Just for the sake of argument, let’s say you had six teenagers. Further, let’s say that they got along well enough most of the time to have formed their own rock band. Imagine a drum set, two electric guitars, a bass, a keyboard and a microphone, all plugged into amplifiers, all going full blast . . . this situation is one of the best reasons to learn how to soundproof a room.

If you don’t care about the noise, I can testify personally that your neighbors do.

You’d think walls, floors and ceilings would be a good beginning, but it’s not so – they actually transmit the sound vibrations that you want to block from the rest of the building. Of course, sound can’t travel in a vacuum, but a vacuum lining for an entire room is an expensive and delicate proposition. Anyway, we’re not talking here about the way to build a soundproof room from the ground up, we’re looking for tips on retrofitting the average room to keep the louder sounds from getting out.

The best way to do this is to build a “room-within-a-room” that doesn’t directly touch the existing room at any point, and to fill the space between the inner and outer rooms with sound-deadening materials. This technique is very effective, but it is expensive and requires skilled craftsmanship. There are a few easier ways to muffle the noise.

Many home improvement centers sell soundproofing “sheets” that you hang directly on the walls and ceiling. They are sold as panels, acoustic matting or vibration barriers. You can cut “plugs” to completely fill window frames. They’re paintable, too. You can even install matting under carpeting (this is also useful if you live above someone and want to minimize noise from your floor). They even sell soundproofing materials pre-fitted to ductwork and doors.

Purchase sound-deadening drapes. You can hang these over windows or run them around the entire room.

Install a suspended ceiling and roll out fiberglass insulation between it and the regular ceiling.

While these tips won’t completely block out sound, they should help keep the noise from TVs, stereos, and non-hormonally-driven musicians at an acceptable level.

As for me, I’m going to hide the amplifier knobs.