Minimizing noise levels....?

[TuesdayMcD]

I'm a total diy novice - until a couple of months ago i was just a regular girl with no clue that sandpaper came in more than one grit type! I've since discovered i've been missing out by not owning any power tools, esp relating to woodwork and have started modifying bits of furniture i come across.

I've accepted i'll never have groomed nails ever again, but i don't think my neighbours are all that thrilled. Are there any suggestions anyone can throw my way, regarding minimizing the noise output from my garage? Apart from spending money on serious soundproofing, are there any clever, diy tricks i could try? I mainly use an orbital sander, files, jigsaw, compressor, hand drill etc.

PS: Hope i've posted in the right section, have just joined here & couldn't see another forum to try.

 

[Johnmelad502]

PS: Hope i've posted in the right section, have just joined here & couldn't see another forum to try.

Egg boxes, line the walls with them.

 

[joe-90]

PS: Hope i've posted in the right section, have just joined here & couldn't see another forum to try.

Egg boxes, line the walls with them.

My mate did that when we had band practice at his place - never made any difference whatsoever.

 

[joe-90]

I've since discovered i've been missing out by not owning any power tools,

My sorta gal.

 

[conny]

My mate did that when we had band practice at his place - never made any difference whatsoever.

Nope, they certainly don't help you to learn the guitar.

 

[mattylad]

Do your DIY at reasonable times of the day, not when others are likely to be in bed.


Your not going to be doing to all day long every day so dont worry about it, your neighbours must expect noise from DIY from time to time.

Just remember to wear safety equipment like goggles, gloves etc.

And use those power tools!

 

[Nige F]

I'm a total diy novice - until a couple of months ago i was just a regular girl with no clue that sandpaper came in more than one grit type! PS: Hope i've posted in the right section, have just joined here & couldn't see another forum to try.

It`s GLASS Paper..or "scratch" sand is what you`ve got @ the top end of your continent

 

[alittlerespect]

Consult with your neighbours and find out what activities are causing them most concern and ask them if you are becoming a nuisance in their eyes (better to be forewarned, ignorance is no excuse in a court of law). Half the battle is knowing what the problems are, otherwise you could go off on a complete tangent, think you are doing everything that is humanely possible only to find that you have completely missed the issue's that concern your neighbours.

You may find that a good first line of defence, will be to pick up some heavy curtains from a charity shop/jumble sale and fix them across doors, windows and any other openings, as the problem is likely to be airborne noise and not impact noise.

To ease any problems you could agree to only carry out excessively noisy activities between certain hours, for example no noisy works before 09:00hrs or after 19:30hrs maybe starting at 11:00hrs and finishing at 18:00hrs on a Sunday.

As already mentioned don't forget to wear personal protective equipment -especially ear defenders or you could find yourself going deaf later in life due to prolonged exposure. Once your hearing is damaged there is no going back!

Regards

 

[TuesdayMcD]

Gee, thanx, that was way more input than i expected! I'm glad to find out the egg cartons don't work, people have suggested i collect them, but at the rate i go through eggs i could be beyond power tools before i had enough.

I guess restricting my noise time to 'reasonable hours' is about the best - i just live in a really quiet area - it's on the edge of a forest and is a demarcated bird sanctuary so.......

I also have [try] regular job, though i do work from home, but usually the early evening is when i feel most creative, and my neighbours are kind of elderley & not hard of hearing,..I've only recently moved there so haven't built up enough presence to not care too much. My last resort is to ease their pain with a bribe or two - i work in the wine & spirits industry, jagermeister is one of the products i sell, so it's my last line of defence.

Thanks again for the really interesting/informative/amusing range of tips, i'll be sure to remember those safety goggles [have tried unsuccessfully to find them in pink] etc - i suppose being plugged into my ipod doesn't really count as good ear protection..

 

[radharding]

Egg boxes do work - our small provincial radio station's studio in NZ was insulated by them back quiteeffectively in the early 80's - ok, for sure there are more effective ways, and eating that many eggs could cause you serious cholesterol issues!!

 

[xerxes]

...eating that many eggs could cause you serious cholesterol issues!!

Recent research has disproved this: you can eat substantial quantities of eggs as part of a balanced diet and remain healthy.

 

[big-all]

...eating that many eggs could cause you serious cholesterol issues!!

Recent research has disproved this: you can eat substantial quantities of eggs as part of a balanced diet and remain healthy.

reserch can prove anything you like you just print the facts you like
for example the 95 year old that smoked 20 a day and drunk most off his life could be written up as

"recent reserch has shown as part off a ballanced life style smoking and drinking can see you fit and healthy into your 90s"

as long as you dont say this happend because you smoked or ate eggs

 

[Chri5]

and my neighbours are kind of elderley & not hard of hearing,..I've only recently moved there so haven't built up enough presence to not care too much. My last resort is to ease their pain with a bribe or two - i work in the wine & spirits industry

I'd do whta we do when we have a noise event such as a BBq or a party.

Be proactive, take a bottle of grog round and say I'm doing this, sorry about the noise, it won't be forever, have a drink (pass over bottle).

 

[Deluks]

Egg boxes do work - our small provincial radio station's studio in NZ was insulated by them back quiteeffectively in the early 80's

No they don't, they can make high frequency sounds inside the room slightly less echoey, but that's about it. Maybe 80's egg boxes were made from concrete?