Bad Acoustics/sound problems!

13 years ago

We live in a bi level. The living area & dining area is one large rectangle. A tiny kitchen is open to the dining area on one side. If someone is in the dining or kitchen area, you can't hear the tv. Just getting ice overwhelms the tv. However, the sound of the tv travels down the short hallway to the bedrooms & is too loud! We have hardwood floors & no money for carpet. Is there any way we can fix this?

Featured Answer

PRO

Cancork Floor Inc.

10 years ago

Ahhh the joys of great rooms and open concept living! Hard surfaces (walls, ceilings, counter tops, windows, cabinets, etc) all encourage the continuation of sound to stay in the air (hang time) as well as to reverberate around the space (echo). The actual shape and design of the space will either help or hinder noise transfer. Most open living spaces encourage noise, not hinder. Vaulted ceilings (all those pretty architectural things you paid good money for), stone work, tile work, etc all increase noise.

Absorptive materials include: rubber (the black stuff that is recycled from your tires and smells just as bad), cork (as in flooring and wall tiles); carpet (the pad is the most important part of carpet's ability to absorb noise) and HEAVY window/wall hangings (think 80 lb velvet drapes). Acoustic drywall will help ($3/sf) but as a retrofit it is intensely expensive.

The easiest way to block sound is to install a barrier...like a wall or a door. Other than that, the hard surfaces on the 6 planes of a room (a cube is a 6 sided three-dimensional structure) need to be "resurfaced" with absorptive materials (see list above).

Start with BIG, thick area rugs...everywhere....see what's left.

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Comments (14)

PRO
Linda Mayo
13 years ago
Get speakers for the TV that go in the kitchen or put a door on the hallway.
PRO
JWinteriors
13 years ago
Fabric absorbs noise. Area rugs in living room and dining room; runner down the hall. Window treatments and couch pillows and throw.
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rowyntree
Original Author
13 years ago
Lol we don't live in an empty box! Area rug in dining room, runner in hall, window treatments, lots of couch pillows & throws. It's not a big space. I'll post pics tomorrow. I did think about a door for the hallway but still unsure. Speakers in the kitchen? I don't understand how that would help me hear the tv when someone is in the kitchen, how does that work?
onthefence
13 years ago
As you using speakers that are a part of the TV or do you have an auxiliary speaker system?

The speakers built in to many TVs aren't always that great - and they're placed badly. The TV people count on the fact that you'll have a secondary speaker system.

Auxiliary might be a better bet. Better sound - and you can aim them at where people are sitting.
PRO
Linda Mayo
13 years ago
last modified: 13 years ago
I guess you were referring to not being able to hear the TV when someone else was in the kitchen. Sounds like kitchen noise is overriding the TV when you are in the livingroom. onthefence is right. Auxiliary speakers might help you to hear the TV when you are in the livingroom because of their better sound quality and your ability to direct the sound.
rowyntree
Original Author
13 years ago
We do have a home theatre system we could play the tv through but it the sound from others still gets in the way. I'd love to put a door on the hallway & some type of wall between the living & dining rooms.
Pond Hockey
10 years ago
I'm struggling with this problem as well; it's not only TV, it's conversation that is interrupted. For the TV/entertainment center, the kitchen noise is behind the listener - the worst place for noise. In our new house I plan to put rear speakers behind the living area to try to combat the kitchen noises.

I appreciate the note that fabrics absorb sound; I'm trying to figure out if there are sound absorbing ideas to keep some of the noise contained in the kitchen area.
Pond Hockey
10 years ago
Thanks to Cancork. I'll discuss the ideas with our builder. I'm guessing that putting the acoustic dry wall in the kitchen (walls, ceiling) at the source of the noise might be cost effective.
Pond Hockey
10 years ago
A note on sound system speakers: my belief is that, especially with surround sound, the dialog is usually sent to the center speaker. I intend to put an additional "center speaker" behind our seating area.
PRO
Cancork Floor Inc.
10 years ago
For kitchen noise, you will need to stuff the ceiling with acoustic insulation (Roxul) as well as adding in some acoustic deflection panels ($$$ each)...

The biggest problem = the open floor plan. What you want and what you are designing are diametrically opposed with each other. Just realize that.

You will put money into this (could be another $5K)...and yet you will achieve 10%-20% improvement...that's it. Walls are you best bet.

An acoustic floor, like cork, will deaden most of the noise and prevent it from spreading.
PRO
Residential Acoustics, LLC
10 years ago
If you're looking for another option, we have a line of sound blocking AcoustiDoor panels which block up to 90% of noise transfer. The panels can either be placed over an existing door if you decide to put one up, or our AcoustiTrac curtain can 'create' a door by covering an opening when needed. Might be something to look into!
Pond Hockey
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
Both ideas seem to have merit. Our great room (in my mind) could be partially separated from the kitchen with a (suitable/attractive) curtain. Also the center speaker (which I believe contains most of the dialogue) could be positioned near the seating, and possibly behind the seating on a beam.

The cork flooring appeals to me (would have to be sold to my spouse) for the kitchen. Any feedback on using cork vs tile for the kitchen? How does it respond to spills/ how easy to clean? I'm sure it must be easier to walk on.

We plan on radiant floor heating. I read elsewhere that the subfloor should not exceed 82F for cork flooring. I'm still looking to see the typical range of subfloor temps to expect. [Edit: I found, on a state of Oregon website, that most suppliers recommend a water temperature between 85 and 125F, and a floor temp about 5 degrees F above the thermostat setting. Bottom line: cork flooring can work with radiant floor heating and might be a good application for our kitchen.]
PRO
Cancork Floor Inc.
10 years ago
Glue down cork tile sealed after installation with polyurethane = water proof. Expensive to install but very long lasting. Cork floating floor sealed after installation = water resistant (can handle surface spills but will not survive a plumbing event). Cheaper to install and will offer 25 years of service so long as it is maintained properly.