Yeah, sealing gaps definitely helps, but honestly, insulation made a bigger difference for us. We tried weatherstripping first—didn't notice much change. Once we added insulation though, traffic noise dropped noticeably. Guess it depends on your home's layout and where the noise is coming from...
We had a similar experience—weatherstripping was kind of underwhelming. It helped with drafts, sure, but noise-wise...meh. Insulation, though, was a game changer. We went with recycled denim insulation (eco-friendly bonus points!) and noticed a huge improvement, especially with street noise. But you're right, layout matters. Our bedroom faces the road, so insulating that wall made the biggest difference. If your noise is mostly neighbor-related, you might need to target shared walls specifically.
We recently tackled a similar issue in our first renovation—honestly, I wasn't sure insulation would make a noticeable difference at first. We tried weatherstripping initially too, and yeah...same story. It was okay for drafts but barely touched noise. After reading a ton of reviews (typical overthinker here), we went with regular acoustic insulation on the shared wall because our neighbor's TV and conversations were annoyingly clear.
I was skeptical, but once installed, it genuinely helped. Didn't eliminate everything completely—still hear muffled sounds occasionally—but the improvement was solid enough to feel worth it. Like you mentioned, layout and wall positioning definitely matter. Our living room shares the main wall with neighbors, so insulating there made sense.
Sounds like your recycled denim option was a smart move, especially with street noise. Might look into that for our next project if we ever tackle bedroom walls facing traffic... Anyway, glad it worked out for you overall—it's reassuring to hear others had success with insulation too.
"Didn't eliminate everything completely—still hear muffled sounds occasionally—but the improvement was solid enough to feel worth it."
Totally agree with this. We insulated our shared bedroom wall recently—didn't expect miracles, but the difference was noticeable enough for better sleep. Still hear faint noises sometimes, but nothing disruptive. Worth the effort imo.
We did something similar when renovating our home office—used recycled denim insulation to keep things eco-friendly. Honestly, I was skeptical at first (denim jeans in my walls, really?), but it actually made a noticeable difference. Sure, it's not total silence—still catch bits of the neighbor's dog barking—but it's way less distracting. Plus, knowing we went green with it feels pretty good too. Definitely worth considering if you're looking into insulation options.
