Hi Everyone,
We need to soundproof a 6′ X 8′ wall in my husband’s office. We’ve been told blowing in fiberglass insulation MIGHT work, but I wonder what the acoustical value is…….What suggestions do you have for a process that is minimally invasive (no new sheetrock), but has enough acoustical value to make the process worth the money? Could you also give me an idea of cost?
Appreciate any ideas you can give me. Thank you!!!
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Replies
You can't make much change if you rule out new sheetrock. A good way to make a real difference is to use resiliant channel and another layer of sheetrock. If you can't stand that much build-up of thickness in the wall, first remove the old sheetrock, then install the channel.
Carpet the wall.
Minimize hard finishes in the room.
Make sure the ceiling is insulated and the duct work such that it doesn't transmit sound.
Solid core door, remove any windows.
Play low throbbing music lightly in the background.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
thx Calvin! We completely forgot about the ceiling--great point!
As a former acoustical engineer, I can tell you that the two most important factors in soundproofing are mass and isolation. The easiest way to obtain increased sound transmission loss is adding another layer or two of sheetrock. The most effective way would be to replace the wall with staggered stud construction. Short of these techniques, you will obtain only minimal sound reduction with sound absorptive fill, such as blown wool.
It does matter what frequencies you want to block. High frequencies are much easier to block than low frequencies. Therefore, you would get more high frequency reduction with absorptive fill, but it still may not be noticeable.
You could cnsider a surface treatment, like heavy drapes, on one face of the wall. Drapes, or a heavy vinyl curtain, act independently of the wall to provide sound reduction.
your expertise is invaluable! We're trying to block voices and maybe some crying now and then--my husband is a psychiatrist. Heavy drapes are a great idea! thank you.
your expertise is invaluable! We're trying to block voices and maybe some crying now and then--my husband is a psychiatrist. Heavy drapes are a great idea! thank you.
Ahem, are you sure those voices aren't coming from inside their heads? Nothing you do to the room will help... (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)
Seriously, you're on the right track with the suggestions here.
Also check out http://www.avsforum.com in the home theater building section.
Billy
I was wondering, why not fill the space between the studs with sand? I realize that the PSI at the bottom of the stud wall would be too great to be contained by drywall alone with a column of 3.5"x14.5"x8' of sand, but there are ways that load could be eased, I would think (sprayed foam layer every 12",or filling with foam packing peanuts and sand to reduce the overall density as examples)
Sand is cheap and dense - so what am I missing that keeps it from being used as an acoustical reduction agent?Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
the fact that it'd end up everywhere you don't want it.
Well, if you spayed an inch of foam at the bottom to seal the cavity internally, then you have the studs and drywall keeping the sides sealed. I suppose a 1" hole to pour it in above and below the fireblock, scooping it into a funnel. No more messy than paint in application (and easier to get out of carpet!).
It just seems odd to me that a lead sheet that costs hundreds of dollars (plus shipping) is a better solution than something that is dense, vibration deadening, and available everywhere. I'm sure I'm missing something here as to why it's not used as a sound deadener.Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
While I applaud your creativity, I just can't see how filling wall cavities with sand is practical. First, it'd add tremendous weight to the structure and if used in a cantilevered situation, would probably require an engineer's stamp.
Second, sand is very abrasive to all cutting and drilling tools. Third, cleanup is kind of a problem. Ever tried to give a thorough cleaning to a beachhouse? Fourth, although a minor consideration, sand is similar to silica, and that much needed means a lot of it is airborne. Breathe enough without protection and silicosis is the result.
Thanks for thinking this out with me.
Yes you are right about the weight, certainly it's not to be used everywhere - just like you wouldn't build a brick wall on top of your roof, common sense applies. But many ranch houses are built on slabs, so I don't see that weight is always the issue. Neither would cutting tool wear, as it could be added after all the drywall is in place.
Silicosis would be a concern if you were doing large quantities, but again this is as big a hazzard as any other construction dust hazard. Proper sealing, venting, and breathing masks are standard when doing drywall - not much different than pouring sand indoors. Yes, I clean up some very very fine white beach sand here from our weekly trips to the ocean, plus all the sand that comes in inside our kids shoes. Not dustings - PILES of sand on the carpet. No biggy, just a simple vacuming takes care of it, or the shop vac for the big jobs.
Heck - it's even fireproof!
I do think controlling outward PSI on the walls would be important. If you fed some foam tubes (like pipe wrap for instance) through your opening before you poured, you'd reduce the overall amount of sand required (less weight) and minimize the outward pressure on the drywall.
Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
saw the sand comment yesterday, didn't think anyone would take it seriously, time to stop the madness ... the sand will settle overtime and vibration, as it settles it will push the drywall off the studs, infiltrate electrical boxes, ducts, etc .. sorry this one is nuts
Filling the wall with foam will give you the best results with the least effort. Check out this site http://www.fomofoam.com/. Foam is a better sound absorber than fiberglass or cellulose.
In the 'old' days the void was filled with sawdust. By the way - you might want to instal a solid door. Or even two - one swing out, one swing in - if you're that particular.
ciao for niao
To those who know - this may be obvious. To those who don't - I hope I've helped.
thank you Piko! So you think sawdust will have a higher acoustical value than blown in fiberglass?
THERE IS A NEW BRAND of drywall that has metal in it. The acoustical rating of one sheet of this suff is equqivalent to 10 sheets of drywall, costs about $80.00 per sheet. If your interested, I can look up a magazine and get the info for you. It's got to be custom ordered from an outfit in CA.
hi Zano,thx! I saw that product featured in fine building this month, I'm afraid we're not going to do anything that complicated or time consuming just yet.
Airborne sound is the low-hanging fruit. Higher frequency sounds can be reduced by airsealing.
Low frequency sounds are tougher. They will telegraph through a stud wall unless the 2 wall faces are isolated from each other.
The batts will help somewhat, but not to the extent that could be accomplished rebuilding the wall differently.
Take a look here (scroll past Sponsored Links) --
http://search.doityourself.com/texis/doityourself/search/?pr=base&prox=page&rorder=500&rprox=500&rdfreq=500&rwfreq=500&rlead=500&sufs=0&query=soundproofing&cq=&submit=Search
and in the literature section of this site download the pdf for Walls--
http://www.quietsolution.com/
T
http://www.stcratings.com/
There is a device I've seen in many shrinks's offices...(and no comments, guys) which is a small white cannister-looking thingie with a fan inside, and adjustable slots. It's specificially made to mask exactly the sound you are talking about, costs $40 or so, & can probably be found at Sharper Image, Safety Zone, etc. A lLOT less work than rebuilding the office!
I like the sand idea...
We are finishing a remodel in the Bay Area of California; our acoustical consultant was the same guy who did George Lucas' personal home theater and the senior partner in his own named acoustical consulting firm (Charles Salter).To silence that wall (assuming you have no doors, no false ceiling, no shared ceiling, no shared ventilation ducts and no connecting services---electrical, computer, etc), you could:
1) Use a layer of "QuietRock" from Quiet Solutions applied over your current wall; don't forget to isolate it from the floor and the ceiling and use acoustical caulk at every seam
OR
2) Foam the inside of the wall and use QuietRock
OR
3) Apply Anechoic foam on your husband's side of the wall (to absorb the voices), cover with fabric, foam the wall (inside the wall), then mount QuietRock on Resilient Channel Mounting.I would guess the first would give you 50 dbs of silencing, the second about 56, the last about 65-70.There was a pretty good previous discussion of this topic as well in the general discussion section:Try searching:sound proof walls [21] Jun-20Enjoy!
NotaClue
Edited 7/29/2005 11:21 pm ET by NotaClue