Anyone Can Sound Deaden!
Sound deadening!
The good the bad the ugly!!!
The Good - There is no downsides to deadening.
The Bad - Let's be honest it isn't a fun project!
The Ugly - the quality of the sound deadening is only as good as the installation.
By the end of this blog post you will have a crash course on what you will need to do in order to get a great result even as a first time Installer, if this isn't your first rodeo, maybe you will still learn something new!!!
Repeat after me!
My Result will only ever be as good as my Installation!!!
Leeeet'sss GOOOO!!!
Selecting the right material!
Finding the right deadening for your application, below is a list of tested, readily available materials on the market, use the below chart as a guide to help you determine what suits the budget and works best for you!
Next thing we are going to need is the right tools for the job!
Some strong blades for cutting your deadener
A nice straight edge to guide cuts, using a ruler here removes the need for a tape measure
Some Roller / applicators, trust me on this make sure you have a spare!
And a marker or two can help as well
Next, we are going to need some basic surface preparation supply's
really simple
Shop towels, you want towels for cleaning surface
and towels for / drying and wiping away excess residue
I like to use a 50/50 IPA mix this is 50% isopropyl alcohol and 50% distilled water
Be liberal when spraying down surfaces, clean, dry and REPEAT as needed
Now that our surface area is ready to roll it's time to install
plan your work area in advance
taking note of areas, you need to avoid covering as you install is super important
mounting holes for clips on trim pieces being the biggest one, this will ensure that your interior all goes back into the vehicle like it came out!
Applying sound deadening!
Press deadening into the desired areas and ROLL, when I say roll, the goal is to try and break the roller, the harder you push deadener in and the flatter / thinner you make it the better it is going to work. As long as you can't feel your arms for days after the fact, you have nailed your install, great work!
That is more or less it, it is not rocket science!
Bonus content to help your install will be small details like picking the right time of the year to install, doing this during the warmer months will make things a lot more easier.
leaving your deadening out in the sun while you are installing also helps a great deal as it aids in the overall transfer and rolling it in as heavily as possible!
Giving Amazon Basics the honorable mention!
(pictured in the installation pictures above)
Amazon basics is out MVP product pick; we have installed just about all of it including acoustic matting, our general playing field is as listed below
Amazon Basics for the budget builder
Resonix mega for sheer performance when there is no budget
Vibraflex (worlds Loudest Deadener) we personally prefer the thinner of the vibraflex options as it is a lot easier to heat up and roll into place, this makes layering and shingling it super easy and ridiculously strong!