Teens can fill your home with an abundance of life, energy, and noise. If you have teens that are interested in gaming, but you’re ears are tired of the sounds of gaming, then you can do yourself and your children a huge favor by creating a soundproof game room for them. Here’s how:

Cover the Walls

There are a number of ways you can do this; the point is to drastically minimize the amount of sound that can enter and escape the game room by beefing up the wall insulation. If your teens are just as into reading as they are into video games, then floor to ceiling book shelves are an effective, and decorative, way to add some insulating thickness to your walls. If you don’t mind doing home improvement tasks and have the space to spare, you can soundproof your game room by adding an extra layer of drywall with some green glue to your existing walls, and even applying insulation in between the two layers; if you don’t have the time or space for installing a second layer of wall, then you can simply glue or staple foam sheets, egg crates, or any other sound dampening material to your walls for a quick fix.

Add Soft Furnishings

Gamers need comfortable to settle into, often for long periods of time. Soft furnishings like couches, lounge chairs, oversized pillows, and bean bags are not only great to lounge around on but they are also great sound absorbers. Therefore, the more big and cushy your soft furnishings are, the better they are for both your teenagers’ growing bodies and your ears.

Fortify Your Doors and Windows

The quality of your doors and windows can make a huge difference in the amount of sound proofing your teens’ game room gets. Invest in a heavy, solid entry door into the space, and double-paned windows. Be sure to seal the window casings, as well as the space around the door opening, with caulk and/or weather stripping. Also, cover your windows with window dressings–the thicker and heavier, the better. Not only will this keep sound in the space, but it will also help regulate the room’s temperate, which can be a real money saver when you consider the amount of heat all of those electronics can pump into a room.

You can create a soundproof gaming room for your teens, and it doesn’t have to cost you a lot of time, money, or energy. Just keep these basic soundproofing concepts in mind, and don’t be afraid to use your creativity when thinking of solutions that might work best for you.