How to Create a Quiet Home Office in a Few Easy Steps

home office with noise-reducing panels installed on wall behind desk
  • 3-50 hours
  • Intermediate
  • 0-5,000

Millions of workers around the world have found themselves relocated to a home office in the past year, by choice or necessity. Working from home comes with a host of challenges, distractions being number one. So, if you’re looking to make your home office space a quieter, less distracting place to complete tasks, we’ve got top-to-bottom ideas to do just that.

Reduce Echo Noise

If you are having echo issues in your home office, dampen that noise with the addition of wall panels, such as this Workspace Sound Reducing Kit by Armstrong Ceilings. The kit includes your choice of 2 ft. x 2 ft. OR 1ft. x 4ft. white sound-absorbing fiberglass wall panels that keep sound from bouncing off the hard surfaces of your walls. This improves sound quality for video meetings and reduces echo during phone calls.

Each kit covers 16 square feet so you can mount them as a row or square behind your desk. You can also attach additional kits to cover a larger space. Installing the Workspace Sound Reducing Kit by Armstrong Ceilings is a one person job that can be completed in an afternoon.

The sleek panels are washable and scratch resistant for durable, long-term use.

Armstrong sound reducing panels with mounting hardware

Block Ceiling Noise

If your office is downstairs, especially in a basement, you’re likely hearing every foot step from above. Armstrong Ceilings offers a range of sound-blocking ceiling tiles to reduce noise while adding a clean and modern feel to the space. Decorative, smooth and textured panel options can be installed using a suspended or drop ceiling.. Plus, some of the panels offer sag, mold, and mildew resistance, which adds protection in damp spaces—perfect for a basement office.

These panels aren’t the ceiling panels in the classroom of your youth. Instead, they range from simple to intricate with a contemporary finish. Putting in a drop ceiling is simplified with QuickHang Installation Kits, which include everything you need to install 64 sq. ft. of ceiling tiles. If you already have a drop ceiling grid in place, it is easy to pop out old tiles and freshen the space with modern 2’ x 2’ tiles. If your existing tiles are 2’x4’ tiles, just pop in 2’ cross tees.

hardware for mounting sound reducing panels

Add Soft Furnishings

Sound reverberates off hard surfaces so counterbalance that by adding soft furnishings to your space. Select plush furniture and sound-buffering curtains or blinds. For the floor, you can rely on soundproofing vinyl or sound-absorbing carpet and pad. Either way, add a heavy rug to the space for additional absorption.

Rearrange the Furniture

Furniture placement can add substantial soundproofing to your space. For example, put your bookcase up against the wall. Even better, add a wall to wall bookcase. The bookcase alone will help, but once filled it provides storage, display space, and an additional buffer.

Reduce Gaps

Noise seeps in from every corner, but don’t give it an invitation by leaving gaps. Apply weather stripping around windows to block out the garbage truck and neighborhood basketball game. Consider a solid wood door that will block sound more efficiently than a hollow option. Also attach a door sweep to close the gap beneath the door, such as the one that comes with Armstrong Ceilings’ Workspace Sound Reducing Kit mentioned above.

Armstrong noise reducing panels in a home office

Control the Shakes

In addition to noise entering from the outside and ping-ponging around the surfaces within your space, there are annoying (and distracting) noises to eliminate too. Air flow can affect items within your space.

For example, does your door rattle every time someone opens the front door or the garage door? If so, it’s likely a result of the spring-loaded lock that fits into the strike plate not making a solid contact with the interior tab. Fix your door rattle by using a screwdriver to gently pull the tab towards the center of the opening. Check the door for improvements and make further adjustments as needed.

Similarly, you may have cabinet doors that rattle each time the air kicks on. Check they are square within the frame and add sound dampening pads to the corners of the cabinet doors to cushion against the rattle.

You may also need to add spacers to keep shelves from rattling or add cushion to hard objects on your shelf if they move with the breeze.

With these changes you will be closer to achieving a quieter environment for a home office. Now you will have a perfect area to work and join calls without the fear of distraction.