What could I do to the walls in my office to keep conversation from traveling to other offices? The existing walls are (regular?) sheetrock. I'm renting the space and cannot justify spending too much to "improve" the space. Could you share any economical suggestions? Thanks, Amelia
Without spending too much money . . . .
Hanging items on the wall such as fabric, hanging plants, something soft to absorb the noise, Amelia. We had a similar situation several years ago. Our secretary hung some tapestries and since she does needlepoint, she hung some of her handiwork on the walls. Hell, I can even recall her finding a
5' x 7' area rug that we hung up that looked more like a work of art. The cost was about $39 if I recall and it deadened the entire wall.There are such materials such as soundboard insulation that I suppose you could cover with some fabric to make decorator panels out of and use - but remember that these materials are used to absorb the sound. Painting them and closing the cells of these materials will defeat the purpose.
Best of luck to you.
Jim
You might also add some background noise to mask the conversation, if feasible. Noise box, stereo, radio, etc. Is the intent to dampen the sound or to simply make it unintelligible?
Rufus
You don't say whether the walls are clear of obstructions or not, which can make a soundproofing job easy or impossible, depending. For a relatively clear wall, get 3-4 inch styro insulation sheets, which come in 4x8 size, and lightly glue them to the existing wall. If you install them with the foil face out, a good coat of paint might be acceptable covering, or you can glue on wall paneling over the foam board. You're looking at about $30-35 for each four feet of (8-foot) wall, and it's all easily removable leaving only a wall that will need to be scraped and repainted.
Carpet the walls. Accoustic ceiling. Door sweep.
How cheap? What is the current construction?
I might suggest you can get a lot of value out of adding an additional layer of drywall. Of course this does not help much if there are air openings like heater vents between the two rooms. Don't forget the ceiling and floor as sound can go around a wall.
BTW these suggestions are in addition to the other suggestions of soft materials, that may be the best solution.
Foam should always be covered by a fire rated material because of flame spread issues and toxic gases emitted during combustion.
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