Just had new windows installed last week, and I'm honestly shocked how quiet my bedroom is now. Didn't realize how loud traffic was till it disappeared, lol. Curious if others had similar luck with certain brands or types?
"Didn't realize how loud traffic was till it disappeared, lol."
Haha, same here—I moved into my first place last year and upgraded to double-pane windows after a few months. Night and day difference, seriously. I didn't even know how much background noise was bugging me until it was gone. Not sure about specific brands, but the installer mentioned thicker glass and proper seals make a huge difference. Glad you're finally getting some peace and quiet...makes home feel more relaxing for sure.
Double-pane windows definitely help, but if you really want to step it up, try laminated glass. Installed some in my bedroom last year—it's designed specifically for sound dampening. Bit pricier but worth every penny if you're sensitive to noise.
Bit pricier but worth every penny if you're sensitive to noise.
Laminated glass is a great shout. I put some in our guest room after my brother complained about traffic noise keeping him awake. Honestly, didn't expect much difference, but it really surprised me... now he sleeps like a log whenever he visits!
Honestly, didn't expect much difference, but it really surprised me...
Laminated glass definitely does the trick. Had a client last year who lived right by a busy intersection—constant honking, sirens, you name it. We swapped out his old double-pane windows for laminated ones, and the difference was night and day. He joked he could finally hear his own thoughts again. Bit pricier upfront, but honestly worth it if noise is driving you nuts.
Interesting to hear laminated glass worked so well for you. I've had mixed experiences myself. Did a job a couple years back for a family near train tracks—went with laminated glass hoping it'd be the magic fix. It definitely helped, but wasn't exactly the miracle cure they were hoping for. Still heard some rumbling and vibrations, especially when freight trains rolled through at night. Ended up having to pair it with some heavy-duty curtains and extra insulation around the frames to really get things quiet.
Makes me wonder if the type of noise matters more than we think. Maybe laminated glass handles higher-pitched sounds like honking or sirens better than low-frequency stuff like trains or trucks? Curious if anyone else has noticed differences depending on the noise source...
I've noticed laminated glass can struggle with deep, rumbling noises too. Had better luck myself with double-glazed windows that have different thicknesses of glass panes—seems to disrupt those low-frequency vibrations a bit more effectively. Might be worth considering next time around...
"Had better luck myself with double-glazed windows that have different thicknesses of glass panes—seems to disrupt those low-frequency vibrations a bit more effectively."
Interesting observation—I had a similar experience when we replaced our windows a few years back. Laminated glass did help with general street chatter, but those pesky garbage trucks at 5 AM? Still rattled my fillings loose. Switched to asymmetrical double-glazing (one pane thicker than the other), and it was like hitting mute on the bass track of city life. Not perfect, mind you, but at least now my coffee stays in the cup during morning rumble hour...
Laminated glass did help with general street chatter, but those pesky garbage trucks at 5 AM? Still rattled my fillings loose.
Interesting points here, but I'm wondering if it's really the thickness difference that's doing most of the heavy lifting? When we upgraded, the installer mentioned that the gap between panes and the type of gas filling (argon vs air) mattered a lot too. Did you happen to change those factors as well when switching to asymmetrical glazing? Curious if anyone's tested just pane thickness alone without tweaking other variables...
Yeah, those garbage trucks are a special kind of evil... I swear they time it just to mess with us. Honestly though, from what I've read (and experienced), the air gap and gas filling do play a pretty big role. When we switched windows years ago, we went thicker glass but kept air filling—still heard the trucks. Friend down the street went argon and bigger gap, and he's sleeping like a baby now. Go figure.