The Simple Felt Trick That Discreetly Soundproofs Any Room

Peaceful home environments are so important that there's actually a covenant of quiet enjoyment, which states that tenants have the right to live without noise disturbances. Yet despite these guidelines, as apartment dwellers or homeowners, we may need to take specific measures to soundproof a room. If you rent an apartment, you may have noisy tenants to the left and right of your place as well as above and below. Even if you're a homeowner that lives in a stand-alone structure, you might still have neighbors who throw frequent parties that run late. Sometimes there's simply excess traffic noise we want to counteract. Welcome to the world of adding sound-absorbing materials to your home. In this case, felt can be included on the back of your artwork and other objects to help soundproof your rooms.

Over time, excess noise can cause significant physical and mental health problems including depression, high blood pressure, stress, and anxiety from increased cortisol levels. While communicating with noisy neighbors may help, you can't talk to the traffic outside and ask it to quiet down. Additionally, though we're only looking at one specific solution for the indoors, you might consider investigating an outdoor aid too, as there are types of fences that can block sound.

Craft stores like Michaels or discount retailers like the Dollar Tree often carry felt. Purchase or collect from around your home a few rolls of felt, scissors to size each piece properly, a measuring tape, and something to lightly adhere to artwork like double-sided tape — that's all you need. We don't recommend gluing felt to frames, especially if it's a valuable piece of art, as this will be more permanent.

Take a poster, painting, print, mirror, or framed photograph off your wall and grab the measuring tape. Measure the width and length of the frame, then cut out a piece of felt that's about three-quarters of an inch smaller so it won't be visible when it's hanging on the wall. Of course, don't cover any of the hardware or wires used to hang the piece. The purpose of adding the material is to absorb and muffle sound. In addition to soundproofing your already-existing art, you could also purchase pieces made from fabric, like wall hangings. If you're feeling really ambitious, cut out and adhere little felt rounds under your table and chair legs to create less clatter for both yourself and for those living near you.