How to Sound Deaden a Vehicle (& What You Need to Do It)

Whether you’re an audiophile looking to improve the sound quality when you drive or you’re simply into the idea of feeling like you’re in your own private quiet space when you’re driving your car, you may have heard of sound dampening. Sound dampening (often used interchangeably with “soundproofing”) refers to the process of insulating your vehicle’s panels with sound-absorbing and/or sound-reflecting materials to minimize noise. We’ll break down everything you need to know about DIY sound-dampening insulation so that you can cruise in peace and quiet (or while bumping your tunes!).

How to Soundproof Your Car

Purchase sound-deadening materials designed specifically for vehicles. Remove the panels where you want to install the soundproofing and use adhesive backing or tape to attach the materials. Then, reinstall the panels the same way you took them off.

Section 1 of 5:

How Soundproofing Works

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A brief overview will make this entire process easier to understand. Basically, there are four options when it comes to soundproofing a car, and the options are based on the different types of sound you want to minimize. You can use multiple materials, or just pick one or two options to target the specific kind of sound you want to reduce. ^{[1]
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- The Types of Sound:
  - Exterior sound: Noise coming from the environment and wind outside.
  - Vehicle sound: Noise made by your vehicle’s components (metal rattling, engine knock, wheels screeching, etc.)
  - Interior sound: Any noise made by things physically inside your vehicle (people, loose seats rattling, echoes, etc.)
- The Soundproofing Materials:
  - Aluminum or rubber soundproofing: These sheets reflect exterior noise. ^{[2]
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  - Soundproofing foam : These sheets absorb and soften noise. ^{[3]
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  - Closed-cell foam (CCF): These sheets decouple layers of soundproofing so loud sounds are quieter. You’d use this stuff for a 3-layer soundproofing job.
  - Constrained Layer Damper (CLD): These sheets absorb interior sound by facing inside and absorbing sound going out.
  - A note on soundproofing foam sprays: It’s best to avoid using foam sprays. It’s too difficult to remove if you apply it incorrectly, and it’s too easy to damage a sensor or electronic component by overspraying. It also crumbles when it gets wet, so it won’t last long anyway. ^{[4]
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Section 2 of 5:

Do I have to soundproof everything?

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Do not get us wrong, you are totally allowed to soundproof nearly everything in your vehicle if you want a near-silent riding experience. However, this is a very labor-intensive process, and it’s not always necessary to soundproof every surface in your car. If you want to just focus on one area, we totally get it. Here’s your order of priority if you’re targeting specific outcomes: ^{[5]
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Goal	Top Priority	Second-most Important	Nice to Have, but Inessential
Improve the quality of music while driving	Doors and trunk	Roof and floor	Wheel wells and hood
Road noise reduction	Floor and doors	Wheel wells, trunk, and hood	Roof
Cut down on engine noise	Hood and firewall	Doors and floor	Trunk, wheel wells, and roof

If your primary goal is to reduce engine noise, auto repair & design specialist Hovig Manouchekian recommends soundproofing the hood. You can apply automotive-grade sound-deadening foam or a pre-cut hood liner under the hood to absorb vibrations and dampen engine noise for a quieter ride.

Section 3 of 5:

Buying Soundproofing Kits or Materials

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1
Purchase materials yourself and cut them to size for custom sound deadening. For custom sound deadening, it’s probably best to buy sheets of raw material, cut them to your preferred size, and install them where you want. ^{[6]
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- This is our recommended option. It will be a lot cheaper than buying a kit, and it’ll give you the freedom to choose the type of materials you use. For example, you might use standard acoustic foam for the trunk where you don’t hear much external noise, then insulate your doors and hood with multiple layers.
- ResoNix is the most popular manufacturer of sound-dampening products for car enthusiasts. There are tons of options out there, and we’re sure a lot of them are very good. We’ve just noticed many ResoNix products being recommended, so it’s probably worth looking at their offerings.
- Here is an example of what you might buy (and the order you might install it): ^{[7]
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  - Aluminum or rubber sheeting first, with the metallic side facing out to reflect exterior noise.
  - Any kind of sound decoupler, preferably closed-cell foam , to fill the gap between the exterior and interior sound dampeners.
  - A “finishing layer” of interior deadening, like CLD .
  - Alternatively, you could just use one or two of these layers!
2
Buy a kit designed for your make and model to keep things simple. Many pre-built kits come with pre-cut sheets and products that will fit inside the panels of your specific make and model.
- This is the best option if you want to soundproof your entire car without researching materials.
- Examples of these kits include Kirban’s kit, designed exclusively for 1978-1987 Buick Grand Nationals or the Collector’s Auto Supply kit, designed for 2019-2021 Toyota RAV4s .
- To find a kit for your car, run a Google search for “[your car make, model, and year] sound-dampening kit.”
- If you can’t find a model-specific kit, Second Skin sells a generic kit package with enough material to fill whatever type of vehicle you select (SUV, 2-door truck, etc.).

Section 4 of 5:

Installing the Sound Deadening

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1
Gather your materials. In addition to your sound-deadening sheets or kit, you’ll also need the following: ^{[8]
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- Hand roller (for smoothing out bubbles on adhesive sheets)
- Utility knife or scissors
- Cut-resistant gloves
- Drill and pilot drill bits for metal (optional)
- Butyl tape (optional)
2

Empty your car out wherever you’re installing the soundproofing. You have to remove the panels to install the soundproofing inside, so take literally everything out of the car. For example, if you’re soundproofing the trunk, remove the sheets, the cover for the wheel well, and the spare tire. If you’re soundproofing a door, remove any cosmetic covers and take everything out of the side containers.
3
Remove the covers on the panels you’re soundproofing. This process differs for every make and model, so look up the process for your specific car in the manual or online. We also have a guide covering the general process in most cars. Typically, you remove either a screw or cover and slowly work your way around the edge of the panel to pop it off. Use a screwdriver to remove any fasteners you find. You may also need a pry bar to pop out any fasteners meant to sit in place. ^{[9]
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- For the hood, you probably don’t have to actually remove anything. Most hoods are a single sheet of metal.
- For trunks, you normally pry the entire cover off with a flathead screwdriver. There may or may not be fasteners you need to take out. It’s all make and model-dependent. ^{[10]
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- For the floor , remove the seats first with a wrench and screwdriver. Typically, there are 4 bolts holding each car in place. Then, pry up the carpet. Normally, you just get an edge up and then gently pull the carpet out. Like door panels, this is model-dependent. ^{[11]
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  Research source} The floor is easily the most time-consuming process, just FYI.
- For the roof, you may need to cut the fabric headliner out. Try prying it out by hand, but if you’re not successful, it likely needs to be cut out. It’s best to hire a pro for the roof since it’s usually not designed to come out easily.
- For the firewall, disconnect your car battery first to avoid accidentally shocking yourself or damaging any electrical components that may be near the cabin.
4
Clean surfaces with isopropyl alcohol before applying soundproofing materials. Splash a little 70% isopropyl alcohol into a shop cloth and scrub the interior of the panel wherever you’re going to install the dampening sheets. Let each panel air dry entirely. If you apply a peel-and-stick mat to a dirty area, it's more likely to fall off prematurely. ^{[12]
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- If you’re going to screw in your sheets, you still want clean panels to avoid anything interfering with your sound deadening materials.
- For the floor specifically, it’s best to vacuum the entire frame out before scrubbing it with alcohol.
- We recommend doing this one panel at a time. Every panel will have distinct fasteners, clips, or screws. By removing, cleaning, and installing the soundproofing one panel at a time, you minimize the odds of losing track of something important.
5
Cut your sheets to fit the panels you’re adding them to as you work. Read the manual that came with your soundproofing sheets to determine how you cut them to size. Typically, you either use a utility knife or scissors. Measure the locations with a measuring tape or use a sheet of cardboard to cut a template you can trace on the soundproofing material. ^{[13]
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- Where should I plan on attaching the edges? You normally want to cover as much of the panel as possible, but you do need to make sure the edges of the sheet will sit on a flat surface.
- Where can I screw into the panel? If you aren’t using adhesive sheets, you can either use the existing fasteners in your door to attach the sheets or drill new holes. If you are going to drill new holes, you must be 100% positive that you are not drilling into any electrical wires or components. You must drill only into the metal itself.
  - If you are uncomfortable screwing panels in place, use tape . Butyl tape is strong and safe to use in your vehicle if you’d like to do that. It’s a little less secure since over time the tape can peel off, but it’s better than accidentally driving a screw somewhere it shouldn’t belong.
6
Install your sheets with adhesive backing, screws, or tape. The process here should be relatively intuitive once you’ve cut the sheet to size, but installation does differ depending on how you’re doing this: ^{[14]
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- For adhesive installation: Peel off the back of your sheet and stick it to the bare metal. Use a roller to smooth out any bubbles and apply pressure to the sheet. Continue layering the sheets until you’ve covered the entire panel.
- For screws: Locate where you’ll drive a fastener into the door panel (don’t do this with the floor or hood) and hold the sheet up. Punch a small screw into the corner and repeat the process at each edge until the sheet is taught against the panel. If you’re using the car’s built-in fasteners, use those instead. It is completely safe to use the vehicle’s existing fasteners so long as you can secure everything correctly.
- If you’re using tape: Hold the sheet up against the panel and run strips of butyl tape along the seams of the sheet.
- Apply all additional layers using the same method. It’s okay to lay adhesive sheets on top of other adhesive sheets, and it’s okay to use tape on top of tape.
7

Reassemble the panels once you’re done. With all of the sound-dampening sheets installed, put your panels back on the doors or trunk. If you installed sound-dampening on the floor, put the carpet back on before reinstalling the seats. Put everything back the way you removed it and enjoy your new quiet ride! ^{[15]
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Section 5 of 5:

Is it hard to install sound deadening in a car?

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It’s not complicated, but it is very labor-intensive and time-consuming. The actual sound panel deadening installation is pretty simple: you just cut sheets to size and apply them with adhesive backing or screws. The hard part is physically accessing all of your panels. It’s pretty demanding on the body, and it can be frustrating to remove the panels depending on the make and model of the car.
- There is nothing wrong with paying a pro for this. Any mechanic worth their salt can install sound-deadening sheets for you. The big cost here is materials anyway (sound-dampening sheeting can cost thousands of dollars), so labor shouldn’t hurt the pockets much more.

Community Q&A

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Question

Would the described addition of sound deadening materials adversely effect the car's ability to float in the event of accidental immersion in deep water? Are the materials flame resistant?

Community Answer

Is your car a boat car? Your car doesn't have much ability to float, and sound deadening materials aren't really going to change that.

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Why sound proof my car?

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Although most cars have some form of sound damping already, lots of road noise can enter the car and raise the "noise floor" making it so that you have to play your music louder to have the same perceived loudness. In addition, many cars have panels that resonate and vibrate and certain frequencies (usually the subwoofer range) and cause the panels to rattle, coloring the sound and ruining the clean tone of the speaker. By adding mass to the panels, the resonant frequency is lowered below hearing level of 20 Hz (which isn't produced by most speakers) and just like that, no more annoying rattles.

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Can I sound deaden my car on my own, or do I need to go to a workshop to do so?

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You can do it yourself. You wouldn't need a workshop for everything described here, nor would you benefit from a car lift or anything. However there's always the possibility of damaging plastic panels when taking them off, so, be prepared for that. It's preferable to do these kind of experiments on a cheap car, not on your brand new pride and joy.

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Tips

If you have an especially poorly insulated vehicle and it feels like you’re basically outside when you drive in your car, it is highly recommended that you use multiple layers of insulation and sound-deadening. A single layer of adhesive material is unlikely to drop the volume very much. ^{[16]
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Warnings

You must use heat-resistant products when installing sound dampening materials on your hood or in the firewall.

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How to Sound Deaden a Vehicle (& What You Need to Do It)

How to Soundproof Your Car

Steps

How Soundproofing Works

Do I have to soundproof everything?

Buying Soundproofing Kits or Materials

Installing the Sound Deadening

Is it hard to install sound deadening in a car?

Community Q&A

Tips

Warnings

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