Sound is something that you may not give much thought to when designing your commercial space — that is until it causes problems for either the people inside your building or those just outside its walls. Maybe customers are complaining that it’s hard to hear conversation because of bad echoing or poor acoustics. Or, perhaps the tenant sharing your wall has shared his frustration with the noise from your business interfering with his. Whatever the case, the sound properties within a space are important for the comfort of your customers, employees, and neighbors.
Sound Proofing Vs. Sound Absorption
When unwanted noise or poor acoustics become an issue, most people are tempted to search out methods for soundproofing. However, there is a lot of confusion between the terms soundproofing and sound absorption and each one means something very different. In today’s blog from LA Ceilings, we want to discuss the differences between the two so you can have a better understanding of the types of design features and materials (such as acoustic ceiling tiles) that can improve the sound in your space. Keep reading to learn more.
When it comes to optimizing the sound within a room, there are two different ways to look at it. Do you want to hear what is going on within a room more clearly by improving sound quality? Or, do you want to prevent sounds from traveling into or outside of a room? Perhaps you want to do both, but one is likely more of an issue for you than the other. Let’s explore each one separately.
Sound Absorption
Some rooms are just harder to hear in than others. You’ll usually notice this when you enter a large room with an open ceiling. That’s because there is plenty of room for all of the sound waves to bounce around and create an echo. Absorbing echo in a room is the best way to prevent everyone in it from having to shout to hear each other and make for a more quiet and comfortable room.
To do this, you need to incorporate ceiling and wall materials that are sound-absorbing. Sponges and foams are two examples of materials with excellent sound absorption. It’s important to remember that they will do little to prevent sound from traveling from room to room, but they will dampen the echoes that make it difficult to hold a conversation or clearly hear music or other desirable sounds.
Soundproofing
If your sound issue has more to do with the sounds that are traveling through walls from the outside into your space, then soundproofing is really what you’re looking for. Soundproofing materials such as fiberglass allow preferable sounds to stay in while blocking out the external sounds you don’t want to hear.
Soundproofing a room is also important when you don’t want sounds from your business to travel outside or disrupt those inhabiting an adjacent space. Maybe your business generates a lot of noise and you don’t want that noise to disturb employees, customers, or neighboring businesses around you. In that case, a good choice would be to have the walls and ceilings in the noisy room soundproofed.
Enhancing the Sound Within Your Commercial Building
Knowing the difference between soundproofing and sound absorption is one of the most important things to know when it comes to improving the sound quality of a space. Once you have a good understanding of the difference, it’s easier to figure out which one you need. First, you can start by identifying the sound issue you’re having — are you trying to make it easier to hear the sound within a room that seems to have too much echo? Or, are you trying to block the noise coming in from a next-door neighbor? Identifying the source of the problem will give you a clear direction on the type of sound-enhancing features you’ll need.
Next, don’t try to make improvements on your own. There are dozens of suggestions on the internet for improving the sound quality within a room. They include things like adding rugs or carpeting to rooms with bare floors to adding weather stripping around doors and windows. While these options might not cost you much, chances are, you’ll still have the same problem — only now you’ll have the added responsibility of having to vacuum the carpet. Don’t cut corners, get the soundproofing or sound absorption enhancements you need from a professional construction company with almost 40 years of experience. Call LA Ceilings today.
About LA Ceilings
LA Ceilings is the premier installer of acoustic ceiling tiles and suspended ceilings in the Los Angeles area. Although ceilings are our specialty, we also offer a variety of other services. If you’re having a ceiling installed, chances are you may need a sprinkler system to go above that ceiling, and we can do that. Oftentimes, our customers need drywall, FRP panels, or acoustic wall panels installed, and we can do that too. Our extensive experience has made us experts in many different areas of construction, so if you need assistance with your commercial construction project, give us a call and most likely we’ll be able to help.
Visit our website to explore many of our most popular services or contact a member of our team to request a fast and free estimate. No matter how big or small your project is, or how complicated it may seem — we’ve seen it all. Call an expert you can trust, call LA Ceilings. We look forward to serving you!