sound proofing a concrete bomb shelter

[Andy Magdule]

hey everyone! I'm new to this site and have a question... just moved in to a house that has a BOMB SHELTER in the basement... we're talkin' 12 inch thick concrete walls and ceiling... i want to put my band room in there but it is way to echoey... any suggestions on soundproofing it on the cheaper side? Any help would be much appreciated!!!!   Andy

[john bergstrom]

'Eggcrate' mattress pads might work.  Catch a sale at Walmart, you could probably get a twin-sized one for about $4-5.  Put them up with contact cement, just keep putting them up until the room sounds right.  You probably want to cover 50-70 percent of the surfaces to fix the echo (just a guess.)
 

[Paul-David Almond]

Mattress pad and egg crate, while being inexpensive are very prone to fire and smoke generation. If you have a bomb shelter, you're looking a limited access. Just remember the nightclub in Rhode Island where two members of Whitesnake died because of cheapo non fire-retardent material being used in the stage area. A better solution would be to find salvaged ceiling tile and glue those to the walls. Then you could panel over that, and selectively use proper accoustic foam.

[johnbergstromslc]

Well, millions of people sleep on the things every night, and they're not going up in flames...  Just don't smoke or set off any fireworks in the room.  If you can get some ceiling tiles cheaply (or, better yet, for free) do that - that is a much better idea.  But they might be harder to find.  Most ceiling tiles from remodels either are put in storage for later use or go right into the dumpster because they're old or damaged.

[noisetwentyone]

I totally agree with Paul-David on this. Using polyurethane foams around electronic equipment is very dangerous, especially considering the access problem. There are quite a few cost effective sound absorbering panels manufactured from recycled cotton fiber materials with excellent fire ratings on the market.

[skip]

Flame Retadant Accoustic Melamine Foams are availablein the market place. They can be in a Pyramid or Wedge Shape and are usually 2'x4'. They can come in 1:, 2" and 3" thicknesses. Colors are usuall white or gray.