Recent Posts

61

Soundproofing your single family home from traffic noise and neighbors. / Best material choices to soundproof inside wood fence

« Last post by Porchlight on January 19, 2018, 08:50:15 PM »

Kind folks, please offer some of your wisdom on this:

I want to soundproof a wooden fence that has redwood pickets on both sides. We are extending it from 6' to 8' tall. The fence separates two small one-story homes.

Please recommend a few types of soundproofing material that:
1) will not mold, and
2) will do a good job muffling the sound of a female with a loud swooping "head tone voice" (think Julia Child 200-500 Hz) and a medium sized dog who barks a lot. (1500 Hz?) Road noise isn't an issue.

I currently have some carpet underlayment in there but my neighbor is worried it will mold once I put the pickets up on my side. (So far, no mold and it's been stapled up there for two years.) We live in SoCal, so no freezing temps, no snow. It rains a few times per year.

62

Soundproofing your Condo, Townhouse or Bed & Breakfast / Re: Can I soundproof my headboard from TV and talking noises?

« Last post by Randy S on January 18, 2018, 04:02:40 PM »

Attempting to soundproof the head board would be a waste of money because the sound will just go around it.
Uncouple the head board from the wall and this will stop the direct transmission of vibration to the head board and make sure you move it away from the wall, not contacting the wall.
As for reducing your noise problem with the neighbor you are going to have to soundproof the entire wall in order to see any viable reduction. Anything less of doing the entire wall would be wasted efforts.

Best Regards,

Randy S.

63

Soundproofing your Condo, Townhouse or Bed & Breakfast / Can I soundproof my headboard from TV and talking noises?

« Last post by J82 on January 18, 2018, 01:45:39 AM »

Hi all,

I live in a flat where the walls are kinda paper thin. I hear the bass of the tv and talking voices from the people next door. I have called security to silence them but I am getting tired of it. I can hear them especially from my bed. The headboard of my bed is attached to the wall; which shares the wall with the neighbours.

I suspect that the headboard might amplify sounds? Attached is a picture of what the inside of the headboard looks like (this is not my actual headboard). Might this amplify sounds? If so, could acoustic foam stop some of the sounds from coming through?

Thanks for your help.

64

Soundproofing your Condo, Townhouse or Bed & Breakfast / Re: CEILING SOUNDPROOFING

« Last post by Randy S on January 09, 2018, 04:41:45 PM »

When ever you float on clips and channel or resilient channel you must leave the perimeter free from hard connections and only use non hardening caulk so you do not create a drum effect.
"tight around the perimeter and lose in the middle"

The true cost behind soundproofing is not so much the material as it is the labor costs due to the extreme amount of detail that has to be done in each and every layer.

Randy S.

65

Soundproofing your Condo, Townhouse or Bed & Breakfast / Re: CEILING SOUNDPROOFING

« Last post by duleaux on January 08, 2018, 05:44:22 PM »

Thanks Randy!  Great feedback.  Unfortunately, the more I learn about this the more complicated and probably costly it becomes (for example, I did not think about caulking the drywall perimeters.)

66

Soundproofing your Condo, Townhouse or Bed & Breakfast / Re: CEILING SOUNDPROOFING

« Last post by Randy S on January 08, 2018, 04:21:38 PM »

You are right on track when you can not remove the existing drywall.

I would use Isomax clips over any clip.
http://www.supersoundproofingsales.com/SSP-Clips-1/productinfo/09-IS/

Then I would apply 2 layers on the channel, first layer would be cement board 1/2" or greater followed by green glue then 5/8" type X drywall.
Quiet rock is not as heavy and cost way more.

Now the real issue with footfall is the existing subfloor, it is already a drum head and this is why we glue and screw cement board in between the joist in the cavity. when you can not do this you need to cut the perimeter of the existing drywall and fill the gap with acoustic caulking to break it from the walls. when you go forward all rigid layers are to have the perimeter gap and fill with caulking.

Feel free to reach out direct.

Randy S.
760-752-3030

67

Soundproofing your Condo, Townhouse or Bed & Breakfast / Re: CEILING SOUNDPROOFING

« Last post by duleaux on January 08, 2018, 02:21:47 PM »

I have a similar situation but a different strategy.  I live in an apartment in which I am trying to reduce airborne and impact noise from above.  I think I've read every article on the internet about how best to accomplish this goal, and virtually all of the "best solutions" involve tearing down the existing drywall ceiling which for me is not an option.  So here is what I am considering:

1.  Fill the cavities between the existing ceiling rafters by blowing cellulose insulation above the existing drywall ceiling
2.  Apply isolation clips (Whisper, isoTRAX, etc.) to the existing drywall ceiling (please read on, I realize this is considered bad practice)
3.  Apply hat channel to the isolation clips
4.  Apply 1" thick rock wool bats between the hat channel rails.  These bats will fill the space between the existing drywall ceiling and the new layer of drywall
5.  Apply new layer of 5/8" drywall (or QuietRock) to the hat channel rails

I realize that affixing isolation clips to an existing drywall ceiling is considered bad practice because it can create a mass-air-mass resonance chamber between the two layers of drywall that actually can worsen the noise.  However, in step 4, I would sandwich a 1" layer of rock wool (or fiberglass) bats between the two layers of drywall to fill the void and absorb the sound waves traveling between the existing ceiling and new layer of drywall.  So the final structure would have 10" of cellulose insulation between the rafters, the existing drywall ceiling, 1" of rock wool, and a new layer of 5/8" drywall (or QuietRock) affixed to isolation clips.  In the end, I won't achieve full STC reduction, but I assume this would provide some additional isolation of both higher-frequency and lower frequency airborne and impact noise.  Please let me know if you think this strategy has any merit.

68

Other Soundproofing Questions / Re: Basement sound proofing game plan

« Last post by Randy S on December 11, 2017, 09:01:06 PM »

Impact noise is challenging..

5/8" with titebond 771-step in between the studs..

I would use clips and channel instead of just using resilient channel which would let have as much as 4' between clip locations. and yes you would have to screw the channel every joist using resilient channel.

Always use 2 layers of 5/8" drywall with green glue

Randy S.

69

Sound Control if you're Renting - Apartments, Condo, ETC / Re: Apartment neighbor's dog

« Last post by Randy S on December 11, 2017, 08:44:21 PM »

Dogs barking is actually pretty difficult to reduce as you can see..
This would require construction and a decoupled soundproof wall installed on isolation clips and channel.

Do you think they would let you do this?
if not, at the very least double the mass of the wall would give about 5db drop (30%-40%) reduction.

Randy S.

70

Sound Control if you're Renting - Apartments, Condo, ETC / Apartment neighbor's dog

« Last post by taz420nj on December 10, 2017, 06:59:47 PM »

Hello,

I just moved into an apartment building, and I have one issue that is bugging me.  I have three party walls, and all seem to be well insulated except one - the one in the stairwell.  This is a 16 unit building, two floors, 8 units front and back.  I live upstairs. The entrances are all private, there is no shared stairwell - I go in my front door, and the stairs go up into my living room.  The next door upstairs neighbor has the same thing on the other side of the party wall.  My issue is that neighbor has a yappy little dog with neuroses, and they leave it alone while they are at work.  Well this thing does nothing but stand at the top of the stairs and bark incessantly at any car or person or insect or dust molecule that goes by, and it seems to go right through the wall to the point that I can hear it in my bedroom - all the way at the opposite end - with the door closed.  I don't hear any other noise through the wall, no TV, no conversation, nothing (some footfall when they go up/down, but that doesnt bother me).  Just the dog.

I rent, so my options are limited (although the manager is very nice and I could probably talk her into letting me do something permanent within reason on my dime), I'd like to know if there's any option that would at least muffle the sound. I don't want to complain because they are very nice, and since it only happens when they are out I dont think theres much they can do about it... Honestly I live 3 blocks from train tracks with 4 consecutive railroad crossings and the train horn doesn't bother me anywhere near as much as the barking.