Soundproofing new room

[vacsimile]

Hey all, I'm concerned that I'm going to be making too much noise for my new neighbor that shares a wall with me. I was initially thinking of just putting up eggcrate/convoluted foam on that wall to reduce the noise going through it, but the more research I do the more confused I get about it.

First of all, is foam even the way to go? And is there actually a difference in foam marketed as soundproofing foam and bed insulation foam? It just sounds like marketing to me, I would think that any porous foam with an eggcrate shape would reduce the sound waves passing through it.

I'm open to other ideas, but I'm not working with a huge budget and not looking for outstanding results, just some extra buffering. Thanks for any help!

-Austin

[agtrojan]

vacsimile,

"Eggcrate" foams are designed to enhance the acoustics in a room by reducing reverberation (echoes).  These foams are not designed to block sound.  There is a difference in foam products: contour, thickness, and performance.  To compare a foam you need to look at its performance in terms of its ability to absorb sound.  The industry standard is a unit of measure specified as Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC).  The higher the number the better the performance of the foam where a unit of 1.00 or better is desirable.  This number reflects the amount of sound absorbed at several frequency points.  Take a look at our line of Acoustic Foams and their corresponding performance at:

http://www.soundproofing.org/sales/acousticfoams.htm

To contain the sound you may need to add Mass Loaded Vinyl (MLV) barrier in combination with Green Glue sandwiched between two layers of drywall.  The MLV blocks and reflects sound.  Green Glue is a sound dampener that lowers the resonant frequency of your wall.  Take a look at the following pages to learn about these two products:

http://www.soundproofing.org/brochures/mass_loaded_vinyl.htm

http://www.soundproofing.org/sales/GreenGlue.htm

If you need further assistance, call 760-752-3030 to discuss your project.

Alex

[johnbergstromslc]

Before you do anything, talk to your neighbor.  Give him your phone number and tell him/her to call you if you're making too much of a racket.  Better yet, generate some noise and go over and see for yourself how loud it is in his space (if he's willing).

If your building was built after 1985 or so, you probably have a pretty good party wall between units, so it might not be such an issue.

  

[vacsimile]

JB, that's a good point. I can always put something in later. lol, why didn't that ever occur to me? Thanks for the advice