How To Soundproof a Gym Or Fitness Centre

No gym or fitness centre can be 100% silent but we can improve the acoustics to stop annoying sounds and vibration. There are a few ways to go about this. The best approach is to tackle the floor and the walls and ceiling.

Here are a few tips to help you soundproof your gym or fitness centre:

Soundproofing the floor

Dropped weights and plates and deadlifts make a racket. If you want to soundproof your gym and improve its acoustic qualities, you have to pay attention to the floor which is where we can make the biggest sound improvements.

To absorb impacts and kill vibration, your floor should utilise at least a two-layer system with a foam or rubber underlay and a rubber tile top layer. The combined thickness should be 43mm to 46mm for the best performance.

40mm floor tiles and 6mm underlay is used to achieve this. Thinner flooring is available, but the thinner the flooring, the less sound is absorbed.

Soundproofing the walls and ceiling

If sound reverberation is a problem in your gym, we can install acoustic panels on the walls and ceiling to stop sound from bouncing around.

Acoustic panels are made from foam and they are easy to install with adhesive. Once installed, the sounds produced in different areas of your gym won’t travel as far, which has the effect of making your gym a quieter and more relaxing place.

Acoustic panels can be smooth or textured. We recommend a combination of both. If you have a high or domed ceiling, we also recommend acoustic panel banners. These hang from the ceiling and make a big difference in reducing sound.

Soundproofing the doors

To soundproof external and internal doors you can use the same foam panels we use to soundproof the walls. All you need to do is stick them to the inside of the door. This is not 100% effective, but it does make a significant difference.

You should also pay attention to the gaps in doors which let sound through. A lot of gym noise can be prevented from escaping by using foam and felt draught proofing strips. These are designed to stop draughts, but they also help stop sound.

Other ways you can reduce sound in your gym is with signage to remind people not to drop weights, and with impact protection slabs in deadlift zones.