What Is Noise-Canceling Wallpaper and Does It Work?

Sick of listening to your neighbors talking or fighting? Worried they might be judging you for binge-watching Love It or List It all day? Maybe you hate traffic noise, or perhaps you’re recording a podcast or some homemade music, and you need a quiet environment. If this is you, it’s probably time to soundproof your walls, and if you’re on a budget, noise-canceling wallpaper may a great first step.

Typical sound absorption methods involve hanging thick fabrics or installing ugly foam panels reminiscent of a college radio station. But sound reduction could be much simpler — as simple as hanging wallpaper. In this post, we’ll tell you about noise-canceling wallpaper and explain what it does.

What Is Noise-Canceling Wallpaper?

Noise-canceling wallpaper is a misnomer. Glasgow musician and TV personality Bogdan Bratis, who manages a recording studio for podcasts, explains:

“Sound absorption refers to reducing the amount of sound reflection in a room. Noise-cancelling, on the other hand, aims to reduce the amount of sound coming into a room or escaping a room. This is usually achieved by building multi-layer walls with special materials, such as acoustic foam, which traps the sound, making it difficult to transfer into an adjacent wall.

Calling wallpaper “noise canceling” suggests it would minimize the noise going from one room to another, but it will actually have a very limited effect in achieving this. So in reality, “noise-cancelling wallpaper” is more of a sound absorption material.”

Will noise canceling wallpaper soundproof a room?

“If you want to stop the sound of a room from transferring to another room, the best method would be to build a double wall,” advises Bratis.  “The air between the two layers acts as a sound barrier. You also need to make sure that the actual walls are thick enough and have sound-absorbing material built into them.

If you want a room to have less echo (sound absorption or acoustic treatment), you need to ensure that there is enough sound absorption material placed on the walls, such as wallpaper with acoustic properties, acoustic panels and other material that have sound absorption properties, such as foam, wood or textile material,”

In short, noise noise-canceling wallpaper can’t keep out external noises like street traffic, but it can make a room quieter by reducing echos. To block incoming noise, you’d have to seal up cracks, tighten doors so they close all the way and add mass to the walls. An effective way to do this would be to sandwich a layer of mass-loaded vinyl between two drywall layers.

What To Consider When Buying Noise-Canceling Wallpaper

Many wall-covering products purport to be “sound reducing” or “noise-canceling,” but read the fine print. Here’s what to look for:

• Noise reduction coefficient (NRC): The NRC rating describes a material’s ability to absorb sound. NRCs range from 0.0 to 1.0, with 1.0 the highest.
• Thickness of material: Absorbed sound waves must be converted to another form of energy, namely heat. Thicker materials generally absorb more heat.
• Attractiveness: Wallpaper and panels have gotten better looking over the years, so pick the one you like.

Does Noise-Canceling Wallpaper Work?

It depends. Like anything, quality can vary. Some products advertised as “noise-canceling” or “soundproof” wallpapers don’t actually provide pertinent details, like what frequencies they absorb or the NRC rating.

Read Q&As and verified reviews at Amazon before buying. Or stick to high-end wallpaper brands like BuzziSkin and Easewall, which publish specific sound absorption coefficients of their wallpapers.

Three Top Noise-Canceling Wallpaper Options

Acoustical panels provide better sound absorption than wallpaper, but technological advancements continue. As reported by the Royal Society, scientists in England recently figured out that the absorptive qualities of moth wings could be key to improving the thinness of sound-absorbing wall coverings.

“New research has shown that one day it will be possible to adorn the walls of your house with ultra-thin sound absorbing wallpaper,” said the author of the study in a press release.

Until that day, here are the best wall covering options to lower the sound levels in your home.

Acoustical wallpaper

Sound-dampening wallpaper options can be difficult to find, but some companies offer attractive varieties with sound reducing qualities. As technology advances, expect to see more of these products on the market.

Acoustical wall covering

Noise-reducing wall coverings, often made of felt or other natural products, provide sound-dampening qualities. Some are made from recycled materials, and they’re good-looking. Bonus: An experienced DIYer should be able to install these coverings.

Acoustical panels

Acoustical panels absorb noise and echoes while creating a warm vibe, but they can be utilitarian. If you want to blast your tunes without looking at black foam, art-inspired acoustic panels add interest to your space and absorb the sound.

FAQs

How much does noise-canceling wallpaper cost?

It depends on the type, but there’s one to suit every budget.

Wayfair offers sound-absorbing linen wallpaper for $1.38/sq. ft., a product made from grass cloth for $1.71/sq. ft. and two made from vinyl, one for $0.60/sq. ft. and one for $2.21/sq. ft.

On the premium side, BuzziSkin felt noise-canceling wallpaper costs about $22 per square foot, and Easewall, a UK company, sells its brand for prices in the range of 15 euros per square foot (about $17.55/sq. ft.)

Can noise-canceling wallpaper be painted over?

You can’t paint every material — for example, you wouldn’t want to paint linen, grass cloth or felt — but you can paint vinyl. However, Bratis warns: “Paint will make it reflective, which would make the wallpaper lose some of its sound absorption properties.”

About the Expert

• Bogdan Bratis has a First Class BA degree in Popular Music Production and is very knowledgeable in the science of sound. He operates Saspod, a company that deals with audio production, specifically for podcasting, and provide consultations for acoustic treatment of recording studios.

Sources

• The Royal Society: Moth wings as sound absorber metasurface; (2022).
• University of Bristol: Moth wing-inspired sound absorbing wallpaper in sight after breakthrough; (2022).