Outdoor Soundproofing – Best Practices

Happy daylight savings! You may be feeling inspired to have a BBQ out in the backyard with some friends this weekend, but maybe it’s loud because your backyard fence backs up to the road. Or, you want to play some music but don’t want to disturb your next door neighbors, so how can you possibly soundproof your outdoor backyard? This article will provide you with the best tips and tricks for outdoor soundproofing, whether you are a host friend or just want some peace and quiet!

Tips for Outdoor Soundproofing

Outdoor soundproofing doesn’t have to involve building an entirely new structure to block road noise or loud neighbors. Whether it is noise from the road, a pool pump, or an AC unit, it’s possible to soundproof those outdoor disruptions. You might think that it’s impossible to stop noise from traveling outdoors in such an open area, but there are certain products that will make a big difference.

Keep in mind, you won’t see any results by planting trees or a wall of hedges. Plants aren’t an effective barrier to noise because they don’t provide a solid covering; there will always be gaps for sound to easily travel through. You need to use something that is solid, yet flexible to effectively block outdoor noise, such as outdoor mass loaded vinyl.

Soundproof Fence for Noise Reduction and Privacy

While a wall of hedges or a group of trees might provide you with privacy in terms of not being seen, they won’t stop others from hearing you or you from hearing others. Hedges and trees are hard to see through, but all of the gaps between the branches and leaves will allow sound from the road or your neighbors to leak through. A plain old fence won’t cut it either when it comes to keeping noise out because even though they’re solid, they just don’t have enough sound blocking ability on their own.

Fence Blokker is a 1 lb reinforced mass loaded vinyl option that is best used for outdoor soundproofing. The product can be ordered in various sizes, all 4.5′ wide, and lengths between 6′ and 12′. Each sheet is grommeted along the top edge and can be easily hung with zip ties. This thick product made with a carbon-fiber layer will ensure a noticeable noise reduction in your outdoor backyard.

Installing Outdoor Mass Loaded Vinyl to Reduce Noise Levels

Outdoor mass loaded vinyl can be installed on almost all fence types: chain link, wooden, and vinyl. The easiest fence to install on and typically the most common is a chain link fence. Our reinforced MLV comes grommeted along the top edge of each piece to make installation that much easier. Simply have another person help hold up the sheet of Fence Blokker and zip tie the sheet to the top of your fence through the grommets.

If you have a wooden fence, zip ties won’t be much help, so you’ll need to get hooks attached to your fence first, and then simply hang the sheets along your fence through the grommet. Vinyl fences are also a bit different and you probably don’t want to drill into one, so try hooks that hang over the top of the fence. You can also use an acoustic fence wrap which is suitable for all fence types and reduces up to 70% of noise.

When hanging sheets of Fence Blokker, be sure to overlap each panel by 3″-6″, otherwise sound will flank between the sheets, and render the material almost ineffective. Our rule of thumb is – a 1% gap will let in 50% of noise, since sound will always take the path of least resistance.

Make the Right Choices to Have a Quieter Backyard

Some people live near a busy road or intersection, may have loud neighbors, or are loud themselves and want to be considerate. In these situations, an outdoor mass loaded vinyl such as Fence Blokker is the best solution, but it doesn’t work in all situations.

Ideally, the fence in question should be taller than the line-of-site from the noise source, so at least 6′ tall up to about 12′ tall. It should be installed right in front of the noise source and at least 5′ in either direction of the noise source.

For example, if you had a speaker in your backyard, and wanted to prevent it from annoying the neighbors, you can’t just install one Fence Blokker sheet right in front of the speaker. You’d have to do 1-2 additional sheets on either side of it to actually make a difference in the amount of sound blocked.

See Similar: Making a Soundproof Privacy Fence

Reinforced MLV for Outdoors

The most important part of outdoor soundproofing is finding a material durable enough to withstand elements. Normal mass loaded vinyl will deteriorate when exposed to the elements, but a reinforced outdoor mass loaded vinyl option will last multiple years outside. Some signs that regular mass loaded vinyl has been exposed too long include crumbling, ripping and fading of the material.

The reinforced mass loaded vinyl that Fence Blokker is made with is also great because it won’t tear at the grommets when hung. Typically mass loaded vinyl is sandwiched between studs and layers of drywall, which is what permanently secures it in place, otherwise the material would eventually start to wear out and fall from the fasteners.

Outdoor Soundproofing – Best Practices: Conclusion

Soundproofing for outdoors is possible, so don’t worry about your BBQ being too loud for your guests or too loud for your neighbors. For more tips on your DIY soundproofing project, please contact our team as we’re always here to help!