Soundproofing help.

[KingCrimson]

Hey dudes. My house just got renovated and we installed interior insulation (in the walls) for it to be soundproofed. As well we had those sound bars that absorb sound installed and a solid wood door. BUT it is still not totally soundproof infact there is not much of a difference at all.... My friend stated that we have to not only get interior insulation but exterior as well. So does anybody know what kind of foam we should install to get this room more sound proof? I think a lot of it is escaping through the door.

I know its hard to get a room totally sound proof but we just need some major dampening to help with this room, it will be a jam space and right now too much sound is escaping. Does anybody know what specific materials we should use?

[ehque]

Need more information. Solid wood doors can actually pass a lot of sound. Does it seal properly? Many people use rubber lining, as well as double doors (airlock style), to prevent the door from being a huge source of sound leakage.

[tjmdetroit]

Do a "Search forums with Google" on soundproofing.... there are many many threads that should help you.... or discourage you.

[Demon_Hunter]

Lowe's has this stuff called soundboard, it's the same size as drywall and about the same price..........something's wrong with the lowes website right now so I can't get you a link. I am going to put some on my ceiling someday.

[Hoover]

You don't want "foam" for soundproofing. You really don't even want "insulation" for soundproofing, although some of it -- the right type, in the right size/density, installed in the right places -- can help.

There are two things you need for soundproofing: Mass, and Air Space.

To elaborate would take hours, but suffice to say, if you've already closed up the walls in the current room, your best choice is to consider that room a "shell" and construct an inner "room within a room" built from Massive walls/floor/ceiling, separated from the exterior shell by an Air Space, and decoupled via compliant substrates.

Not cheap.

[Demon_Hunter]

I found that one I posted about HERE

This show's it as white...the ones in the store I saw were brown.

[fingertap]

Originally Posted by Hoover

You don't want "foam" for soundproofing. You really don't even want "insulation" for soundproofing, although some of it -- the right type, in the right size/density, installed in the right places -- can help.

There are two things you need for soundproofing: Mass, and Air Space.

To elaborate would take hours, but suffice to say, if you've already closed up the walls in the current room, your best choice is to consider that room a "shell" and construct an inner "room within a room" built from Massive walls/floor/ceiling, separated from the exterior shell by an Air Space, and decoupled via compliant substrates.

Not cheap.

Exactly^^.

~

[thefruitfarmer]

It is sometimes cheaper to move than to soundproof.

[hover]

hoover has it. Tis the only way. Right now your house is just one big passive radiator... sure you dampened the sound a bit, but far from soundproofing.

[Vorago]

I agree, a room in the room, rubber tiles between the two floors, a double wall with air in between, etc.

[hover]

Will Lee built a drum-tracking room in his NY studio / flat that way. Built a robust, soundproofed room atop a big pile of sand (bags?)...not exactly practical, I know...

[MIJ-VI]

Hot to soundproof a recording studio.
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&so...=Google+Search

[Ted White]

Another vote for hoover. Also foam insulation is bad news for sound isolation. Too dense and conducts vibration. Your issue isn't insulation.

[KingCrimson]

Ok well we are not going to do the 20,000 $ job but what is the next best thing for sound dampening? It does not need to be 100% but are there any mats etc that we can do?

[Ted White]

A second layer of 5/8" drywall will help a lot. 24" OC framing does as well

[T-Bird]

Hi.

Yet another vote for Hoover. That's about the only way to get decent results.

Unless You go crazy with the requirements, you won't have to spend nowhere near $20K.

Regards
Sam

[XtreO]

Originally Posted by Hoover

You don't want "foam" for soundproofing. You really don't even want "insulation" for soundproofing, although some of it -- the right type, in the right size/density, installed in the right places -- can help.

There are two things you need for soundproofing: Mass, and Air Space.

To elaborate would take hours, but suffice to say, if you've already closed up the walls in the current room, your best choice is to consider that room a "shell" and construct an inner "room within a room" built from Massive walls/floor/ceiling, separated from the exterior shell by an Air Space, and decoupled via compliant substrates.

Not cheap.

Indeed the best choice. Airlock doors as well. A cheaper alternative would be to get some nice fabric and that yellow isolation material (google "glava"). Take the glava and hold it up against the wall, then the fabric tightly over it. Then staple it to the wall. Repeat. I don't know how you Americans isolate your houses, if at all in some places, but I guess that is what you've already done in the walls. So doing this would only create a double layer. Which is noticeable.

As for the door, cover it in glava and fabric as well, and line the sides with something if it allows you to still close it. A lot of sound may also escape through the plank below the door, as for how to fix that I do not know.

This was how we did it in our jamgarage anyway.

Outer wall | glava | inner wall | glava | fabric | room

Made it tolerably soundproof. No neighbourcomplaints anyway.

[FF Petro]

has anybody ever tried completely studding out a room for sound dampening purposes. It would seem, in my mind, that if a room were completely surrounded with 2x4's or 2x6's sound would find little room to escape.

Just a thought.

[D.Don]

Apart from "room in the room", two layers of drywall, with a layer of some kind of wood/composite/mdf in-between is not bad (the two different materials eat different frequencies). Of course, it's not going to be comparable with the room in the room method. Another thing is how the walls and the ceiling/floor is connected, and of course vents and doors/windows, you'll need to make sure the room is not "leaking" anywhere for a start...

And for the floor, an ok solution unless you want to build a floating floor, is to get a thick carpet (could be a rubber carpet..) all over the floor, then you put a layer of something like MDF over it, and then you put your carpet/floor on that, it's kind of like a "poor mans floating floor" where you skip the joist and insulation part..


Good luck!


D.Don

[NYTCNoiseBlock]

It sounds like the guy that did your soundproofing used the wrong material and most people don't have a clue how to make a sound reduction door, they are not easy at all.
I am happy to give you some free advice just reply back to me,
I am an acoustic consultant.
NYTC