Silence the Street: Does Changing Your Glass Actually Reduce Traffic Noise?

  January 15, 2026

If you live in Surrey or anywhere in the Lower Mainland, you know the sound.

Maybe it is the roar of a semi-truck gearing down on King George Boulevard. Maybe it is the constant whoosh of cars on 152nd Street. Or maybe it’s just that one neighbour who loves mowing their lawn at 7 AM on a Saturday.

Noise pollution is real.

And it is stressful.

We talk to homeowners every day who are tired of feeling like they are sleeping in the middle of a highway. They want peace. They want quiet.

Usually, they ask us the same question:

“If I upgrade to triple-pane windows, will that finally stop the noise?”

The answer might surprise you.

Probably not.

See, there is a big myth out there that “more glass equals less noise.” It makes sense, right? Three layers must be better than two.

But sound is tricky.

Let’s break down how we actually silence the street, and why the solution isn’t just adding more layers of glass.

The Science of “Dissimilar Glass”

Imagine you are holding a wine glass. If you tap it with a spoon, it rings. That is because the glass has a specific frequency where it likes to vibrate.

Now, imagine your window.

If you have a standard window, you likely have two pieces of glass that are exactly the same thickness (usually 3mm or 4mm).

When a sound wave – like a siren – hits the first piece of glass, it vibrates. Because the second piece of glass is the exact same size, it vibrates in sympathy. The sound travels right through, almost like they are high-fiving each other.

To stop this, we use something called Dissimilar Glass.

We put a thick piece of glass on the outside (say, 6mm) and a thinner piece on the inside (4mm).

Now, when the noise hits the thick glass, it vibrates at one speed. But the thin glass wants to vibrate at a totally different speed. They don’t match up. The sound wave gets confused and loses a lot of its energy before it gets into your living room.¹

It’s a simple trick, but it makes a huge difference.

The Heavy Hitter: Laminated Glass

If you are really serious about noise – we are talking about living near a SkyTrain track or a bus route – dissimilar glass might not be enough.

You need the heavy hitter.

Laminated Glass.

This is the same technology used in your car’s windshield. It looks like a single piece of glass, but it is actually a sandwich. It has two layers of glass with a special plastic interlayer (called PVB) glued in the middle.²

That plastic layer is magic for sound.

When noise hits laminated glass, the plastic acts like a shock absorber. It deadens the vibration instantly.

Here is a cool fact for you.

In the world of sound, a reduction of 10 decibels sounds to the human ear like the noise has been cut in half.

Standard windows have a sound rating (STC) of about 29. Laminated glass can easily push that rating up to 35 or 40. That doesn’t just mean “a little quieter.” It means that the roar of traffic could turn into a background hum that you barely notice.

Triple Pane: The Silent Letdown?

So, why not triple pane?

Triple-pane windows are incredible for energy efficiency. They keep your house warm. But for noise? They can sometimes be worse than double pane. Because the air gaps between the three sheets of glass are small, they can create an echo chamber effect. The sound bounces around inside and amplifies certain frequencies.

Unless you use specific laminated triple-pane glass (which gets very expensive), you are often paying more money for the same amount of noise.

Get Your Peace Back

You shouldn’t have to wear earplugs to watch a movie in your own living room.

Every home is different. The right solution depends on what kind of noise you are fighting (deep rumbles vs. high-pitched sirens) and your budget.

At Shine Glass & Windows Ltd., we can come to your home and listen to the problem ourselves. We can recommend a custom glass package – whether it is dissimilar glass or full lamination – that actually works.

Let’s turn down the volume on your street.

Ready for some peace and quiet? Contact Shine Glass & Windows Ltd. today for a consultation.