Funny enough, I actually had the opposite experience with my last place. I went all-in on the fancy acoustic glass, thinking it’d be a game changer, but honestly, the improvement over standard double glazing wasn’t as dramatic as I’d hoped. What really surprised me was how much difference sealing up gaps and swapping out the old timber frames made—less draft, less noise sneaking in around the edges. Sometimes it’s not just about the glass itself... especially in these older city flats where nothing’s quite square.
Man, I totally get what you mean about the old timber frames. My flat’s windows are all over the place—nothing lines up, and there’s these weird little gaps that let in every draft and half the street noise. I was all hyped about getting double glazing, but honestly, just shoving some foam strips around the edges and fixing up the dodgy seals made a way bigger difference than I expected. Didn’t cost much either.
Kinda wild how much sound just sneaks in around the sides, not through the glass itself. I guess all those fancy glass upgrades only do so much if the rest of the window is basically a sieve. Still tempted by those triple glazed units though... but my wallet says nah for now.
Anyone else just go wild with weatherstripping and call it good? Or am I just being cheap here?
Weatherstripping made a way bigger difference for me than I expected too. I’ve got a 1920s place with sash windows that rattle if you even look at them funny, and the gaps were letting in noise, dust, and a permanent breeze. I thought about getting new units, but the quotes were eye-watering. Ended up picking up a bunch of those foam strips and some brush seals—spent a weekend fiddling around, and honestly, it’s been solid. Not perfect, but the drafts are way down and the street noise isn’t nearly as bad.
I always figured the glass was the main issue, but turns out those little cracks and gaps are the real culprits. Triple glazing sounds nice in theory, but I’d have to sell a kidney first. For now, weatherstripping’s been enough to keep things comfortable, and if you’re not looking for dead silence, it’s a decent compromise. Maybe not everyone’s cup of tea, but it works for me... plus, I don’t mind saving a bit of cash where I can.
I get where you’re coming from, but I actually bit the bullet and replaced a couple of my worst windows last year. Here’s what I noticed:
1. Weatherstripping helped a bit, but the old glass itself still let in a ton of noise—especially sirens and traffic at night.
2. The new units weren’t cheap, but the difference in both noise and drafts was huge, like night and day.
3. I did it one room at a time to spread out the cost.
If you’re super sensitive to sound or have major dust issues, the full upgrade might be worth considering, even if it stings upfront. Weatherstripping’s good for quick improvement, but it wasn’t a total fix for me.
That’s interesting—did you notice if the new windows had any special acoustic ratings, like STC or OITC values? I’ve been reading about laminated glass and double glazing, but not sure if those actually make a noticeable difference in a noisy city apartment.
I’ve wondered about those ratings too—STC and OITC numbers sound impressive on paper, but I’m not convinced they always translate into real-world peace and quiet. I swapped out my old single-pane windows for double-glazed ones a couple years ago, and yeah, it cut down on some of the street noise, but honestly, it wasn’t a night-and-day difference. Maybe if you’re right next to a highway or train tracks, you’d notice more? Laminated glass is supposed to be better for low-frequency sounds (like trucks rumbling by), but it’s pricier and not every installer seems to know what they’re doing with it.
Did you look into how airtight the frames are? I feel like a lot of drafts and dust sneak in around the edges, not through the glass itself. I’ve read that even high-rated windows can underperform if the installation’s sloppy... Wondering if anyone’s actually measured before-and-after decibel levels in their place? That’s something I wish I’d done.
- I actually noticed a bigger difference after upgrading, but I think it was more about sealing up the old leaky frames than the glass itself.
- STC and OITC numbers are helpful, but yeah, if installers rush or skip caulking, you’re still going to hear everything.
- I used a cheap decibel meter app before and after—went from 60 dB with traffic to about 50 dB. Not silent, but definitely less annoying.
- For me, dust and drafts improved way more than noise. Maybe that’s just my building’s age (1950s brick), but I’ll take fewer sneezes any day.
- If you’re expecting total silence, probably not realistic... but it can be a solid upgrade if you’re dealing with constant street noise.