I had a similar experience renovating our historic home—initially thought cellulose insulation and thicker drywall would cut it, but quickly realized it wasn't sufficient. Like you, I underestimated street noise and daily disturbances. Garbage trucks, leaf blowers, even casual conversations from passersby...everything seemed to seep through.
"Ended up still hearing way more street noise than I'd hoped for, especially garbage trucks at 5am...ugh."
Exactly my frustration. Eventually, during a kitchen remodel, we bit the bullet and installed rockwool batts along with resilient channels behind the drywall. The difference was substantial—voices, traffic hum, and general neighborhood noise dropped noticeably. I haven't personally tried mass-loaded vinyl yet; the cost-benefit ratio always seemed questionable given our home's age and complexity. But after reading your experience, maybe it deserves another look.
In older houses especially, shortcuts rarely pay off. Better insulation and soundproofing materials might sting initially, but they're worth every penny in comfort and peace of mind down the road.
Interesting points about rockwool and resilient channels. I've used both in past projects, and they definitely help—but I wouldn't completely dismiss mass-loaded vinyl (MLV) just yet. I get why you'd hesitate, especially with older homes where every renovation feels like opening Pandora's box. But from my experience, MLV can sometimes offer a unique advantage that insulation alone doesn't quite match.
A few years back, I renovated a property near a busy intersection—constant traffic noise, buses braking, pedestrians chatting loudly at all hours. Initially, we went with rockwool insulation and thicker drywall too. It helped somewhat, but the low-frequency rumble of trucks and buses still came through more than I'd hoped. Eventually, after some research (and admittedly some skepticism), we added a layer of MLV behind the drywall in the bedrooms facing the street.
The difference was noticeable—not miraculous—but enough to justify the extra cost for us. The key benefit of MLV is its density; it does a better job dampening those lower-frequency sounds that insulation alone struggles with. Of course, installation was tricky—it's heavy stuff and not exactly DIY-friendly—but once up, it made sleeping through early-morning garbage pickups much easier.
That said, your point about cost-benefit is valid. If you're already satisfied with the current setup using rockwool and resilient channels, maybe it's not worth tearing things apart again just to add MLV. But if you're planning another remodel or tackling rooms particularly sensitive to noise (like bedrooms or home offices), it might be worth reconsidering.
In my experience investing in older properties, soundproofing is rarely straightforward—every house has its quirks. Sometimes combining different materials strategically gives you better results than relying on one solution alone. Just something to think about before ruling out MLV entirely...
Good insights here, especially about the low-frequency noise issue. I've been considering MLV myself, but the installation hassle you mentioned makes me pause. Did you find any noticeable difference in room acoustics afterward—like echo or overall sound quality? I'm wondering if adding such dense material behind drywall affects how the room feels acoustically, beyond just blocking external noise...
I noticed a bit less echo after installing MLV behind our drywall, but honestly, it wasn't a huge difference acoustically. The room did feel slightly more "solid," if that makes sense—like tapping the walls had less hollow resonance. Didn't drastically improve overall sound quality, though. If acoustics are your main concern, you might wanna pair it with something that specifically targets echo, like acoustic panels or rugs...
MLV is great for blocking sound transmission between rooms, but yeah... it's not really designed to handle echo or room acoustics within the space itself. If you're looking to tame reflections, adding some soft furnishings or dedicated acoustic panels usually does way more than anything behind drywall.
