How to Soundproof Your Garage

Your garage can be a great space to try new hobbies like carpentry or starting a band. Unfortunately, garages aren’t built to be soundproof. Unwanted noise can easily travel through garage doors, walls, and windows. To have a nice and quiet space, it’s important to learn great soundproofing methods.

Let’s talk about how to soundproof your garage.

For a more detailed guide on how to soundproof your windows, be sure to see our 13 DIY tips on how to soundproof a window.

Can You Soundproof a Garage?

You can soundproof your garage using a variety of methods.

It’s best to first tackle the areas that will let in the most air. This will include the garage door, windows, walls, ceiling, and other internal doors. Sealing all air leaks is the most important part of soundproofing a garage.

These areas are not made to be airtight, so they will naturally let in sound waves. To soundproof a room, you’ll need to insulate all of the hard surfaces and make the room as airtight as possible.

How Much Does It Cost to Soundproof a Garage?

Using a few basic soundproofing methods in a garage may cost around $230 to $450, but this price varies based on which soundproofing material you choose. This estimate is based on the total cost of acoustic panels, window covers, garage door seals, and door sweeps.

You could also decide to install a new garage door, but this is an expensive option. This could cost between $2000 to $3500.

Can You Soundproof a Roll-Up Garage Door?

Unfortunately, there is no method to fully soundproof a roll-up garage door. Because it has 2-3 inch slats, it will allow air and sound waves to travel through to the garage. This also makes it difficult to insulate.

If you don’t need to use your garage for parking, you could cover the entire garage door. This would involve hanging sound blankets or noise-blocking curtains. A plug might also effectively block noise, but it would be a more permanent solution because of its size.

These options can be impractical, so you might need to consider replacing the garage door. Other garage door styles are much easier to soundproof.

How to Soundproof a Garage

There are a few main areas that need special attention when soundproofing a garage.

Just like with any room, windows and doors will easily allow sound to travel through them. Garage doors can be insulated with foam. You’ll need to cut pieces of foam insulation to fit the garage door slats and attach them using foam sealant.

For windows, you can build window plugs to have an effective sound barrier. These fit snugly into a window, not allowing sound to travel through it.

The walls might also need to be soundproofed with acoustic foam, mass-loaded vinyl, or an extra layer of drywall.

How to Soundproof a Garage Door

1. Insulate Your Garage Door

You can insulate your garage door by installing pieces of foam on the inside of the door. With the right foam insulation, your garage can be protected from sounds, light, and heat.

Rigid foam is lightweight but effective as insulation. It has aluminum-foil facers that will regulate the temperature of your garage. By adding an extra layer of insulation to your garage door, this can also block sounds.

The first thing you’ll need to do is measure your garage door panels. Since your garage door needs to be able to move, the foam should be cut to the size of each panel. To make this process easier, you can have the foam pieces cut at the nearest Home Depot.

For a standard garage door, you’ll need 4 panels of 4 x 8 foam. Each panel will likely cost less than $20. In total, this project is inexpensive, costing less than $100.

You’ll need to cut each panel into smaller pieces before installing them onto the door. You can cut the foam yourself with a circular saw or ask for help at a hardware store.

Smooth out any rough edges around your foam pieces. You can simply scrape them along the ground to get a smoother edge.

When it is time to install the foam pieces onto the door, use insulating foam sealant around the edges of each garage panel. Also, spray the sealant in any depressed areas of the door. This will create a smooth surface to lay the foam.

Lay the bottom edge of the foam first, then bend the panel to install the top edge. Once the panel is laid correctly, smooth out the middle.

You’ll want each foam panel to have a tight seal. If you leave any cracks for air, sounds will be more likely to travel through the door.

2. Use Weather Seal Strips

Your garage door may have several leaks, leading to a lot of sound transfer. One option to consider when soundproofing a garage door is to use weather seal strips.

Roll up the garage door and remove the weather stripping along the bottom edge. You’ll need a weatherstripping replacement kit for the following steps. This only costs around $25 in total.

The best garage door weatherstripping kits will require no nails or screws in the installation process. You simply have to remove the old weatherstripping, clean the track, cut the stripping to size, and slide in the new seal.

Good weatherstripping on the bottom of a garage door will keep air from going underneath the door. It will also keep out water and insects.

You could also add weather stripping to the sides and top of your garage door. Most hardware stores will have weatherstripping specially made for this project. These are made from vinyl and are applied directly over the existing stop board.

Use a self-tapping galvanized screw to install this weather stripping. Make sure to cut the stripping to size for the best results. Caulk the outside edge for an even better seal against sounds.

3. Consider Thermo Traks to Form a Better Seal

ThermoTraks is a product specifically designed to thermally seal a garage door. It creates a seal that blocks cold, moisture, dirt, and pests. This great seal can also block some sounds.

Before you get started with the installation process, roll up your garage door. Lock it in place using locking pliers above the vertical track section. For electric garage door openers, unplug the power cord and pull down the emergency release.

ThermoTraks is made up of two components: a track and a seal. Start by removing the existing jamb seal on the door.

Find the lower track bracket and measure the distance from the jamb to the vertical track. Remove the existing vertical track and replace it with the ThermoTraks track. Replace all fasteners. Add 3/4 inch offset to the vertical track and adjust the lower track bracket to align with this.

Align the upper track section to the vertical track. Tighten the fasteners and repeat this process on the opposite side.

Remove the locking pliers and manually move the garage door down. Make sure the garage door does not touch the garage frame. If it does, adjust the track positioning another 1/8 inch.

Measure the top and sides of the door for the seal. Cut the seal to size.

Peel the tape backing off the seal and apply it around the door edges. Then re-install your jamb seal.

4. Ensure There are No Air Gaps to the Outside

A common mistake when soundproofing a garage is forgetting about the air vents. Air vents pass air directly from outside into the room, which will allow sounds in as well. If you don’t cover the air vents, all other soundproofing methods will be pointless.

One method to soundproof an air vent is to cover it with drywall. If you are already planning on adding a second layer of drywall to the walls, simply remove the air vent and lay the drywall over the hole.

Completely blocking the air vents can make the garage extremely hot and humid. To avoid this, you could create a sound maze inside the air vent.

To make a sound maze in a vent, attach acoustic foam to thin pieces of wood. Then place these inside the vent, alternating their placement from left to right. This way, any sounds will be disrupted and less likely to travel through to the garage.

Soundproof Other Internal Doors

If there is a door inside the garage leading into the house, you’ll need to soundproof this as well. For this, there are many different options you can choose to use.

An inexpensive way to seal a door is by adding a door sweep. This will block air and sound from traveling under the door.

Replacing the door with a solid core door can be the best, but most expensive, option. They can cost from $70 to $250 but are made of solid wood which will be a great sound barrier.

Soundproof Garage Windows

You can soundproof a garage window using a variety of different methods. Whatever method you choose, make sure it is reducing as much airflow as possible. An airtight window will allow less sound transmission.

A window can be sealed externally or internally. For the outside of the window, use caulking to seal all the gaps around its edges. You should also remove the window frame and use insulation spray to fill any internal gaps in the wall.

A great DIY method for soundproofing a window is building a window plug. These are wooden frames that fit snugly inside the window. Each frame is packed with soundproofing material, blocking sound waves.

Soundproof Garage Walls

Soundproofing garage walls is a similar process to soundproofing any room. You can use many different methods to block or absorb sound waves.

You can apply a coating of soundproofing green glue to the existing drywall and then install a new layer of drywall. These two layers of 5/8-inch drywall, with green glue in the middle, will act as a great barrier against sounds.

Another effective method is mass-loaded vinyl. This can be hung over existing drywall, creating a much denser wall. The high density of mass-loaded vinyl allows it to be one of the best ways to soundproof a room.

Soundproof Garage Ceiling

Even though sound waves normally travel outwards, you may need to soundproof your garage ceiling. Even if the walls, doors, and windows are soundproof, noise may travel through the ceiling. This can ruin your quiet living space, so here are some options to soundproof a ceiling.

You can use soundproof tiles or foam panels to absorb unwanted sounds. If you fully cover the ceiling with absorbent materials, sound waves won’t be able to travel through the ceiling.

Adding a layer of mass-loaded vinyl or another layer of drywall can also be effective in decreasing noise. Each of these options will allow your garage ceiling to be denser, being able to block most incoming sounds.

How to Soundproof a Garage For Band Practice

If you need to create a soundproofed space for playing music, you’ll need to use a combination of a few methods. Make sure that you focus on the walls, windows, doors, and ceiling. You can use any of the materials mentioned above.

In addition to these, you could add a layer of acoustic foam tiles or install acoustic curtains. Although these won’t be as effective on their own, they can work well with other methods.

Add Acoustic Foam Tiles

Acoustic foam tiles are a great method for spot treating sound on any surface. Although they are usually installed in home offices, recording studios, and home theaters, they will also be effective in garages.

You can easily reduce unwanted noise by adding a layer of acoustic foam tiles to a garage’s ceiling or walls. Once you cover the hard surfaces in a garage with absorbent acoustic foam, the sound quality vastly improves.

The JBER acoustic panels arrive in a 12 pack of 12-inch by 12-inch panels, each one inch thick. One pack of these panels will cover 12 square feet of area. For larger garages, you can choose the 48 pack which provides enough panels for 48 square feet.

With the JBER acoustic panels, you can improve the internal sound quality of any garage, transforming it into a great recording space.

Features:

• 12-inch by 12-inch panels
• Made of polyurethane foam that deadens standing waves and flutter echoes
• Available in three colors
• Can cover walls, ceilings, and doors
• 12 panels cover 12 square feet

We Like:

• Good value for the cost
• Dulls echoes and reverberations
• Easily cut to size
• Ideal for recording studios

We Don’t Like:

• Panels arrive vacuum sealed, so it will take time for them to re-inflate.
• Does not come with an adhesive

Add Acoustic Curtains (Optional)

If you are looking for a great way to soundproof your garage windows, you can’t go wrong with the NICETOWN soundproof curtains. These are designed to block sounds and light, improving the quality of your living space.

These noise-reducing curtains are made with a triple-weave polyester fabric that blocks light and absorbs sound. After installation, you’ll notice that they reduce 2 times more sound than traditional curtains.

Because there are metal grommets at the top of each curtain, this makes the installation process very simple. If you already have a curtain rod above your windows, you can slide the metal grommets onto the rod. These curtains can be hung in front of doors and walls as well, but you might need to hang a curtain rod above the desired area.

NICETOWN noise-reducing curtains offer a casual elegance to any living space. With many different color options available, you’ll be sure to find one that matches your style. With these curtains, even your garage can suit your home decor.

Features:

• Tripe-weave polyester fabric
• Over 20 different color options
• 52 inches wide, 84 inches long
• Absorbs 2x more sound than a normal curtain
• Blocks UV rays

We Like:

• Inexpensive
• The material feels high quality
• Colors arrived exactly as described

We Don’t Like:

• Not 100% blackout, so some light seeps through the edges of the curtain
• May have a slight odor

Final Thoughts

When soundproofing a garage, it’s important to seal all areas that are prone to air leaks. Garage doors, windows, and other internal doors can cause noise to easily enter your home. Luckily, you can add insulation to the garage doors, caulk the windows, and install door sweeps to prevent sound transmission.

To further soundproof the garage, you could consider adding a layer of mass-loaded vinyl or drywall to the existing walls and ceiling. This will increase the density of those surfaces, creating a better sound barrier.

If you are trying to find a soundproof place to practice with your band, you don’t need to worry. Soundproofing a garage might take time, but there is no limit to the methods you could use.