5 Cheap Ways to Soundproof a Room For Drums

I really enjoy playing the drums with my brother, but they can be incredibly loud.

Our sessions were starting to make the neighbors annoyed, and we needed a quick solution to our problem, so we decided to soundproof our training room. We thought this would be very expensive, but we’ve managed to complete the job while spending only several hundred dollars.

In this guide, we’ll outline the methods we used so you can try out the same ones in your own music room.

5 Cheap Ways to Soundproof a Room For Drums

Let’s look at some of the simplest ways in which you can insulate your drum room—so you can keep your neighbors happy and the police away from your residence.

1. Find and Seal All The Gaps

Even the smallest hole can release noise, and drum noise is one of the hardest types to deal with. Drums can actually produce sounds at a volume of 100 to 120 dB if they’re struck aggressively.

Keeping that in mind, you’ll need to take a day and seal all the major gaps in your music room. It won’t take long for you to find these gaps, because they’ll be highly visible. You may notice them between the door, the doorframe and the floor, or between the windows and their frames. You should also seal any cracks in the wall that you find.

If you’re wondering exactly how to seal the gaps, it’s a good idea to use sound-dampening weatherstrips. I personally use Kanzzy soundproof weatherstripping, as it’s one of the more affordable options out there.

Even though you could completely seal off your room to achieve the ideal level of soundproofing, this isn’t the best thing to do, as it’ll make your room very hot and uncomfortable. Just do your best to find the major gaps and seal them up by using weatherstripping or high-density foam tape.

However, to seal a large gap beneath your door, I recommend that you use a door sweep.

You may also be interested in my guide to quieting drums for practice.

2. Soundproof the Windows

Just like soundproofing the door, it’s also important that you soundproof your windows, as this will stop noise from traveling through them. As with your door and its gaps, you can also use weatherstripping tape to seal any gaps between your windows and their frames.

We also recommend soundproof curtains, which have been specifically designed to absorb sounds. They’re thicker and denser than regular curtains, and even the best ones are affordable and easy to install. Best of all, they significantly reduced the noise level in my music room, and if you get a set that’s long enough, they’ll run all the way from the ceiling down to the floor.

For more information, check out my guide to soundproofing windows by yourself.

3. Soundproof the Walls

If you’re looking for the cheapest way to soundproof the walls of your music room, acoustic foam is the way to go, as it’ll help trap some of the noise and reduce the amount of echo. However, there are many other ways to soundproof the walls. For instance, you could add drywall by using Green Glue, or build a room within a room, but these methods are very expensive.

The best thing about acoustic foam is that you can also use it on the ceiling. Ideally, you should cover up as much of the walls and the ceiling as you can, so you must make sure you purchase enough foam for the job.

4. Get a Quality Drum Rug

Once you’ve finished with your walls, you’ll need to get yourself a good sound-absorbing drum rug. You can simply place the rug underneath your drum kit to reduce the amount of noise and vibrations it can produce. This type of rug will also help protect your floor, if it’s not already carpeted.

5. Consider Buying Some Silent Pads

Another superb way to silence your drumming is to buy a silencing pad for all the drums and cymbals in your setup.

Conclusion

Two people playing drums on a set - Cheap Ways to Soundproof a Room For Drums (2019)

It’s important to know (approximately) how much it’ll cost to soundproof your drum room before you start, so you can plan your budget accordingly.

We constantly thought of our readers while putting this guide together, so we tried to include the most cost-effective tips and methods that would still bring about positive results. We hope you can now enjoy your music room in peace, without complaints from others!

If soundproof blankets sound appealing to you, you may also want to read our guide to soundproofing a room with blankets.

image 1: Pixabay; image 2: Pixabay

1 thought on “5 Cheap Ways to Soundproof a Room For Drums”

  1. I have played the drums and guitar for over 30 years. My son took up the drums around 2005. Obviously that made my house the bands practice space. On a teen budget with a basement with drums, 1/2 stacks, pissed parents, and neighbors here are some tips.

    1. Cardboard! we live in a time where everything is shipped to your house. Save the boxes and bubble wrap! On top of that beer/pop cases, and paper grocery bags. My basement is unfinished. Stapling flattened boxes to the joists then packing between the joists with crumbled paper bags, and bubble wrap will cut out a lot of sound.

    2. Blankets. Get blankets and comforters from a thrift store. They may be $2 each. This is a great wall, door, and celling cover.

    3. Put your drummer in a box lets say. My basement ceiling is 7’6″. At 6′ from the ground over the drums I have a camouflage mosquito net from Army surplus. It looks cool, but also has 2 rolls of double sided insulation on top of it. These are about $5 a role. In front of the drums I have a 2×4 frame with old storm windows secured to it. The drums are in a corner so picture a triangle. The drummer enters a 3′ opening that has a curtain. This is basically the same as an old phone booth. 3 sides, 1 being glass, or plexiglass. It isn’t air tight obviously, but really cuts down on sound.

    4. 3-4″ foam insulation cut to fit in the window frame, then sealed with Great Stuff. This is prior to the wall covering.

    This article was great, but I figure some young guys might be on a really tight budget.

    Reply

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