Fencing Troubles While Soundproofing? Know the Expert Way to Get Through

Posted by alicebeth on August 13th, 2018

By the look of things and content available on the internet, it is clear not many people understand the concept of soundproofing a fence, and those who do, are either not interested in sharing or refrain due to communication barriers. Though it isn’t precisely a rocket-science to undertake fence soundproofing activity yourself, you’ll need a clear understanding of how your backyard is set up and then work accordingly.

Where there is a will, there is a way - and the experts in America, can help you get past the fencing barrier, and get a quiet backyard saving you from all the traffic-snarling, horn-buckling, and noisy-road shenanigans.

How to go about your fence/backyard soundproofing in five easy steps, here we have it explained:

1. Check the ordinances and make sure your the constructed fence is 8’ above the noise source. 10’ is better, marking a clear gap between your fence and the noise source. The soundproof fence cannot be any shorter or closer to the noise source. When starting from the scratch, make sure to sink in concrete footers, 4’ x 4’ and do it the first thing, before committing towards any other step, which may alter the route altogether.

2. Next up, nail in the cross-members of the fencing after you are done installing the footers in place. The 6’ to 8’ long cross-members are regular wooden fence structures that will settle in the middle, from top to bottom, sometimes with an additional requirement of another cross-member addition in the middle.

3. Once the cross-members are installed, the fencing (mainly redwood or cedar), is ready to stick to the next and the most critical layer, i.e., the soundproofing material itself. For excellent quality soundproofing, choose an agent called Mass Loaded Vinyl or MLV, a high-grade soundproofing material impregnated with barium salts and silica (sand). This provides the strength, rigidity, and consistency in the soundproofing material.

4. With the help of an air stapler, cut out the vinyl coating and add the same to your fencing wall, where the cross-members are correctly and neatly fixed on to the footers. The vinyl strength will depend upon the thickness of the whole barrier, and you should understand the measurements, to correctly do your job. For example, 1 inch of vinyl covering is essentially required at the top half or 4’ of the 8’ to solidify the top-half.

5. Once the membrane is installed over the fence, you will then caulk/bind the overlapped area with acoustical caulk. This will help to maintain the integrity of the soundproof membrane at the seam.

Now your fencing is soundproof and at your disposal.

Author’s Bio: The author is an avid writer, and the article is about soundproofing your backyard fencing.