Toning Down The Home Workshop Sound

It’s a simple fact that power tools are noisy. Table saws, thickness planers, and routers, for example, can put out 80 decibels (dB) or more of sound. That means if your shop is located in a basement or attached garage, you'll need to keep those loud noises from invading the living areas of your home or your neighbor’s home.

By simply soundproofing your workshop, you can help prevent the noise from escaping into places that are meant to be quiet.

To start, first one must understand how sound works. There are two types of sound: structure-borne noise (footsteps, slamming doors, the knocking of valves and pipes), which travels through walls and ceilings to create vibrations that travel through studs and other rigid joints; and airborne sound, which travels through the air before generating vibrations in walls, ceilings and windows (the buzz of power tools, voices, bass-driven music).

Sound is measured in decibels (db), but for workshop purposes, sound transmission class (STC) is the most appropriate measurement. STC rates the minimum sound resistance of a floor, ceiling or wall; the greater the material’s STC, the better it will be at blocking or absorbing sound. A 24" wall covered in 1/2"-thick drywall, for example, has an STC of about 30—not even enough to muffle your voice, let alone a thickness planer. And a standard basement ceiling, with exposed joists and subfloor, is even more transparent.

To deal with the two types of sound, you need to do two things: absorb sound and block its path (structure-borne noise), and add mass and eliminate leaks (airborne sound).

Sound barrier treatments for workshop noise can trigger 10-12 dB drops outside the Workshop. Results will vary per treatment based on coverage, leakage, installation, etc. Sound pressures held to within the room can also drop 3-6 dB through the use of wall or ceiling absorption material.

To address the whole sound problem, one must address three elements, blocking, breaking and absorbing the sound.
Just padding your ceiling will not fix the problem, the walls and floor also must be looked at.

Your ultimate goal is to impair the wall's ability to conduct vibration. This is accomplished by adding two components to your wall assembly. The first is density, the second is disconnection. The combination of these two ingredients will help force the collapse of your sound wave inside your wall, and can trigger up to a 90% drop in sound transmission.

The strategies above will dramatically reduce how much noise escapes the shop. Reducing tool noise as described above will help, but you still need to take precautions to protect your hearing while you work. Earplugs or earmuffs are a must anytime you use loud machines.

Once you have protected your ears and the ear’s of others, you will have a workspace everyone can appreciate.

Mark Rustad is President of NetWell Noise Control, based in Minneapolis, MN. Founded in 1991, NetWell is a leading supplier of ceiling tiles, acoustic products, soundproofing treatments, and online acoustical consulting services. NetWell’s sound management skills are packaged into the industry’s premier website. For more information, please visit www.eSoundproof.com. Discover first hand why so much of NetWell’s business stems from the referrals and repeat orders they receive from satisfied clients around the world.