Collection: Sound Deadening Materials

Absolutely! There are two key components in the best sound deadeners: a butyl rubber, elastomeric compound and a thick, high-quality foil. You want to avoid asphalt, and you want more than just a mass-loaded mat with cheap fillers. Both will hurt performance (~10%-30% less effective than Damplifier Pro) and it’ll off-gas, which is bad for your health. You also want sturdy foil constraint layer. Can the deadener support its own weight? Did it arrive in a roll? Those indicate cheap or insufficient foil, which is vital for constraining the metal.

Second Skin Audio doesn’t compromise on quality because we want to offer a high-performance product you can depend on. Learn more about why we don't use cheap sound deadening materials.

NEVER! The worst quality sound deadening material you can buy is made from asphalt roofing material. Asphalt will deaden metal a little bit, so you'll see some impact. Somewhere between 10% and 30% the effectiveness of Damplifier Pro™. And maybe that sounds ok to you, because you're willing to sacrifice performance to save some money. The reason we avoid asphalt entirely in automotive is because we don't mess around with the health concerns, especially how they perform in hotter spaces. Asphalt will melt and out-gas chemicals at high temperatures. Avoid the sticky mess and the fumes. Keep asphalt on your roof or on the road, not inside your car.

Second Skin demolishes the competition! We could just say that (like some do), but that's not really helpful to anyone who's actually doing research. "Not helpful" is not our style. We get that you have options and want to be sure you're making the right decision.

Second Skin vs Dynamat

They offer good products. Does ours outperform theirs in NVH testing? Yes, yes it does. Read More

Second Skin vs Asphalt Mats

We understand that some people just want the cheapest option. Do yourself a favor. Don't do that with your deadener. Future you will thank you. So will your family. Read More

It depends a lot on where you’re installing it and if you have a preference for one type over the other. Both Spectrum and Damplifier Pro are excellent choices. Typically, Damplifier Pro is most used on the interior of the vehicle on the firewall, floor, doors, roof, and trunk. Spectrum is used most in those hard-to-reach places and on the exterior of the vehicle like when soundproofing your wheel wells or applying
a sound deadening undercoat. You can apply Spectrum inside the car too. The product is easy to spray or brush on once you've exposed the metal and comes in
handy when you have a large area to cover like a van or an entire Jeep.

Regarding the use of both together, SPL builds are always using both to maximize performance. Always apply Damplifier Pro first followed by Spectrum.

Installing a sound deadener in a vehicle is simple. Remove upholstery and paneling to expose the bare metal and clean it with denatured alcohol. Apply your sound deadening mat with a hand roller to ensure there’s a strong bond between the damping mat and the metal. Poor contact and adhesion will reduce how well the deadening mat performs.

Read up on how to install sound deadening material in a car for a more detailed look.

It depends on your vehicle and the product you're using.

• For Damplifier Pro, we recommend a minimum of 60% coverage of metal surfaces (doors, floor, firewall, trunk, roof, and hood), or up to 100% for max performance and thermal protection.
• For Spectrum, we recommend 100% coverage in 1mm layers — 2 layers for interior, 3 for exterior.

To figure out how much you need:

1. Find your vehicle's square footage using our Vehicle Square Foot Calculator.
2. Decide which parts of the vehicle you want to deaden.
3. Choose 60% or 100% metal coverage.

Or call us at 800-679-8511 for a custom vehicle plan.

Cost depends on two things: your vehicle's size and how much noise reduction you want. A small deadening project (like quieting a rattling trunk or one door) can run $50-100. For serious, whole-vehicle noise reduction, expect around $500 for a small car and $1000+ for a large SUV.

For a full breakdown, check out our car sound deadening cost article.

Yes, sound deadening a car will make it quieter. There are two types of noise in a vehicle: structural and airborne. A vibration damper will stop the structural noise by reducing vibrations, which you then hear as reduced vehicle noise.

Learn more about if sound deadening really works here!

Sound deadening should be at least 40mil (1mm), with most mainstream brands topping out around 80mil (2mm). Beyond thickness, quality also depends on the butyl formula (elastomeric vs fillers) and the foil (rigid vs. flimsy) — differences that are hard to spot without holding the product yourself.

As with most things, you get what you pay for. Second Skin offers 1mm and 2mm mats (Damplifier and Damplifier Pro), plus a liquid deadener (Spectrum) that can be applied up to 5mm thick.