Acoustical Ceiling Tiles
Soundproofing and Noise Reduction for Your Dog Kennel or Animal Hospital
Excessive noise can be a serious nuisance, and in dog kennels and animal hospitals, it can be downright painful. Dogs spend their afternoons socializing and creating noise that can get out of control if your facility hasn’t been treated for sound. This represents potential issues for the dogs, those looking after them, and the people next door, which is why kennel soundproofing is so vitally important.
Chronic exposure to noise can lead to emotional and physical issues that harm people and pets alike. It can increase stress levels significantly, bringing a host of possible ailments with it. Treating your kennel for sound will keep animals, staff, and clients happier and healthier, and may even help build your business.
Clients who bring their dogs to kennels love them and want to ensure their pets are well taken care of while they are away. By putting time and effort into noise reduction for kennels, we show pet owners that we care as much about the well-being of their best friends as they do.
Unique Sound Challenges of Animal Hospitals & Kennels
Facilities that house large numbers of dogs face unique challenges when it comes to noise control. The loud barking and other noises associated with multiple pets in one area become amplified when they interact with the hard, reflective surfaces that make up the majority of kennels, veterinary clinics, and animal hospitals. This is due to echo and reverberation.
Sound waves reflect off hard surfaces like walls, floors, and ceilings, and the echoes can create issues with client and staff communication. As those echoes bounce back and forth across the space, they have an additive effect and become louder as the sound waves build upon each other. All that noise isn’t just troublesome for people in that particular room, it can also leak through walls, doors, and ventilation systems and create noise issues throughout the entire building. Treating those hard, reflective surfaces with acoustic treatments to absorb the noise within the room and soundproofing materials to reduce the amount of sound leaking to adjacent spaces is the best way of keeping things quiet.
Best Solutions for Kennels & Animal Hospitals
There are a wide range of sound control products on the market. Some are more effective than others for certain sounds, and choosing the right ones is key to achieving the performance we’re after. This guide will walk you through the kennel noise insulation products that are essential in any pet facility soundproofing or acoustical treatment project.
Absorbing Noise with Acoustic Panels for Walls and Ceilings
The first thing we want to do when treating kennels and animal hospitals is to reduce the amount of noise we are dealing with. Since getting a group of dogs to be quiet is very rarely an option, we strongly suggest using absorptive materials to reduce the reflections and echos within the room. There are quite a few different types of materials that are effective at reducing barking echo and limiting noise to more manageable levels.
One of the most important products in acoustically treating any space is the acoustic panel. Generally, panels are made of light, soft, fluffy and porous materials that allow sound waves to enter through a maze of fibers and air chambers. As the sound passes through the fibers, hitting the structure and reflecting back toward the source, it will have lost a good amount of energy and sound quieter to our ear. By converting that energy into a small amount of heat as it moves along the fibers in the maze, we hear a reduction in the overall room volume.
Acoustic panels can be mounted on walls or ceilings, which both offer the same amount of reflection reduction in the room. The acoustical treatment may even be suspended from ceilings as baffles or clouds to reduce sound waves as they travel across the space. Many types of panels, baffles and clouds are available in a wide range of vibrant colors, meaning you can find something that enhances the aesthetic of your kennel while keeping it quiet. Want something specific? Many acoustic panels can even be custom printed with logos or pictures so you can increase brand awareness with your acoustic treatments.
Soundproofing Walls and Ceilings to Reduce Noise Transfer
Another obstacle faced by kennel owners is the transfer of noise from one space to another. This problem can be due to thin walls that are not equipped to block enough sound transfer to keep each space sonically separated. If your space has drop ceiling tiles and common HVAC ducts, those can also be problematic. Soundproofing your walls and putting up partitions can help. Here are some ways you can significantly reduce noise transfer in your facility.
Mass-Loaded Vinyl
Because brick or concrete walls have a significant amount of mass and density, they usually block plenty of sound, but if your space was built with studs and drywall, it likely won’t block as much. Applying dense materials like Mass-Loaded Vinyl (MLV) to a stud wall before the drywall is hung will add mass and density to the wall assembly and make it more difficult for sound waves to penetrate through to an adjacent space.
This type of vinyl needs to be able to move or vibrate very slightly when the sound energy hits it, so it will offer significantly more sound reduction to your wall assembly when it’s installed onto the studs – rather than sandwiching it between two layers of drywall. If your space is already finished, there are other options that also work extremely well.
Green Glue
Another excellent solution for soundproofing walls in pet facilities is a product called Green Glue. This soundproofing compound reduces noise transmission between walls, floors, and ceilings. It can be very effective at dampening airborne sound traveling through an existing (finished) wall, which makes it a perfect solution for tackling kennel and animal hospital noise.
Green Glue is applied between two rigid surfaces, such as two layers of drywall and is sold in tubes like caulk or sealant. It is generally applied to the back of the second sheet of drywall in random squiggly lines or circles before the installer tips it up and puts screws through both layers of drywall and into the stud.
The way Green Glue works is much like putting your fingers on a bell or drum cymbal. When the soft surface of your finger is holding the wall of the bell while it’s hit with a hammer, the bell makes a “tink” sound rather than the traditional ring. The same set of physics is applied here. When you knock on a wall that has utilized Green Glue, the wall sounds like it’s filled with lead or sand – it’s a very unique “dead” thud.
Green Glue never dries or hardens. It remains soft and pliable, allowing it to dampen vibration energy. Green Glue can be applied to both walls and drywall ceilings.
Soundproofing ceiling tiles
If your space has standard ceiling tiles in place, and the common walls between rooms don’t go all the way to the roof deck, there is a good chance that you have sound transmission through the ceiling tiles and the plenum. If this is the case, a few common ways to bolster the ceiling’s ability to reduce sound is to back the ceiling tiles with a decoupler or barrier product.
PVC Barrier Decoupler is a material much like the Mass Loaded Vinyl discussed above, but it has a layer of foam adhered to one side. This foam stands the vinyl barrier off of the ceiling tile and allows it to move very slightly. Other options for reducing noise in ceilings include installing vinyl barrier-backed fiberglass ceiling tiles or simply backing your ceiling tiles with a piece of drywall cut to ceiling tile size.
Each of these options will add a notable amount of mass and weight to your ceiling, so keep in mind that you may need to reinforce the grid.
Soundproofing Doors & Windows – Blocking Noise Leaks
Doors and windows are common places where sound can pass from inside to outside. Lightweight doors and outdated windows do not block a lot of sound and should be addressed if neighbors start to complain about the noise. Replacing doors with heavyweight alternatives is very helpful, as is swapping the windows with multi-paned modern replacements. These options can get expensive in a hurry and there are some alternate solutions to help keep the project on budget.
Sound is like water. It will always find the path of least resistance first, so if your windows or doors are not airtight, it can be problematic. Sealing gaps around doors and windows with acoustic caulk can block a significant amount of sound for a very low cost. Acoustical caulk or sealant remains flexible after application and will account for some building expansion and contraction with the changes to temperature and humidity.
If sound is leaking through interior doors, adding adjustable door seal kits with automatic door bottoms can block a significant amount of sound. These products are designed to fill gaps around doors that cannot be caulked without hindering operability.
Finally, if sound is leaking out of your windows, consider a retrofit magnetic window insert that will reduce a lot of sound without breaking the bank. They do a great job of blocking noise, and can be easily removed for cleaning or to let fresh air in.
Controlling Sound from Ventilation & HVAC Systems
Sound travels very easily through open ductwork and ventilation. This can make it difficult to keep sound contained to single spaces. Luckily, there are some solutions for dealing with this type of noise pollution.
Acoustic Duct Liners or Silencers
Acoustic duct liners and in-line duct silencers (also called sound attenuators) allow your HVAC system to function normally and keep air flowing with reduced noise – much like a muffler on a vehicle. Silencers and liners both offer softened internal duct surfaces that force both the sound and the air past absorptive media, so the sound is reduced as it travels through the ductwork. Both of these options will require some type of modification to the duct run, so feel free to reach out to us for details.
Flexible Duct Connectors
Flexible duct connectors, or vibration isolators, are short pieces of flexible material that are installed between rigid HVAC equipment and the ductwork. They are designed to stop vibrations and noise from the HVAC equipment from transferring through the ductwork and into the open spaces.
Benefits of Kennel Soundproofing for Animals, Staff & Clients
Acoustic treatments and soundproofing should be an essential part of any kennel or veterinary hospital design. Lowering noise levels inside the facility can lower stress levels for animals, staff, and clients, and help prevent the serious side effects that go along with elevated stress. A better and more comfortable sounding space can lead to better pet behavior and improve recovery rates of animals on the mend.
Soundproofing for pet facilities also shows that your facility is professional and cares enough to pay close attention to the details and design to offer a space with comfort in mind. Choosing eco-friendly materials in your acoustic treatment and soundproofing design may even help your facility qualify for LEED tax credits, helping them to pay for themselves over time. There are many wonderful benefits associated with kennel soundproofing, and choosing the right solutions will simply make your space more comfortable for all.
Finding the Best Pet-Friendly Soundproofing Solution
Kennel soundproofing is a simple way to add a lot of value to your facility. A multi-layered approach that includes absorbing, blocking, and isolating sound will keep animals, staff, and clients comfortable.
Some of the biggest benefits will be delivered through sound absorption products like acoustic panels and acoustic ceiling treatments. They lower the overall volume so there is less to contain. This only makes soundproofing solutions for walls, doors and windows more effective. Everything works in harmony to create the ideal sounding space.
If you need help with your kennel soundproofing project, reach out for expert recommendations on soundproofing pet facilities. We will help you learn how to quiet a noisy kennel and point you toward the most effective products for doing so.
13 Comments
Ted W
Omar,
Yes, absolutely. There are a few options. If you have a high ceiling that won’t see much spray or abuse, the Echo Eliminator panels are a good way to go (//www.acousticalsurfaces.com/echo-eliminator?d=0) If you will need to wash/spray them down, the sound Silencer panels would be a better choice. (//www.acousticalsurfaces.com/sound-silencer?d=2)
-Ted
omar
do you know any absorbent ceiling we can use directly fix/bonded to ceiling substrate? thanks.
Ted W
Taylor,
I would be happy to help. E-mail me with your contact information.
[email protected]
Ted W
Hey Taylor,
If you have a few minutes, feel free to give me a call and I’ll do my best to discuss this with you, but I’ll try to answer your questions here also. Do you have any pictures of the materials and method that you used for your testing? I’d love to have a look at them.
First of all, you mentioned that your test resulted in the finding that the smaller the piece of aluminum, the less noise produced. Although I’ve never done any testing like this, the results seem to be consistent and predictable with physics. It likely has to do with the overall rigidity of the piece. Imagine taking an 8’ long 2×4 wooden board (like those used to build walls) and putting it between two bricks. If you stand in the middle, the thing will flex quite a bit. But, if you take the same 2×4 but cut it down to a foot long and put it between the bricks it’s probably not going to move much.
When you strike the piece of aluminum with the nut, it basically transfers energy from the nut into the aluminum. Are you old enough to know the movie The Matrix? If so, do you remember when the helicopter crashed into the glass building? The impact of the helicopter sent “waves” out in all directions like dropping a pebble into a calm pond. This is basically what happens when the nut hits the aluminum. If you hold the aluminum with your fingers, you can probably feel the vibration of the aluminum. When the aluminum flexes and pushes waves of energy into the air. Your ear takes these waves of energy (or pressure) and turns them into a sound.
I’m not sure that the viscoelastic layer was used properly. It sounds like you used it as a shock-absorber between the cookie sheet and the aluminum. Was the nut on the string striking the aluminum or the cookie sheet? I don’t quite understand this but I’m sure you could walk me through it.
A viscoeslastic damper is basically a way to absorb the vibration of a material. Imagine taking a bell and ringing it with a hammer. When you hit the bell, the energy from the hammer is transmitted to the bell and the bell physically shakes. If you put your fingers on a bell, the vibration of the bell is absorbed by your fingers and the bell is much quieter much faster. This is an example of a viscoelastic damper. If you had the aluminum hanging from a string and hit it with the nut it would make a noise. If you put the double-sided-tape on the back (the non-struck side) of the aluminum and hit it with the nut, it would make a much different (quieter) noise because the double sided tape would reduce the resonance (vibration) of the aluminum.
As far as the highway barrier goes, I’m not quite sure how your test relates. The effectiveness of the noise barrier is going to depend on the type of barrier, height of the wall and the proximity of the test area to the wall. The type of noise barrier is going to have a significant impact on it’s performance and it is important to note that different states and climates use different products for the highway barriers. Generally speaking, the noise barrier is effective for the first two to four rows of houses as you travel away (at a 90 degree angle) from the barrier but after you get far enough away, the noise barrier’s performance is negligible because the sound pressure actually bends back down toward the ground.
I hope that some of this made sense, so please feel free to let me know if you have any other questions or if you need me to explain something better.
Thank you,
-Ted
Taylor Dryden
My name is Taylor Dryden I am a Student at Manchester High School, and I did a Science project that has to do with sound dampening. In this project, I took 3 different sizes of aluminum and taped them to a cookie sheet that was clamped onto a counter all at different times, then took a nut attached to a string that would strike the cookie sheet in the middle each time i released it from the same height. I would record each noise level that came off of the cookie sheet being hit with a DB, and I took the graphs and compared the noise levels. It seemed to be that the littler the sheet of aluminum got, the less sound it reduced, but also adding in between the pieces of aluminum and cookie sheet, then added a viscoelastic layer, which was double sided carpet tape. If any way possible that you could take the time out and talk to me a little about how you think this viscoelastic layer helps reduce the noise level, or if you think the type of metal would affect the noise level reduction, I would be very appriciative. If anyway possible, could you also tell me what your oppinion and thoughts are on the sound barriers that are along highway, and how helpful you think they are.
Thank you for your time, please get back with me as soon as possible!
Thank you very much,
Taylor Dryden
steve Lucas
Hello Ted,
I appreciate the amount of information you have shared to help make our new kennels more effective for both the dogs and us. Do you have different thoughts if you were to build ground up, instead of trying to retro existing buildings? We would like to integrste much of this into our new kennel construction. Feel free to call if you would prefer to tak directly.
Sincerely, Steve Lucas Chandler, OK
Katie Y
Hey Steve,
I have taken out your phone number so that it is not shared with all the reader’s of the blog. Don’t worry, though, I have passed it on to Ted.
Thanks,
Katie
Ted
Steve,
Thank you for the comment! There are quite a few different ways to build walls, or buildings in general that can be extremely beneficial for blocking sound. I have suggestions for quite a few different types of buildings – concrete block, metal stud, wood stud, etc. I would be happy to either help you modify an existing design or plan or help you design and plan the entire space. You mention “from the ground up” in your message, but there are a LOT of variables for building design so I’ll break it down to the very basics. Here goes…
For the money, I would plan on sand-filled concrete block for all rooms that you expect to be loud. Make sure the walls go from the slab to the roof deck and are as air-tight as possible. I would also strongly suggest a stand-alone or separate HVAC system for this space so the sound being made in this/these room/s does not use the duct work to get from point A to point B. I would use ALL solid-core or heavy doors and be sure they are installed into the rough openings “correctly” which I can go into later. Depending on the exact wall assembly, you may want to consider one of our sound-rated doors which are really only needed in very high STC wall assemblies. If space allows, you could always build separate, free-standing walls on the office side of this concrete wall to block even more sound. Metal studs with standard or cotton insulation and a layer or two of Sheetrock would work well. Blocking or containing the sound is the difficult part – once the room is soundproofed, then it just becomes a matter of absorbing some of the echo and reverberation in the room – and that is quite a bit easier and usually a different conversation.
Meg
For a veterinary kennel, is there any type of flooring that helps reduce noise? It would obviously have to be very easily cleaned and water resistant for cleaning purposes. Thanks for all this great info here!!!
Ted W
Meg,
Thanks for the comment. Unfortunately, I do not know of any type of underlayment that will meet your needs. Most acoustical panels are a minimum of 1″ thick and are light, soft, fluffy-ish type products. These physical properties are why they absorb sound.
Ted
Hayley galea
Hi,
I was just wondering if there was any material you can suggest for excercise yards or boundary fencing that would minimise the noise or curve it back into the property. Just so the neighbours are not affected by dog noise but would still allow to have the dogs go outdoors if they wish to?.
Thanks
Hayley
Ted W
Exterior soundproofing and acoustics are a tricky situation because whenever you have shared airspace between a noise source and a potential listener, the sound has an easy avenue to get from point A to point B. The product I would recommend exploring is the Exterior Sound Blankets Reinforced which are barrier and absorber panels. The amount of products I can suggest is quickly limited when exterior-applications are presented. These blankets/panels would mount right to the fence.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need more information. Thanks,
Ted
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