If you reside in a busy area or simply want a nice, quiet environment when you need it, then noise reduction is a factor that should inform your exterior remodeling decisions. In today’s post, Masters Roofing discusses how one such exterior component — siding — can contribute to creating a quiet indoor environment.
How Does Sound Get Into Your Home?
How does noise from the outdoors get into your home? Since sound is made of vibrations in the air, it’s absorbed by the exterior walls. The denser the material, the more sound is transmitted to the indoors. Fortunately, most of today’s buildings, including houses, are built with layers of material: plaster, framing, insulation and siding. This means it is possible to improve upon your home’s noise reduction properties by adding or replacing components. In most homes, proper wall insulation can dramatically reduce sound transmission as it does not vibrate.
How Can Siding Help Reduce Noise?
Siding products are not made equally. Some will help attenuate sound across the spectrum, others only at certain frequencies. Standard vinyl siding can attenuate low-frequency or bass-level sounds, which includes traffic noises. Dense natural materials like stone can attenuate mid-to-high frequency sounds, which includes human speech and radio transmissions.
Regardless of type, siding can help reduce noise to some degree. This is because siding is not fully adhered to the exterior wall when installed — the air gap serves as a barrier that slows down vibrations transmitted through the outer layer, which is then further reduced as it passes through the layer of insulation. Insulated windows have a similar feature where the interior and exterior glass panels are separated by an air gap.
Can Siding Replacement Help Improve Noise Reduction?
We mentioned above how some siding products are better than others when it comes to noise reduction. Thicker siding generally provides better sound reduction, and, to a slightly lesser degree, so does cladded material like vinyl with an insulating layer. Therefore, if a quieter indoor space is one of the reasons you’re planning a home remodel, thicker siding should be on your list of requirements.
If you need help with finding the right type of siding for your home, give Masters Roofing a call at (901) 871-7663. You can also fill out our contact form to schedule a free consultation. We serve communities in Cordova, TN.