Last Updated: August 5, 2022
Soundproof boxes are used to... well, you guessed it, get rid of unwanted noise.
Now...
If an item you frequently use produces loud noises that you don’t wish to bother other people with, then this project would be great for you to try. These boxes are often used for noisy water pumps, generators, and for improving the quality of microphones.
Take a thorough read of each step and learn how to make a soundproof box! 😉
Preparing The Necessary Items
Materials
Before we start discussing how to build a soundproof box, you need to take your time deciding on your materials down to every detail. This will make things more convenient for you and will assure you effectivity.
The Box
Start by considering how big you need your soundproof box to be. You can measure the item you’ll be putting inside it and make sure that there are more than 4 inches of allowance between the object and the box.
If you’ll be needing a small box and you’re worried that all the layers of soundproofing material won’t fit inside, then you can just go ahead and add them on the exterior instead, it should work the same.
However, If you’ll be using a huge box, you can purchase them from your nearby appliance and furniture stores, or just build your own.
You can use a metal frame, plywood, and MDF panels for these. But if you’ve got the budget, fiberglass is a quality material when it comes to insulation.
Plywood and cardboard boxes would work well for items that produce minimal noise since we will be adding soundproofing material inside/outside it anyway.
Soundproofing Materials
The reason you have for making a soundproof box will determine how many or which of the walls of the box you’ll be insulating with board and panel foam.
You can decide whether you want all six sides of the box to be insulated, or if you want only five of them to be so you can open one side or make it a window.
From there, you can measure your box and come up with the exact size of foam boards and panels you’ll be needing. Make sure to add allowance, you can also buy extra just in case you make any mistakes.
Also, decide on the type of material you will be using. Acoustic boards, egg crate foams, and polyethylene panels are highly recommended.
However, recycled cartoon egg trays are not that ideal as they are too thin to provide enough insulation.
For insulating walls, you can use thick sheets of styrofoam, cork boards, or cardboard.
Adhesive
From here you will be choosing what type of adhesive you will be using, whether it’s superglue, heavy-duty tape, or spray adhesive.
There are adhesives produced for the purpose of soundproofing too, but these tend to be expensive. Take both quality and quantity into consideration for effective soundproofing.
Other Materials
You’ll be needing two more items.
First, think about what you’ll be using to cut the materials. If they’re thick and strong, you can use a saw, if the material is huge, a cutter would come in handy, and a scissor would be ideal for thin sheets.
Second, you’ll be needing something to cover your workspace, whether it’s recycled papers or a sheet of fabric. This will make sure that no adhesive will get to your table.
Workspace
Let’s start by spreading your sheets, whether paper or fabric, all over your workspace. Make sure that there is enough space for you to move around and accommodate your materials.
The Insulating And Soundproofing Process
Step 1: Measure And Cut Your Materials
When building a soundproof box, we start by measuring the dimensions of each wall of the box. To make things easier, you can just measure it from the outside of the box and reduce 0.5 millimeters.
With the dimensions that you now have, draw your markings on both your soundproofing and insulating materials. For your soundproofing material, you will need 5-6 pieces and 10-12 pieces for the insulating ones.
Step 2: Insulating Each Side Of The Box
With your adhesives, begin to attach a piece of insulating material to one side of the body, it is ideal to begin from the sides first.
Doing so will add density to the box and makes sure that your soundproofing material properly adheres to the surface.
Step 3: Adding Your Soundproofing Material
Next, we’ll be doing the same for the soundproofing materials. If it is already self-adhesive, you can go on and attach them directly to the insulating layer.
If not, apply a minimal amount of adhesive to the wall of insulating material then carefully press the soundproofing material onto it.
Step 4: Putting Double Insulation
For the last part, we’ll be adding the remaining pieces of insulating materials right on top of your soundproofing layer.
For this, use an ample amount of adhesive to avoid it from being absorbed by the soundproofing material, apply light pressure.
Adding double insulation is optional for soundproofing. However, we will be adding one so that your soundproofing layer will have protection over the item you’ll be placing inside. Doing so will also add more density and reduce echo.
Take a look in this example of soundproof box for compressor:
Putting It To The Test
Congratulations on learning how to build a soundproof box!
But let’s not end it there, let’s make sure that it actually works to avoid difficulties in the future.
First, set your standards.
A fair assumption would be that the box would substantially reduce the noise.
Let’s begin by testing your item outside the box, just so you could hear or measure how noisy it normally is. Then, begin to place it in the box and examine how much of a difference was made.
Adding Finishing Touches
It is now time to make the necessary adjustments.
You can also add more adhesive to the corners of each material.
After that, you can now add your own designs to the box. You can paint it and add transparent plastic to the opening flaps to make a window through the box, whatever you like.
SoundProof Tip: You can customize your soundproof box to accommodate whatever appliance or piece of machinery you like to quiet its noise. One perfect example of using this device on a noisy machine is found here -- How To Quiet A Noisy Furnace Blower: 10 Heater Parts To Fix.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Make A DIY Soundproof Box?
Let’s do a summary of the steps discussed above.
We first begin with choosing the materials we’ll be using for this project. Start with the box’s material and its dimensions, then everything else will follow.
Then, we measure each side of the box and cut our insulating and soundproofing materials in the exact dimensions.
Next comes the repetitive process of sticking our materials to each side of the box, starting off with a layer of insulators, then the soundproofing material, and lastly the second layer of insulation.
And there you go! You now have your own soundproof box.
Is There A Way To Soundproof A Metal Container?
Yes of course!
No matter what the container/box is made of, as long as it is solid and enclosed, there is always a way to soundproof it.
You just need the proper materials and you can follow the exact same steps above.
Closing Remarks
We sincerely hope that this article has helped you with how to make a soundproof box.
Projects like these require patience and enthusiasm. Remember that it is alright to make mistakes, especially on your first try. In the end, what matters is you enjoyed it and that you are happy with your results!