10 Best Soundproofing Materials on a Budget - Acoustical Solutions

I recently worked with a customer who had just moved into a busy apartment complex. The constant noise from neighbors and street traffic was making it difficult for her to concentrate while working from home. She was convinced that effective soundproofing was out of her budget, but after discussing her options, we found affordable solutions that significantly reduced noise without breaking the bank. Whether you’re looking to create a quieter home, office, or apartment, you don’t need to spend a fortune.

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In this article, we’ll explore the best cheap soundproofing materials and how to use them effectively, including cost-effective products from Acoustical Solutions to help you achieve optimal noise reduction without exceeding your budget.

Understanding Budget Soundproofing

When looking for cheap soundproofing materials, it’s important to understand the difference between soundproofing and sound absorption:

• Soundproofing: Blocks sound transmission from entering or leaving a space.
• Sound absorption: Reduces echoes and reverberation to improve sound clarity.

The key to budget-friendly soundproofing is selecting materials that offer the best balance between cost and effectiveness. Below are some of the cheapest and most effective soundproofing materials available today.

10 Best Affordable Soundproofing Materials

Finding the right soundproofing materials on a budget can be a challenge, but with the right approach, you can significantly reduce noise without overspending.

1. Mass-Loaded Vinyl (MLV) – Best for Blocking Sound

AudioSeal® Mass Loaded Vinyl is a great option when you need a thin yet heavy sound barrier to block airborne noise. While it’s more affordable than some high-end soundproofing materials, it remains highly effective for walls, ceilings, or floors. If you need a cost-effective way to reduce sound transmission, installing MLV is an excellent choice.

2. Soundproof Blankets – Best for Temporary Noise Control

For those needing a flexible and temporary solution, PrivacyShield® Dual-Sided Absorptive Soundproofing Blankets are an affordable way to block and absorb sound. These blankets can be hung on walls, doors, or windows, providing a reusable and cost-effective noise reduction method.

3. Acoustic Foam Panels – Best for Reducing Echo

When your biggest issue is echo and reverberation, AlphaSorb® Acoustic Foam Panels offer an affordable way to improve room acoustics. These foam panels are ideal for home offices, recording studios, and entertainment spaces, helping to reduce sound reflections without breaking the bank.

4. Weatherstripping Tape – Best for Sealing Gaps

Gaps around doors and windows can let in a surprising amount of noise. An easy and inexpensive fix is using weatherstripping tape to seal these openings. This simple solution prevents sound leaks, making it an effective, low-cost option for budget-conscious soundproofing.

5. Carpet and Rugs – Best for Impact Noise Reduction

Hard surfaces like tile and hardwood floors tend to amplify sound, so adding thick rugs or carpets can make a big difference in reducing footstep noise. Placing rugs with extra padding under furniture or in high-traffic areas can significantly improve sound absorption and create a quieter environment.

6. Moving Blankets – Best DIY Soundproofing Material

A great alternative to specialized soundproof blankets, heavy moving blankets offer an affordable and simple way to absorb sound. These can be hung on walls or doors for a quick and budget-friendly solution, providing noticeable improvements in noise reduction.

7. Egg Crate Foam – Best for a Budget DIY Solution

If you’re looking for a DIY-friendly material, egg crate foam is a low-cost alternative to traditional acoustic panels. While not as effective as professional solutions, it can still provide some level of echo reduction when attached to walls.

8. DIY Soundproof Curtains – Best for Blocking Window Noise

For reducing outside noise, thick, layered curtains work wonders. Acoustic Drapes & Soundproof Curtains are designed for noise absorption and blocking, offering a cost-effective way to soundproof windows and doors.

9. Bookshelves with Dense Books – Best for DIY Wall Soundproofing

An unexpected but effective soundproofing hack is placing full bookshelves against walls. The dense material of books helps create a natural sound barrier, reducing sound transmission without requiring expensive materials.

10. Door Draft Stoppers – Best for Soundproofing Door Gaps

One of the simplest and cheapest solutions to reduce sound leaks is using a door draft stopper. By sealing the bottom gap of a door, you can significantly reduce the amount of noise passing through, making a noticeable difference in a noisy home.

DIY Soundproofing on a Budget: Extra Tips

• Layer materials for better results. Use MLV behind acoustic panels to enhance soundproofing.
• Seal gaps and cracks. Use weatherstripping, caulk, and door draft stoppers to prevent noise leaks.
• Repurpose household items. Blankets, thick drapes, and bookcases can all contribute to cheap soundproofing.
• Target the loudest noise sources. Focus on doors, windows, and walls first for the most impact.

Affordable Soundproofing That Works

You don’t need to spend a fortune to achieve effective noise reduction. By combining cheap soundproofing materials strategically, you can create a quieter, more comfortable space without exceeding your budget.

Looking for affordable soundproofing products? Contact Acoustical Solutions for expert recommendations and high-performance materials to achieve your noise control goals!

Sound Reduction Systems Ltd (SRS) have been assisting customers with domestic noise reduction problems for 40 years and have a wealth of expertise in the field.  We manufacture high performance acoustic solutions for walls, floors, and ceilings within the home and have an industry leading Institute of Acoustics registered technical team on hand to offer practical advice.

We understand the effects that having noisy neighbours can have on your health and wellbeing and have been helping customers tackle noise problems in their homes for over 40 years.  SRS have a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the field.  In this article, we have outlined 10 straightforward noise reduction techniques that can be used to improve domestic soundproofing.

For more detailed information about how SRS can help with noise reduction in different areas of your home, please read our guides on domestic sound proofing products

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Noise Barrier Solution.

The Most Effective Noise Reduction Methods for Your Home

1. Independent Acoustic Wall Linings

Where maximum sound insulation performance is required then this will always be achieved in practice by using a timber or metal stud that is completely isolated from the wall that is being upgraded. 

SRS have a fully tested specification for our Maxiboard acoustic building board installed onto an independent 50mm deep metal stud frame.  An independent wall lining system offers the advantage of extremely high sound insulation performance but will unfortunately eat into the room a little more than a resilient bar or direct to wall solution.

2. Resilient Bar Systems

Resilient bars help to decouple heavy acoustic linings from wall or ceiling structures and allow maximum sound insulation performance to be achieved for a given addition of mass/weight.  SRS Maxi Resilient Bars are a 30mm deep top hat profile and offer practical advantages over more conventional resilient bars that are secured on one side. 

Maxi Resilient Bars have a wide face to fix into and cannot be squashed flat during installation. Maxi Resilient Bars also minimise the risk of a fixing going through the bar and into the wall behind which would create bridging paths and reduce performance.  The vast majority of SRS’s Part E compliant acoustic wall and ceiling specifications utilise Maxi Resilient Bars and our Maxiboard acoustic building board.

3. Specialist Acoustic Building Boards

SRS Maxiboard is a heavy 17mm thick acoustic building board, constructed from a lamination of three different types of specialist building materials.  The mass loaded vinyl central layer of Maxiboard is sandwiched between two rigid board layers to achieve a noise reduction performance benefit from constrained layer damping. 

This gives Maxiboard improved low frequency sound insulation performance compared with conventional building materials such as plasterboard. Building the damping layer into the Maxiboard means that no other no other damping sheets are required as part of the overall soundproofing specification.

4. Direct to Wall Soundproofing Board can Reduce Unwanted Noise

Where space is an absolute premium and the customer requires a low-profile cost-effective product that is easy to install directly to a masonry wall, SRS recommend Acousticboard 4. 

At only 30mm in thickness and secured to the wall using hammer-fixings Acousticboard 4 won’t eat into the room significantly, can be installed simply by any competent DIYer, and will provide a clearly noticeable reduction in sound coming through from your neighbour's home.

5. Isolated Ceilings Provide Noise Reduction from Upstairs

Acoustic isolation is a fundamental part of any effective acoustic ceiling specification. 

Our Maxi 60 and Maxi Dropped Ceiling specifications both use our Maxi Resilient Bars to decouple the Maxiboard from the floor structure above.  The acoustic isolation provided by resilient bars means that is no direct connection between the linings and the building structure, meaning the transmission of vibration and sound energy is greatly reduced and leading to significant noise reduction. 

Our Maxi 60 ceiling system is just over 60mm in thickness, should meet the sound insulation requirements of Building Regulations Part E, and has a 60-minute fire rating.

6. Resilient Acoustic Flooring Products

Adding a resilient acoustic underlay product to your floor can be a relatively simple way of achieving a fantastic improvement in sound insulation performance.  For over 25 years SRS Acoustilay has led the way in the proprietary acoustic underlay market and still continues to set the standard for product quality, ease of installation and sound reduction potential.

All Acoustilay versions significantly reduce the transmission of impact noises such as footsteps, dropped items and moving furniture.  The heavier grades of Acoustilay 8 and 15 are also able to reduce airborne noises such as television, music and speech due to their high mass.

Acoustilay is 100% sourced and manufactured in the UK using recyclable content. It is supplied in mm x mm sheets, in thicknesses of 10mm, 12mm and 15mm to suit a variety of soundproofing objectives.

7. Floating Floor Systems to Reduce Sound Transmission

Acoustic Flooring floor systems are usually constructed from a rigid board with a resilient acoustic layer foam or felt layer beneath.  SRS Maxideck and Maxipanel 28 are two examples of this kind of product.  In both cases the high surface mass of the board results in an upgrade to airborne sound insulation performance whilst the resilient acoustic felt layer of both products cuts down on the transmission of vibration and impact noise.  Maxideck is also constructed from a laminate of rigid board materials and a core layer of mass loaded vinyl, meaning that a constrained layer damping benefit is achieve using this product.

8. Acoustic Ceiling Hangers

Acoustic ceiling hangers come in many forms, but all types can be used to isolate an acoustic ceiling lining, such as our Maxiboard, from the structure above and reduce noise from upstairs.

Maxiboard is most commonly installed on SRS Maxi Resilient Bars in ceiling applications, but we also have a fully tested specification with Maxiboard installed beneath British Gypsum Casoline MF ceilings.  As part of the MF specification, it is recommend to use acoustic strap hangers and acoustic brackets for maximum performance.

9. Acoustic Cavity Infill Products for Noise Reduction

Any effective soundproofing specification should include an acoustically absorptive cavity infill such as our Maxi Slab high density acoustic mineral wool product.  Maxi Slab inserted within a floor, wall or ceiling cavity will aid the decay of sound within the void and reduce the effect of cavity resonance during sound insulation performance testing.  It is important to note that for domestic noise reduction, simple cavity infill product is rarely the solution in isolation and should be teamed with other products such as Maxiboard and Acoustilay for best results.

10. Acoustic Socket and Service Backboxes

A commonly used analogy is that when it comes to the transmission of sound it behaves quite like water and will exploit any weaknesses within the partition structure.  One weakness that is commonly found within walls and partitions is the presence of sockets and switches.  In order to reduce noise transmission through sockets and switches SRS recommend the use of our Acoustic Socket and Service Backboxes as well as ensuring that fittings are staggered to ensure a convoluted transmission path.  SRS Acoustic Socket and Service boxes are designed in line with the guidance of Robust Details for service penetration treatment.

For more information about domestic noise reduction techniques, please contact us today.

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