination of Methods

Trying a combination of methods would help you to get the best out of soundproofing a garage.

To make it simple, let’s take an example.

.

I know most of you would be inquisitive about the budget, right?

 Well, if you’re ready to spend somewhere around $1000 then you can definitely use both methods together for a garage of size 8 feet by 7 feet. 

Trust me, it won’t cost you a fortune.

FAQs

• I’ll be taking quite a few questions on the topic of soundproof garages.
• Most of these questions are either asked by my clients or my readers.
• In case, you also have similar queries then feel free to mail us.

How to soundproof a roll-up garage door?

• It goes without saying that roll-up doors can’t be soundproofed by simply installing soundproof materials directly on the door.
• Rather, you need to hang a moving blanket, noise noise-canceling curtain, or a fiberglass blanket in front of the door.
• The noise reduction you’ll get totally depends on the quality of the soundproofing materials.
• If you wanna know my favorite out of three, then I would say that I prefer fiberglass blankets over the other two.
• Fiberglass blankets are unique in the sense that they have the capability to dampen a wide spectrum of sound frequencies.
• On the contrary, soundproof curtains and moving blankets can only combat airborne noise.

How much does it cost to soundproof a garage?

• I would recommend my clients convert their garage into a soundproof music studio because it will cost them way less than buying a professional music studio.
• Soundproofing an 8 by 8-foot garage will cost somewhere around $100.
• For the optimum result, you’ll need to combine three walls and one resilient wall which would cost you around $1000.

It’s A Wrap

• I’ve tried to the best of my capabilities to present to you the most affordable yet highly effective soundproofing garage solutions.
• To my knowledge, most of the successful bands have started from their own garage, so I hope you’ll remember this article to help you get out of the fear of neighbors and practice the band with full motivation and energy.
• I can assure you that following the aforementioned steps would definitely dampen the noise so that your neighbors don’t have to complain.
• What is the budget that you’re ready to spend on soundproofing a garage?
• Which is your favorite method to soundproof a garage?
• How would you rate this post on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being best)?
• Last but not least, share this piece of information with the ones who are in need of it.
• After all, sharing is caring!