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Before I finish my basement ceiling with 1×6 tongue and groove, I want to install a sound barrier to the second floor. The floor joists are 2×8, with a wood floor and subfloor above. I have heard of “sound-deadening” board, but live in a small town in Northern BC, where only basic building materials are available. I am also working on a tight budget. I considered installing fiberglass between the joists, but suspect that will only muffle some types of sound.
Any solutions??
Replies
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Kevin-
The t&g is not going to help much with sound.
The first line of defense for sound is air tight - so a well sealed drywall ceiling (t&g over is o.k.) as well as sealing all holes, annular openings around pipes and ducts and wire, and gasketing (weatherstripping) door(s).
More mass will also help - so use 5/8" or double 1/2" drywall. ("Laminate" double layers with joint compound applied with a notched trowel.)
Some "fuzz" in the joist spaces will help - high density fibreglass - unfaced - but the cavity does not have to be full - a 3.5 batt will do fine.
Finally, if you want to go all the way - install the drwyall (and t&g below) on resilient chanels - USG's rc-1's.
Hope this helps!
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Kevin,
We did a sound project where it counted - the Range Master's control station on a rifle range. KAboom! became bang. It worked - and this station had three 3x4 windows (quad-glazed). In WA there is some interesting stuff being done on ranges to control sound.
Some suggestions:
Forget the fibreglass insulation. Find something called rockwool, which is actual acoustical insulation batting. The stuff is much denser than the normal glass insulation. The home improvment stores normally don't carry it. We bought it from one of the building suppliers. Use that in lieu of
normal insulation.
There are a couple of common techniques. You decide how much $$ you want to spend. Their efficacy is measured in STC ratings - Sound Transmission Class. STC 25 = normal speech can be understood quite easily. STC 50 = loud speech not audible.
Decouple things - which is why one equipment room has a pair of 2x4 walls on 2x8 plates. They are not tied together like a common stud wall so they won't resonate together. Stuffed full of rockwool makes it even better.
(I am interested to see how my 6" thick drain rock wall works out on sound. We know it works very well on bullet-proofing, including elephant rifles.)
Examples from my technical library: An 8" block wall has an STC of 45. A 1/2 gyp board and stud wall, 32. A 2x8 floor of 7/8 T&G flooring with a ceiling of 3/8 rock has an STC of 30 and Impact Noise Rating of -18 (not good).
Increase the flooring to 3/4 sub floor and 3/4 finish floor, with ceiling below of 3/4 fibreboard gets your STC to 42, INR to -12. Getting there.
Maintain the same flooring but do ceiling in 1/2 fiberboard lath, 1/2 plaster and 3/4 fibreboard gets STC 45, IRN -4
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For acoustical board, we use cellotex (?sic)to good effect at the ranges. I suspect that by sealing any openings, stuffing the joist bays with rockwool and using spring clips to hang a rock or acoustical tile ceiling in the basement will do what you want without a great deal of additional expense.
j wells
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Before I finish my basement ceiling with 1x6 tongue and groove, I want to install a sound barrier to the second floor. The floor joists are 2x8, with a wood floor and subfloor above. I have heard of "sound-deadening" board, but live in a small town in Northern BC, where only basic building materials are available. I am also working on a tight budget. I considered installing fiberglass between the joists, but suspect that will only muffle some types of sound.
Any solutions??