How To Soundproof A Victorian Terrace? (9 Effective Ways)

In this blog post, we will talk about, “How to soundproof a Victorian terrace?’, and discuss what is a Victorian terraced house and why soundproofing these houses is a mere necessity. We will also answer if all Victorian terraced houses are the same and will provide you 9 effective ways to soundproof a Victorian terraced house.

How to Soundproof a Victorian Terraced House?

The following are 9 effective ways to soundproof a Victorian terraced house;

Seal Holes and Cracks
Use Solid-Core Doors
Insulate the Windows
Add a False Ceiling
Hang Sound Deadening Curtains
Rearrange the Furniture
Decorate the Walls
Add Carpet or Rug
Use Floorboards or Acoustic Flooring

What is a Victorian Terraced House?

Victorian terraced houses are the ones built amidst Queen Victoria’s reign from 1837 to 1901. During this time, terraced houses were in fashion with a brick structure and a slate roof. The large sash windows were another defining characteristic of Victorian terraced houses.

Why Victorian Terraced Houses Have A Noise Problem?

Victorian terraced houses are famous for their superior construction materials, yet have one big issue – Noise problem. Build in a series of houses separated by a single party or shared wall, the noise has always been an issue with these homes.

At the time of their construction, TV, music stereos, and other noisy appliances of today weren’t common and the noise wasn’t an issue. Today, noise imposes a big problem and it’s a problem that these houses are ill-equipped to resolve.

Why Soundproofing Victorian Terraced Houses Necessary?

Soundproofing is a mere necessity in Victorian terraced houses if you yearn to live in peace. From walls, ceilings, floorings, windows, and doors, every element of a Victorian terraced house needs to be soundproofed to cancel or dampen the nearby sounds.

However, this isn’t a big problem as many soundproofing techniques and materials are available today to dampen sound and reinstate peace in your victorian terraced house.

You don’t necessarily have to spend big bucks to get the needed insulation as you can even soundproof your home by simply adding the right decor materials at the right places.

Are All Victorian Terraced Houses Alike?

No, not all Victorian terraced houses are alike. Some are built with better material while others are not. The noise transmission mainly depends upon the material type as some materials are better than others at blocking sounds.

The difference also depends on their era of construction. The original Victorian terraced houses were built with superior and thicker materials, thus providing better sound insulation.

However, the quality and thickness of material deteriorated with time and this is apparent in some early 1900s Victorian houses with poor sound insulation.

That’s why you may find sound Victorian terraced houses that are no different than semi-detached or detached homes where noise is not a big concern. While you may also find some, where neighbor’s noise almost makes it impossible to live in peace.

Soundproofing a Victorian Terraced House

Luckily, there are effective ways to soundproof even the most problematic Victorian terraced houses. Here are 9 effective ways to do so;

Seal Holes and Cracks
Use Solid-Core Doors
Insulate the Windows
Add a False Ceiling
Hang Sound Deadening Curtains
Rearrange the Furniture
Decorate the Walls
Add Carpet or Rug
Use Floorboards or Acoustic Flooring

Seal the Holes and Cracks

Leaving holes, cracks, and crevices unsealed in a Victorian terraced house is an open invitation to outside noises. No matter what soundproofing measure you take, if you don’t seal the holes and cracks, all your efforts will probably go in vain.

That’s why the first thing you need to do to soundproof a Victorian terraced house is cover the holes and cracks. You can use acoustic caulking to seal holes in walls while weatherstripping tape is an excellent material choice for sealing the borders of windows and doors.

Additionally, you must also add a door sweep at the bottom of your main entrance door to prevent sounds lurking in the lobby from entering your home.

Use Solid-Core Doors

The next thing you must do is replace the old hollow-core doors with new solid ones. The only effective way to block airborne sounds is by adding mass, and thick, heavyweight doors help you do so.

You can even use mass-loaded vinyl to add a layer of mass to your doors and make them bulky and thick. Adding a fire door is another good idea as it is heavy, dense, and thick.

Add a False Ceiling

Adding a false ceiling is an excellent idea to soundproof your home and block the noises from above. False ceiling is a second layer of ceiling added at a distance below your existing ceiling and it effectively dampens sounds using the decoupling technique.

You can also fill in its cavity with acoustic insulation to minimize echoing and sound reverberation.

Hang Sound Deadening Curtains

As we are talking about minimizing echo and sound reverberation, we need to mention one of the best sound-absorbing materials – Sound-deadening curtains.

These multi-layered curtains are specifically made to deaden sounds and minimize echo and sound reverberation. Available in tons of amazing textures, designs, and colors, these curtains can truly revamp the outlook of your home and also provide adequate sound insulation.

You can even hang these curtains on the walls to restrict noise from bouncing off the hard wall surfaces. They are highly effective in absorbing sounds and work particularly well with other sound-absorbing materials such as carpets and rugs.

Rearrange the Furniture

This is a simple fix that can help you achieve perfect sound insulation in your Victorian terraced house. We all know mass block sounds. So why not add heavyweight furniture next to the walls to effectively block sounds from the other side.

From adding a new bookshelf to repositioning the old sofa set, you can easily achieve better soundproofing through rearranging the furniture. Besides this, you should also try adding more furniture to your home if your house is relatively empty.

Homes with empty spaces make the sounds intensified while packed homes absorb and deaden sounds.

Decorate the Walls

Sometimes, simple ideas can help you achieve great sound insulation. These include decorating the walls. You can use anything from wallpaper to wall art to make your home better equipped to absorb sounds.

Acoustic tiles are another great option for decorating the walls and they are widely considered as one of the best sound-deadening materials.

Add Carpet or Rug

There are many ways to soundproof your flooring to make them better at absorbing sounds. However, no way is more cost-friendly, effective, and aesthetically pleasing than adding a carpet of a rug.

This simple inclusion can help you better insulate your floorings and restrict sounds from bouncing back of the hardwood floors and creating an echo.

This is one soundproofing technique whose benefits are equally shared by the tenants below your floor. Adding a carpet also dampens the noise transmission in the downward direction.

Furthermore, you can also reduce flanking noise in your house by using acoustic mats and padding under machines and appliances. They function the same way as carpet or rug does.

Use Floorboards or Acoustic Flooring

Lastly, you must try using floorboards or acoustic flooring to achieve better sound absorption. If your home creates a lot of echoes and you are tired of reverberating back to you from hardwood floorings, you should go and get acoustic flooring right away.

Working in the same way as a carpet or rug does with even better performance standards, acoustic flooring can help you eliminate the sound echo for good. Not to forget, these floorboards also get rid of squeaky floor noises that are relatively common in old Victorian terraced houses.

Conclusion

In this blog post, we talked about, “How to soundproof a Victorian terrace?’, and discussed what a Victorian terraced house and why soundproofing these houses is a mere necessity. We also answered if all Victorian terraced houses are the same and provided you 9 effective ways to soundproof a Victorian terraced house.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): How to Soundproof a Victorian Terrace?

Can you soundproof a terraced house?

Yes, you can soundproof a terraced house by soundproofing the shared wall or party wall. Unwanted noises from the neighbor’s house are the main cause of disturbance in a terraced house.

Divided by merely 11 inches thick shared wall, sound easily travels from one side or house to another. To soundproof a terraced house, you would need to soundproof walls, ceilings, floorings, windows, and doors by either adding mass or sound-absorbing materials.

Are Victorian terraced houses noisy?

Yes, noise is always an issue with terraced houses either it is a new style one or an old Victorian style. However, you can effectively dampen the annoying sounds in your terraced houses by adding mass to your flooring, ceiling, and walls.

Adding mass is the most effective way to block noise transmission from one side to another and there are many ingenious ways to add mass to the components of your home. These include using mass-loaded vinyl, window inserts, solid-core doors, etc.

How do you soundproof outside noise?

Blocking outside noise or soundproofing your home to prevent outdoor sounds require you to add mass to your walls, doors, and ceilings.

Adding mass effectively works in blocking sounds however, you do have to do one thing before taking any soundproofing measures and that is sealing the holes.

You can seal the holes in windows, doors, and walls with acoustic caulking, weatherstripping tapes, and other soundproofing sealants. If you are living on a top floor, you would also have to soundproof the ceiling to block outside noises from above.

What is the best soundproof insulation?

Following are the 5 best soundproof insulations materials in terms of efficiency and performance;

Acoustic Cork
Rockwool Acoustic Insulation
Rigid Fiberglass Board
Mineral Wool Board
Oriented Strand Board (OSB)

Does soundproof insulation work?

Yes, soundproof insulation does work. It is effective in insulating your home from both the outside noise and inside echoing and sound reverberation.

There are different soundproofing techniques to cancel or dampen different noises and you must identify the problem before moving forward.

Some materials are made to reduce echo in the house and they are called sound-absorbing materials. While others’ job is to block external sounds and they are commonly referred to as sound-blocking materials.