Solutions / Residential
Apartments
Quieter rooms in shared buildings, inside your unit and between neighbors.
What usually goes wrong
- Hard floors and bare walls make the unit echo.
- Neighbors hear TV and conversation.
- Footsteps from upstairs.
The main noise sources are voices, TV, music and neighbors. Sound bounces off hard walls, floors and ceilings, so it lingers and builds up. Absorbing panels soak up those reflections.
Where the panels go
- On the wall shared with the TV.
- Above the sofa and opposite large windows.
- In a bedroom on the wall facing the bed.
Mistakes to avoid
- Expecting panels to stop noise from neighbors.
- Drilling into a party wall without permission.
- Forgetting rugs on hard floors.
Fire rating and codes
Residential occupancy; condo boards often restrict drilling into party walls and ceilings, so check your bylaws.
Blocking sound between rooms
Panels make a room sound better, but they don’t stop sound passing through a wall. For that you need a wall assembly rated around STC 50, which is the building code minimum between dwelling units (IBC 1206). Read about STC ratings and soundproofing.
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Panels that suit apartments
Learning center
14 guides for apartments
Acoustic panels for apartments: the complete guideWhat makes apartments noisy, which panels fix it, and how to plan treatment from start to finish.How many acoustic panels does a apartment and condo need?A worked Sabine calculation for a typical apartment living area, with panel counts for small, typical and large rooms.Where to put acoustic panels in a apartment and condoWhere panels do the most good in apartments, in priority order.Wall acoustics for apartmentsHow walls behave acoustically in apartments and how to treat them with panels.Ceiling acoustics for apartmentsClouds, baffles and ceiling tiles for apartments, and how much of the ceiling to cover.Choosing panel thickness for a apartment and condo1, 2 or 4 inches: which thickness suits apartments and why.Reverberation time targets for apartmentsThe reverberation time to aim for in apartments, and why it matters.What acoustic treatment costs for a apartment and condoBudget estimates for treating a typical apartment living area, and where the money goes.Fabrics, colors and shapes for apartmentsFabric types, colors and shapes that work in apartments.Fire ratings and code requirements for panels in apartmentsFire ratings, occupancy rules and mounting requirements for panels in apartments.Installing acoustic panels in a apartment and condoTools, hardware and step-by-step installation for panels in apartments.Common acoustic mistakes in apartmentsThe errors we see most often in apartments, and how to avoid them.Soundproofing and STC ratings for apartmentsWhen apartments need soundproofing, which STC rating to aim for, and how to get there.Apartment and condo acoustics checklist and FAQA one-page checklist and answers to common questions about apartment living area acoustics.