The bathroom is one of those places in the house where we don’t necessarily want to be heard.
Soundproofing your bathroom can ensure what you do in the bathroom can’t be heard outside, and that the bathroom itself is as peaceful as possible.
In this ‘How to Soundproof Bathroom Guide’, we’ve looked at 7 of the best ways to add sound insulation to your bathroom.
We’ve canvassed the opinions of DIYers who have done the job themselves to get a wider perspective on the task. We’ll start by asking why you should soundproof your bathroom, provide the 7 best ways to soundproof your bathroom, and conclude the guide with our verdict on the best and cheapest way, as well as provide some alternative tips and tricks
Not got time for any preamble? Skip to the section you need below.
Skip to:
- Why do it?
- 7 best ways to soundproof a bathroom
- Cheapest way
- Best way overall
- Soundproofing a bathroom: Additional tips and tricks
Why do it?
When you think of soundproofing rooms in your house, your bathroom might not have necessarily sprung to mind. But soundproofing your bathroom can make sense on a number of levels. Allow us to explain…
Prevent noise from escaping your bathroom
Firstly, the bathroom is a place where most of us want privacy. Whether it’s using the toilet or singing in the shower – we don’t want those outside the bathroom to hear us, and they probably don’t want to either. Soundproofing a bathroom makes the room even more of a sanctuary for washing and grooming, by preventing sound from travelling into neighboring rooms or hallways.
And let’s not forget about the racket that shavers, trimmers, and hair dryers can make. Whoever you live with can be easily disturbed by some of the louder bathroom noises, so soundproofing your bathroom can cut down disturbances that may disrupt sleep for everyone at home.
Prevent noise from entering your bathroom
By the same token, a bathroom that lets in a lot of noise is not conducive to a relaxing experience.
Have you ever been in one of those bathrooms at the front of a house with thin windows, right next to the street? The voices, vehicle noises, and general hum mean that it can be hard to go about your bathroom routine without feeling rushed.
Soundproofing your bathroom means that you will hear less noise from outside, and this makes for a more relaxed experience each day.
Improve acoustics in your bathroom
OK – this aspect isn’t strictly soundproofing, it is acoustic treatment. But we think it’s still relevant to reducing noise and echoes in your bathroom, so we have included it in this ‘How to Soundproof Bathroom Guide’.
Your bathroom is probably the most echoey room in your home.
This is because of the hard surfaces – such as ceramic tiles on floors and walls, countertops, baths, and shower areas – that most bathrooms have.
By using sound-dampening methods within a bathroom, you can reduce these echoes and reverberations, making your bathroom a more pleasant environment. In the 7 best ways to soundproof a bathroom below, we’ll also include some suggestions for improving the acoustics in your bathroom by using sound-dampening methods.
7 best ways to soundproof a bathroom
Let’s move on to the best ways of bathroom soundproofing.
Which method, or methods, you pick from this list will depend on a number of factors – from your priorities to budget and time constraints.
Have a read through the solutions below and develop an understanding of the different options available to you when soundproofing a bathroom:
#1 – Seal gaps and cracks
Why not start off with simple soundproofing methods that you can do easily and cheaply?
A normal bathroom will have gaps and cracks that could leak sound. You just need an eagle eye for this part – methodically inspect your bathroom for those gaps, crevices, nooks, and crannies that could allow sound to travel through.
Pay particular attention to the gaps around:
- doors
- windows
- electrical outlets
- pipes entering the bathroom
- fixtures including the sink, bath, shower unit and lighting
We’ll cover how to soundproof your bathroom door and electrical outlets in more detail further in this piece. And you can learn on how to soundproof windows in our ‘How to Soundproof Windows: 9 Effective Ways’ article.
OK, now meet your friend when filling most types of gaps and cracks in the bathroom – say hello to acoustic caulk.
It is a latex-based sealant which does exactly what you need – fills gaps and prevents noise from coming in or going out. Below is some great soundproofing acoustic caulk we found on Amazon, for a reasonable price.
The good news is that after you’ve filled the gaps and cracks in your bathroom, you are stopping not only noise coming in, but noise going out, too.
#2 – Soundproof the door
Let’s hone in on one part of the bathroom where you can almost be 100% sure there are gaps – the door.
When it comes to how to make a room soundproof, a door is a good place to start. We’d like to recommend the following 3 methods for soundproofing your bathroom door:
Door sweep
Door sweeps require minimal effort or financial outlay. These are blockers that sit at the bottom of your door, filling the gap and keeping out noise. They usually come in rubber, but you can also find metal varieties.
You certainly don’t need to be a professional of any sort to install a door sweep. At most, you’ll need to turn a few screws.
Door sweeps come in two main types – 1) the slide-on door sweeps made from vinyl and rubber that come in a U-shape and are easy to secure to your door with no screws, and 2) metal door sweeps that require screwing in.
For easy installation, and you might say appearance, we recommend a slide-on vinyl or rubber door sweep.
Weatherstripping
While your door sweep has the bottom of the bathroom door covered, self-adhesive weatherstrips are excellent solutions for the sides of your door.
Weatherstripping is made from materials such as rubber, foam, or vinyl. These strips can be easily applied anywhere along your door to keep noise in or out. They can also help to prevent air leaks and moisture penetration, helping to limit energy consumption.
You should ensure that your self-adhesive weatherstrip isn’t so thick that your door can’t close properly.
Door gaskets
Weatherstrips are good, but in our book, door gaskets can do a better job of soundproofing your bathroom door.
Door gaskets are fitted along the frame of your door, and provide a really snug fit. This makes the seal of your door much better when closed.
Like weatherstrips, some door gaskets are self-adhesive, but others will be attached to flanges or affixed with screws. They might be more expensive than weatherstripping, but we really think it is worth splashing the extra cash on gaskets for their snug fit and soundproofing ability. It’s the superior seal that counts!
Note – there is a lot of crossover between self-adhesive door gaskets and weatherstripping. Some products may be described as both.
Want some more ideas? Read our article on ‘How to Soundproof a Door’
#3 – Reduce noise from your wall fan
You need a wall fan or air vent in your bathroom to keep it properly ventilated.
It seems likely you have a wall fan somewhere in your bathroom. Not only do wall fans provide ventilation and circulate air in your bathroom, as you will know, they also make noise…
Soundproofing the wall fan in your bathroom by blocking or covering it is out of the question. They are needed in your bathroom to provide air circulation and prevent the formation of mold and mildew, as well as odor control.
So, without covering your wall fan, the other option is to find a quieter fan. There are quieter bathroom fans on the market.
We recommend the Broan-NuTone AE110LK Ventilation Fan. Not only is it recognized as one of the quietest bathroom exhaust fans on the market, but it is known for optimum performance and airflow capacity.
Check Broan-NuTone AE110LK price on Amazon
In other rooms in your home, it may be possible to soundproof an air vent by blocking or covering it. Read our article on ‘How to Soundproof Vents’
#4 – Electrical outlets
Gaps and cracks aren’t only found around doors, windows, and fixtures – they can also be present around your electrical outlets.
It is quite common for builders to neglect to seal the faceplates of your electrical outlets effectively from the inside. Experts say that failure to properly seal your electrical outlets could cause up to 50% sound leakage.
There is a good chance that when installing your electrical outlets, the builders have used putty pad, a fire and acoustic rated sealant. But on many occasions they have not effectively sealed the outside, leaving a gap (albeit a small one) between the electrical outlet and the wall.
You can do this job pretty easily, by following the instructions in the video below. And don’t forget to pick up some putty pads online at Amazon. We’ve left a suggestion for these underneath the video.
#4 – Make your toiler quieter
Let’s make this clear from the outset – you can’t make a toilet completely silent.
But you can take a number of steps to quieten the whole operation down! That’s what we’ll talk about in this section
Quiet close toilet seat
One of the most irritating noises that comes out of your bathroom is the seat slamming against the bowl.
Sometimes it happens by accident, sometimes it’s due to those people that simply throw the seat down, instead of gently lowering it.
Either way, one solution is a quiet close toilet seat, which usually uses hydraulic hinges or cushioning to prevent the horrible slamming of the seat. If you live in a home with children who may struggle to put the seat down quietly, this kind of toilet seat can be a winner.
Put adhesive around the toilet tank
Did you know there’s a way to make your toilet flush quieter without buying any fancy gadgets?
You’ll just need some self-adhesive foam tape.
You may have noticed there are some gaps between the top of your toilet and the tank. Got your self-adhesive foam tape? Now follow the following steps:
1. Remove the lid of the tank and clean it; inside and out.
2. Clean the top and edges of the tank.
3. Peel the self-adhesive foam tape
4. Apply it around the top edge of the tank, folding down a portion into the inside wall.
5. Be sure to cover the whole rim of the tank and leave no gaps!
Buy a quieter toilet
Getting a quiet model of toilet is also an option.
One-piece gravity flush toilets are quieter due to their ‘all-in-one’ design, in contrast to standard toilets with a separate tank. This is because they aren’t pressure-assisted and rely on gravity.
Here’s a highly-rated gravity flush toilet we found on Amazon
#6 – Add another layer of drywall
In this article, we’ve concentrated on methods of soundproofing that can be applied to an existing bathroom. But of course, if you are building a house from scratch, you can construct a bathroom with soundproof qualities.
Ways to do this include constructing thick walls with two layers of drywall (ideally soundproof drywall), resilient channels (metal bars that separate the layer of drywall from the joists in a wall, decreasing sound transmission), and sound insulation materials such as fiberglass or foam.
However, provided you have the space, money, and time, you can still add a layer of drywall to your current bathroom.
Adding a layer of drywall to your bathroom is a drastic method. It will involve building professionals, so we wouldn’t recommend investing the time and money in adding another layer of drywall unless:
a) the other 6 soundproofing methods in this article have proven ineffective
b) your bathrooms walls are very thin
c) your bathroom is fairly big and has enough space for a bigger wall without making the space cramped.
#7 – Acoustic tiles
This is an idea that DIYers we spoke to recommended highly. But we should point out from the off that this is not strictly soundproofing.
Putting acoustic tiles on your bathroom walls and floor comes under the category of acoustic treatment – it is sound absorption, rather than sound blocking. But as the bathroom is typically the most echoey room in the house, installing acoustic tiles is a great way to reduce bathroom noise.
Many bathrooms have ceramic tiles, but these are not the best for soundproofing. You could replace your ceramic tiles with acoustic tiles…
Be they rubber, vinyl, or cork tiles, acoustic tiles can offer durability and are waterproof, while also providing sound absorption and a degree of soundproofing.
Phil, a DIYer we spoke to, put down some acoustic tiles in a bathroom that was allowing sound transfer to other parts of his house. He only used acoustic tiles, not any other noise-reduction solution. He said that not only did the acoustic tiles stop impact noise (people walking on the floor) carrying to other parts of his property, but they also reduced echoes within the bathroom and reduced airborne noise (such as voices) from inside the bathroom.
If you’ve tried the basic bathroom soundproofing solutions such as sealing gaps and cracks, soundproofing the door, and properly sealing electrical outlets, but haven’t got the effect you wanted, try soundproof acoustic tiles. They are a good option before you think about anything more drastic such as adding a layer of drywall or decoupling.
You can also find acoustic wall tiles and acoustic ceiling tiles on Amazon – but the floor is a good place to start.
Cheapest way
The cheapest way to soundproof a bathroom is to seal the gaps and cracks, and then soundproof the door.
These are the things you can do cheaply, quickly, and effectively.
Sealing gaps and cracks allows you to pinpoint exit and entry points for sound, before closing them and keeping sound in or out of your bathroom. All you need for the task is some inexpensive acoustic caulk.
You should also ensure that all your electrical outlets are sealed in your wall properly, using putty pads.
Soundproofing your door is just as easy. You’ll only require some weatherstripping or gaskets for the gaps around the door and a door sweep for the gap at the bottom.
So that’s the bottom line. Focus on the obvious routes for sound transmission in a bathroom. These often provide the cheapest solutions.
If you have completed the steps above and are still bothered by sound coming from, or entering, your bathroom, consider slightly more expensive options such as, installing acoustic bathroom tiles, changing to a quieter ventilation fan, or quietening your toilet.
Best way
Are budget, time, and space not constraints? In that case, you have a few more options for achieving optimal soundproofing.
But be aware – these methods require an investment of money and time, and should usually only be done by professionals or experienced DIYers.
If you are in the process of building or remodeling your home – you can construct your bathrooms using soundproof drywall, resilient channel systems and sound insulation. This will both block sound transmission and absorb sound. The end result? No bathroom noises disturbing others in your household, and less echoes and reverberation when you are in your bathroom.
If you are building or remodeling a property, installing soundproof doors can also make a huge difference. By the same token, if you are building a house in a particular noisy street, choosing soundproof windows – with double glazing, or acoustic glass – can ensure that you are not faced with a huge amount of noise coming from outside.
If your home is already built – and have medium- to large-size bathrooms (you need the space for this), you can call in the building professionals to install another layer of drywall. The additional layer of drywall can be combined with Green Glue. Green Glue is a compound that acts as a sound deadener.
Soundproofing bathroom: Additional tips and tricks
There are ways that you can reduce noise within your bathroom with no DIY.
Especially when it comes to sound absorption, there are things you can buy for your bathroom that can reduce echo with just a few additions. These include; thick, soft, bath mats; hanging plush towels around your bathroom; and hanging a thick shower curtain. All of these objects will help to absorb sound and dampen bathroom noise.
Then there are plants. Putting a few house plants around can also absorb sound, while also sprucing up the décor of your bathroom with some calming greenery.
