Exterior soundproofing is a vital part of every home. But for it to be successful, you need to choose the right siding. Since there are many choices, picking which works well for soundproofing can be challenging.
The best siding for soundproofing are:
- Vinyl siding
- Wood siding
- Fiber Cement siding
Also read: The 10 Best Soundproofing Materials To Quieten Your Home
A siding system can dampen the noises that infiltrate your home. You need to ensure that the siding has a thick and heavy material. This article covers the best types of siding for soundproofing which will help in reducing noise levels.
Best Siding Types For Soundproofing Or Noise Reduction
A home or any building’s siding system plays a major role in dictating aesthetic appeal. However, that is not siding’s sole purpose. It has other practical uses, such as protecting a structure’s exterior, improving insulation, and soundproofing.
However, there are several types of siding systems available in the market. For this reason, choosing which one you will use can be difficult.
Additionally, not all siding systems are suitable for soundproofing, so you need to be careful when selecting which type you will install on your home’s exterior.
1. Vinyl Siding
Vinyl siding consists of synthetic home exterior material. It is dense, allowing it to reduce the amount of noise that can infiltrate your home.
Additionally, vinyl siding is versatile, low maintenance, durable, and affordable.
Since vinyl siding is dense, it can block sound waves within the range of up to 4,000Hz.
You can install vinyl siding yourself, allowing you to save a cost from hiring a professional. This siding comes in various colors and forms in terms of choices, including vertical and horizontal panels, shakes, lap, and beaded designs.
However, vinyl siding is not as durable as other siding options on the market.
2. Wood Siding
Wood is naturally dense. Its weight makes it work well for blocking sound waves from entering your premises. So, if you live in a particularly noisy area and do not want to use synthetic vinyl siding, wood siding is the next best choice.
In addition, wood is porous. Meaning it has a lot of air pockets that can trap sound.
What is even better is that this siding type looks natural when installed. For this reason, it adds up to the aesthetic appearance of your home.
Installing wood siding can be expensive. However, it is definitely worth the money. For instance, you can easily change its colors when it already looks old.
3. Fiber Cement Siding
Fiber cement siding can look like vinyl siding. Many people who want to add exterior siding to their home often compare fiber cement siding and vinyl siding side by side. The reason is that fiber cement siding is also manufactured.
But fiber cement siding has a much higher quality and added durability. It consists of a unique mixture of sand, wood fibers, and cement.
This siding system looks similar to wood due to its grain look. Fiber cement siding is very dense, making it an excellent insulator against impact and airborne noises.
Moreover, there are two types of fiber cement siding: pre-coated and pre-painted. Apart from its durability and high quality, this siding system secures your home.
It is water-resistant, fireproof, and insect-resistant. For this reason, fiber cement siding is low maintenance.
About Siding and Soundproofing
An exterior siding system has various purposes. Among these purposes, one of the most noticeable ones is aesthetics. The reason is that siding can have a significant impact on the overall architectural style of your home.
However, one of the siding’s most beneficial purposes is soundproofing. When it comes to that, insulated vinyl siding is the best choice.
Insulated vinyl siding consists of standard vinyl siding with a solid rigid-foam insulation backing. The backing fills up the void caused by the siding’s stepped profile.
As a result, the siding system becomes stiffer, allowing it to resist warping and unnecessary movements.
Additionally, the insulation adds some soundproofing abilities to the siding. As frequency rises, the sound transmission loss that insulated vinyl siding offers also increases.
Moreover, insulated vinyl siding possesses an outer skin composed of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). It has a layer of EPS or expanded polystyrene. Manufacturers then form-fit EPS to the step siding profile of the vinyl by gluing it permanently.
The insulation for this siding system can be up to 1.25 inches thick. However, the stepped profile makes some parts of the insulation thinner.
Does Vinyl Siding Reduce Noise?
The range of sound that a human can hear depends on two factors:
- Pitch (Hz)
- Loudness (dB)
20Hz is the lowest pitch that people with an average hearing ability can hear. Meanwhile, the maximum comfortable frequency is 20,000Hz.
A person’s hearing is most sensitive in the frequency range of 2,000 to 5,000Hz.
On the other hand, humans can hear 0dB of sound, while any sound more than 85dB can be dangerous.
Moreover, insulated vinyl siding can reduce noise by reducing noise within the 2,000 to 5,000Hz range. Since this frequency range is what most humans are sensitive to, homeowners can ensure that installing insulated vinyl siding can make their houses less noisy.
For instance, if you live near an airport, the sound of a plane taking off can have a frequency of approximately 5,000Hz. If your home has insulated vinyl siding, you can ensure that it can reduce up to 39 percent of that noise.
The reason why insulated vinyl siding works well for soundproofing is its back padding or the insulation. The more padded material is, the better it is in muffling sound.
Because insulated siding has an additional insulation layer, the lesser sound waves can pass through it than non-insulated types of siding.
Additionally, the dense vinyl material of the siding system also has soundproofing capabilities. That means double soundproofing for your home.
Sources
- 17 Different Types of House Siding (with Photo Examples), Home Stratosphere, https://www.homestratosphere.com/types-exterior-siding-home/
- Juan Rodriguez, Insulated Vinyl Siding Pros and Cons, The Balance Small Business, https://www.thebalancesmb.com/insulated-vinyl-siding-844649/
- Does Insulated Vinyl Siding Reduce Noise?, Progressive Foam.Com, https://www.progressivefoam.com/does-insulated-vinyl-siding-reduce-noise/
- Juan Rodriguez, Exterior Wall Materials Used In Building Construction, The Balance Small Business, https://www.thebalancesmb.com/exterior-wall-materials-used-in-building-construction-844846/