Replies

1. 
   TerryB_ | Dec 15, 1999 02:51am | #2

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   Not possible. You need absorption; to do that you need lightweight materials with small places to "trap" the sound energy. Carpet, fabric, etc. All the stuff that doesn't belong in a humid environment. If hearing sounds from the mext room is the issue, there are some things you can do. Much sound can "leak" out of door cracks and around openings in walls (electrical outlets and switches). Sealing and possibly weaherstriping will reduce sound from escaping. Failing any of these methods, use masking sound (install a noisy fan).

2. 
   Guest_ | Dec 15, 1999 06:06am | #3

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   I don't know if it is impossible, but such a paint would require accoustical properties that they didn't teach us in advanced physics... Perhaps some way to reflect all sound back to the center of the room and cancel itself out...

   Masking might be the way to go - there is a Japanese company that makes an electronically controlled toilet that produces a continuous flushing sound while in use... (reportedly some Japanese women are embarassed by the sounds they make while using the toilet and flush repeatedly to mask them - supposedly enough of them to cause concern about water consumption... The model I read about also measures the ph of your urine, is a bidet, warms your bottom with a blast of warm air, etc. - I don't know if you can get one only with the sound effects.)

   Accoustical damping requires energy absorption qualities which usually means a flexible medium with sufficient mass to turn the sound waves into heat as the medium flexes. Foam rubber and polyurethane foam can be used as well as various types of fibers such as fiberglass or hemp held together by a flexible binder (I think one of my old cars had something like a horsehair mat with an asphalt binder to dampen noise...) Various auto supply companies have thin sound absorbing materials with adhesive backing, but they are pricey and you would probably want to cover them anyway.

   Some years ago I used a sound control fiber panel that was about 3/4" thick and came in 4X8' sheets. It did a pretty good job of cutting down on sound transmission between bedrooms that otherwise only had a 3/8" plywood wall between them. I did cover it with a thin plywood panel. I think lumber yards still carry such material, although I doubt that it would hold up in the damp environment of a bathroom without covering it.

   There are also companies that make accoustical panels for gyms, stables, meeting rooms, etc. I have no idea of the price but they come with a wide variety of finishes - an example is:

   http://www.soundseal.com/ss107.html

   Replacing or covering the ceiling with accoustical tiles might help absorb some of the sound before it bounced through the walls and a rug or mat on the floor would also help some. However, a loud radio would be a lot cheaper...
   (Although when I made a makeshift sound recording studio once I stapled paper mache egg cartons on the walls which did a very effective job of sound dampening and which cost me zilch...)

1. 
   Guest_ | Dec 15, 1999 09:07am | #4

   *Are you looking to mask bathroom noises?If so, one method would be to replace your curent vent fan with a noisier one. Sounds ridiculous, as it's a step backwards, but it does work. Hardwire the bath fan into the light switch so light and fan come on simulateously. You can also wire in a timer (or use a switch with built-in timer) that would keep the fan on for a short period of time after the light is switched off when the user leaves the room.

1. 
   Guest_ | Dec 16, 1999 09:13am | #5

   *Thick texture paint properly applied (to the ceiling) will actually block some noise. Extra towels hanging up on towel bars helps too, so maybe add a couple more bars.

1. 
   Guest_ | Dec 17, 1999 12:04pm | #6

   *For what it's worth, there is a paint designed to control heat gain/loss (not noise)... "Radiance" I believe. There was a write up in FHB a few months ago. Also, perhaps you were thinking of the so-called "acoustic" ceilings which mix foam bits with paint to create a "cottage cheese" texture. Ugly and not very effective.

1. 
   Guest_ | Jan 06, 2000 03:14am | #7

   *Sounds like Casey might be refering to Homasote, when he discusses a "sound deadening board".Since it's a powder room and does't have a shower or bath it probably won't get a lot of moisture. Consider a heavy and/or textured wallpaper it will probably absorb more of the noise better than paint.

3. 
   CHARLES_CHRISTENSEN | Jan 06, 2000 11:04pm | #8

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   Some years back I had an interest in sailboats. One of the major problems in small to mediun sized sailboats was the noise of the auxiliary engine. There were several articles on sound control and I think I can remember most of it.

   There are two fundimental sound control situations: Reducing noise within an enclosed area that is created within that area (suppression) and preventing noise not created within an area from getting into that area (exclusion).

   To suppress sound within a room you can either reduce the amount of sound created (turn the volume down) or limit the lifespan of the sound energy being created. To do that, the energy must be dissipated as quickly as possible. In a room this, normally, means reducing the amount of reflection the energy is subjected to and increasing the time the energy spends traveling through energy absorbing materials. Simply put, hard surfaces like ceramic tile, glass, metal, plastics and wood reflect and may even amplify sounds. Soft materials like rubber, cloth and foam dissipate energy that passes through them. Placement of soft material in close proximity to hard surfaces dissipate energy both as the sound goes through them toward the hard surface and again after reflection back toward the soft material.

   Exclusion of sounds from an outside source can be done by either reflecting the sound away or blocking it. Reflection is the primary mode of those roadside sound barrier walls. The heavier, concrete walls also block the passage of sound energy through them. In an interior room-to-room situation pure mass is the only effective way of stopping sound transmission through walls. Walls of solid lead 6 inches thick would do very well in dissipating high levels of sound energy before it got to the other side. On a more practical level, thick wallboard, thicker walls filled with heavy foam or foam boards, offset outlet boxes or designs that isolate living areas by surrounding them with closets or other storage areas.

   In this powder room situation you need sound aborbing materials in the room (how about an acoustical ceiling?) and/or you need more mass between that room and the rooms surrounding it. Be sure to check the alignment of outlet boxes and ducts between that room and others. That can amount to a built-in sound tranmission tube.

4. 
   Guest_ | Jan 07, 2000 02:09am | #9

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   Apply that thick orange shag carpet to the ceiling and walls and doors. Worked for me back in the late sixties and early 70's. [g]

1. 
   Guest_ | Jan 10, 2000 10:09am | #11

   *Recently read about a paint that contained small ceramic microballs that purportedly had sound deadening characteristics. May have been made by thermoseal. Sounds like a better mouse trap and I am dubious but cannot prove it doesn't work. I will try and find out more info. Technology being what it is, it may exist. There is also some research going on about killing sound with neutralizing sounds but this may be a million dollar solution to a ten dollar problem. Good luck and don't forget the possibility of blowing insulation into the walls. Skip

5. 
   Guest_ | Jan 10, 2000 10:09am | #10

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   I vaguely remember hearing of a paint that has sound-control qualities. We need to do something to deaden the sound from a tiny powder room which has a ceramic tile floor. The walls have some insulation in them, the door is solid wood, and I know we can use a mat on the floor. To help further lessen the sound in the ajoining room, has anyone heard of a product we can paint on the bathroom walls and ceiling?

1. 
   Guest_ | Dec 14, 1999 11:17pm | #1

   *Iknow better than to say "never" but I doubt this exists.A thin coating like paint just can't block sound waves.According to a friend of mine that did his internship with NASA, radar absorbent coatings are used on the stealth aircraft but I doubt that you can find it at Home Depot and I doubt that it would work for sound waves the way it does for radio waves.