Soundproofing a Dog Kennel

Kevin McIverKevin joined the team in 2006. His passion for sound began early, working with bands and venues. At 21, he bought his own PA and began renting it out and engineering sound. Kevin has worked on projects ranging from recording studios and broadcast facilities to worship facilities, schools, and noise control solutions for the U.S. Military.1-800-782-5742 Ext. 0119

Old Mill Kennel

Soundproofing a Dog Kennel has benefits for both humans and the dogs. It reduces ear fatigue for the humans and reduces stress for the dogs (which causes them to bark less). A typical dog kennel has painted block walls, an epoxy coated floor and a painted open truss metal ceiling. All these surfaces are used because they are easier to clean and maintain. These materials also create hard, reflective surfaces, for sound. The result is a lot of noise reverberation in the room and sound pressure levels between 100 and 108 dB(A). For a room of this type, you probably want noise reverberation time of 1 second or less. You can begin soundproofing a dog kennel by adding acoustical materials to the room. This reduces barking noise and creates a more pleasant environment for people. It will also reduce stress for the animals.

When Soundproofing a Dog Kennel, How Do You Decide What Type of Treatment To Use and Where To Place It in the Kennel?

AlphaSorb® PVC Plastic Acoustic Sound Baffle

Type of Soundproofing Material

A material that is efficient in reducing noise. These materials will have a high NRC (Noise Reduction Coefficient) rating.
A material that is cleanable with a water repellent surface.
A material that is stain and mildew resistant.

The best acoustical materials to use are AlphaSorb® PVC Plastic Acoustic Panels, AlphaSorb® PVC Plastic Acoustic Sound Baffles encapsulated in a sealed PVC cover. It comes in any size up to 4' x 10' x 2" thickness and have many colors to choose from. Most kennels use white, because of its high light reflectivity or add some colored baffles or panels for accent. (As a less expensive alternative, our Polywrap Baffles are available in white or black, in a 2' x 4' size.)

AlphaEnviro® PVC Baffles used in a dog kennel

AlphaSorb® PVC Plastic Acoustic Sound Baffles used in a dog kennel

Where We Place the Soundproofing Material in the Room

The best place to install the materials in the room would be overhead in the ceiling area or the upper wall surfaces (if there is not enough room in the ceiling because of sprinklers and lighting.) Note: A hanging baffle is more efficient than a wall panel because more surface area (2 faces ad 4 edges as opposed to 1 face and 4 edges) is exposed to the room.

Keep your acoustic treatment spread out in the room as much as possible.
If you are using hanging baffles, hang them in both directions. (front/back and left/right orientations) This will prevent “open lanes” between walls where sound can bounce without being absorbed.
Because of the 12' height in our example room, I would suggest using 2' height x 4' wide x 2" thickness hanging baffles, with 2 grommets on the 4' edge in the ceiling area. and 4' x 4' x 2" wall panels on the upper area of my walls if needed to get your required amount of absorption in the room.

Kennel Installation

You can install the baffles in the ceiling area using plastic tie wraps connected to stranded stainless steel cable or attach them to the ceiling truss. If you are using a ceiling grid, you can use a 1" thickness acoustic fiberglass ceiling tile covered with the same PVC film. You will need to calculate the square feet required for the ceiling tile based on its NRC rating.

Note: Never use a ceiling tile that is made of gypsum board covered with PVC. There is very little absorption value in that type of tile. It will do very little to reduce the reverberation time in the room.

I hope you enjoyed this blog on Soundproofing a Dog Kennel! If you have any questions, contact me below!

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