Acoustical Surfaces - Soundproofing Blog

Summer Sound Series: Loud A/C Units

Ted W — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 16:30:15 +0000

My neighbor’s A/C unit is situated close to our house, and the noise is starting to drive me crazy. I know that I can’t ask him to move it, but is there anything that I can do to keep some of the sound out or at least make it quieter? Continue reading →

Introducing Ted, Our Acoustics Expert & Host of the Summer Sound Series

Ted W — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 14:30:53 +0000

My name is Ted and I have been in the soundproofing and acoustics business for over 10 years. Throughout that time I’m proud to say that I have helped over 6,000 people purchase products to help or fix hundreds of different kinds of problems. If you can think of it, and it’s some kind of acoustical/soundproofing/noise problem, I’ve heard it. Continue reading →

How Can I Be a Quieter Neighbor

Katie Y — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 16:24:35 +0000

Most of the time we hear about people trying to quiet down their neighbor or at least reduce the amount that can be heard. But, what if you are the noisy neighbor? Lifehacker, which describes itself as having “tips, tricks, … Continue reading →

AIA Continuing Education Credits (HSW/SD) for Whole System Acoustical Treatments

Katie Y — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 19:40:16 +0000

Courtesy of a co-sponsorship from Acoustical Surfaces, Inc., design and construction professionals can earn an AIA Continuing Education HSW (health, safety and welfare) and SD (sustainable design) credit by reading up on Whole System Acoustical Treatments online and successfully answering … Continue reading →

Church Acoustics in Fellowship Halls

Ted W — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:57:19 +0000

Church acoustics in fellowship halls or multi-purpose rooms are some of the more frequent rooms that we are asked for recommendations for acoustical treatment. These rooms have a few very common similarities that are the reason for the need for acoustical wall panels or acoustical ceiling panels. Continue reading →

Dealing With A Noisy Hair Salon

Ted W — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 16:56:48 +0000

Ok, I’ll admit it. I get my hair cut in a salon – but please don’t tell any of my buddies. I only go there because I’ve known the woman for years and she gives me a good deal. Salons … Continue reading →

Home Gym Acoustical Treatment

Ted W — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 15:43:32 +0000

The nature of a gym with it's hard floors, concrete or drywall walls and (generally) metal ceilings are the epitome an echo chamber. They are always fairly large or very large rooms and are used by people doing loud things. So, acoustical treatment of the gym is usually necessary and always makes the room more comfortable. Continue reading →

Garage Door Noise

Ted W — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 16:58:25 +0000

Need help reducing the garage door noise coming thru the ducts. My daughter's hvac supply is routed thru our attached garage, while it is foil wrapped in something already we can still hear the opening and closing of the motor. Her bedroom is on the second floor while the garage is in the basement! Continue reading →

Soundproofing or Acoustical Treatment. What Topics Interest YOU!?

Ted W — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 15:14:14 +0000

I'll do my best to answer your questions or discuss the topics of interest and I will strive to do what I can to answer your questions in the most logical and common-sense way that I can. The whole point of my blog writing is to take the complexity out of soundproofing and acoustical treatment by explaining things in ways that make sense to the masses. Continue reading →

How Much Do I Need?

Ted W — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 20:19:40 +0000

Over the years, I have put together a simple equation that I have had plenty of success with. This equation is used to "take the edge off" of a room and make it much more usable. Continue reading →

Noisy Dance Studio Next to An Office

Ted W — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 17:22:26 +0000

To treat the noise problem of an office next to a dance studio will require a completely different approach than if the dance studio were next to a manufacturing plant. The office environment typically will start out with a low level of background noise, which makes it easier for the occupants in the office to hear the noise from the dance studio. If you were in a manufacturing area where the background noise is going to be a lot higher to begin with, the dance studio's noise may be at the same level as the background noise. Just like it is a lot harder to hear someone whispering in a noisy cafeteria vs a quiet library. Continue reading →

The Problem? A Noisy Apartment

Ted W — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 18:15:17 +0000

I think noise in an apartment is one of the most frustrating problems to deal with. You want the space to be your own, to be able to do what you will while still maintaining respect for your fellow neighbors. … Continue reading →

How To Quiet Your Noisy Garage Door

Ted W — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 16:36:38 +0000

Other than a vehicle, a garage door opener is probably the most prominent noise source in a garage. They are strong motors that often introduce a large amount of vibration into a structure. Depending on the location of the garage, this can be quite bothersome [...] Continue reading →

Acoustical Baffles

Ted W — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 20:57:53 +0000

Picture a cafeteria or lunch room that can hold 150 people. The picture in your mind is going to depend on the age group of people using the room. Grade school, high school or college cafeterias usually have vinyl tile … Continue reading →

The Noisy Restaurant

Ted W — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 17:14:53 +0000

If you think about it, having a noise problem in a restaurant is one of the best problems an owner can have. Noise means people enjoying themselves. A bigger problem, I suppose, would be if the place were completely empty all of the time. As I have noted in a few other restaurant based articles, restaurants can be a tricky space to treat for a few reasons which I will do my best to explain [...] Continue reading →

Dog Kennel/Grooming Salon Acoustics

Ted W — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 14:25:51 +0000

We have quite a few different products that could all potentially reduce the noise in your grooming salon and each will offer it’s own respective advantages and disadvantages. Some are very economical, some are washable and some are decorative and customizable [...] Continue reading →

Fellowship Hall/Church Acoustics

Ted W — Fri, 28 May 2010 15:34:25 +0000

Do you have a fellowship hall?!? Do the noise levels in your fellowship hall get to uncomfortable levels when filled with people?!? Have you been lucky enough to be the one chosen to find out how to fix this?!? Will you have an entire committee to report to?!? Do you have a limited budget but need to come up with a solution that is aesthetically pleasing enough to pass a committee vote?!? Well, friends, this is the article for you [...] Continue reading →

Classroom Acoustics on a Budget

Ted W — Wed, 26 May 2010 18:40:27 +0000

Sound quality and understanding speech in a classroom environment is obviously something of importance. If students are not able to clearly hear instruction in a classroom they are not able to learn – or learn nearly as effectively as they should [...] Continue reading →

Salon Noise Problem

Ted W — Thu, 20 May 2010 14:36:37 +0000

There is always more than one way to treat a sound problem, but the tricky thing with most salon-type environments is the aesthetic that people want/need to maintain. Most salons are made of "sweepable" floors, standard drywall walls and hard ceilings - a perfect environment for an echo [...] Continue reading →

A/C Compressor Noise

Ted W — Thu, 06 May 2010 19:35:27 +0000

"We recently purchased our home and to our surprise, the outdoor A/C compressors are extremely noisy. I am wondering what your thoughts would be about silencing the noise coming from the vibration of the units themselves, if any." Based on your description of the problem, I would probably taking this in a two or three step process to make sure that you take the right steps while spending the least amount of money [...] Continue reading →