Last updated: March 16, 2022 at 14:00 pm
Have you ever entered a new house or an empty room without any curtains? You must have noticed how sounds echo in curtain-less rooms. This is because curtains can absorb and reduce noise to a great extent.
While curtains are very effective, they do not block noise completely. Adding certain features and using the right fabric can make curtains soundproof. Installing soundproof acoustic curtains is the easiest and cheapest way to make your room soundproof.
IN THIS ARTICLE
Differences Between Soundproof Curtains and Regular Curtains
With a quick glance, you may not notice much difference between acoustic and regular curtains. Acoustic curtains look similar to normal curtains. Certain aspects are necessary to make curtains soundproof.
Fabric
The most noticeable difference is in the fabric of these curtains. The fabric plays an essential role in making curtains soundproof. Certain fabrics can block out or absorb noise. Such fabrics include cotton, canvas, wool, linen, and polyester. Acoustic curtains use one or two of these materials in their construction.
Natural fabrics like cotton, linen, and wool make acoustic curtains that are light-weight. You should get soundproof curtains made of cotton or linen if you live in hot areas as they will keep your room cool. Wool offers better sound blocking than cotton and linen, but it is best for colder areas.
Polyester is the best when it comes to sound-blocking as they block light as well as sound. Polyester curtains are also perfect as black-out curtains and are best for home theaters.
It’s important that you choose the right curtain fabric according to your requirements. You can also get soundproof curtains made in order with a mix of materials of your choice.
Composition
Next comes the stitching or composition of the curtains. The composition of an acoustic curtain is what differentiates it from a normal curtain.
If the layering of the curtain isn’t proper and no testing has been done, it is likely that it will fail.
6 Benefits of Soundproof Curtains
1. Simple Installation
Acoustic curtains are the best soundproofing materials in terms of simple installation. Though other soundproof materials are very effective, their installation is pricey and time-consuming. Why install sound absorbers on your windows or doors when you can simply hang acoustic curtains?
Not only are acoustic curtains simple to install, but they also save you from getting soundproofing work. With good quality acoustic curtains, you can make your room completely soundproof without damaging or reconstructing your walls, door, and windows.
2. Very Cheap
We have said it before that acoustic curtains are the cheapest way to free your room of noise. Low cost and simple installations are the biggest advantages of soundproof acoustic curtains. You can get simple cotton or linen acoustic curtains at very affordable prices.
You can even make a DIY acoustic curtain if you know the right sewing technique for it. Blackout and thermal, acoustic curtains vary in price. Depending on the quality and features, you can get these at a variety of prices. You can get reasonable ones around £20 while the pricey ones cost between £50 and £60.
3. Soundproofing of your Room
You can block outside sounds from your room. You can install acoustic panels, paint walls with acoustic paints, apply dampening materials, or decouple the inner structure of walls. All these methods are great if you want to soundproof your house in the long term. But for a short period of time, these methods are too expensive and require a lot of work.
For a quick soundproofing method, use acoustic curtains in your room. Acoustic curtains provide a makeshift solution to block or dampen noise. When you don’t want soundproofing in your room, simply take the curtains off and hang the regular ones.
4. Great for Home Office
With most people working from home, you need a quieter place. You’ll face many sources of distractions when working from home. There is a noise of traffic from outside, or you may have noisy neighbors. In fact, there can even be noise within the house if you have kids or lots of people. Either way, you need a peaceful environment so that you can focus well on your work.
You can simply hang acoustic curtains on your window to block all the noises from outside. Acoustic curtains are great if you only need to soundproof your room while you are working. This is especially when you have kids and elderly people who you must attend, you can’t have your room soundproofed 24/7.
Just open the curtains when you are done with the work so that you don’t remain unaware of your surroundings.
5. Variety of Styles
With acoustic curtains, you can decorate your room the same way you would with the normal curtains. It’s relatively easy to find a variety of colors, styles, and textures of acoustic curtains. You can get acoustic curtains on order according to the design, color, and fabric of your choice. You can also order or get patterned acoustic curtains to add some character to your walls.
6. Advanced Features
Professional soundproofing services manufacture acoustic curtains with advanced features. When getting soundproof curtains, you often have to choose between lightweight and cool curtains, and completely sound blocking curtains.
Curtains that block all noises are very thick, making your room hot as they insulate sound and heat both. Some manufacturers deploy heat regulators in the curtains to minimize heat transfer. Heat regulated curtains can help keep your room cool in summers and warm in winter.
Some curtains are also equipped with acoustic foams and similar materials. Such materials increase the efficiency of sound blocking of lightweight and delicate curtains (cotton or linen).
Conclusion: How Effective Are They?
Not all acoustic curtains can completely block noise. Most can work well to reduce or deaden the noise from outside. Instead of loud voices, you will hear muffled voices.
The quality of voice dampening or blocking of the curtains depends upon its fabric, composition, and added features. Nonetheless, soundproof curtains are inexpensive and easiest to install and remove.
