Insulation recommendations for sound?

[SUNBURNTsnype]

What is the best sound deadening insulation for residential or garage applications?

Or some type of sound deadening drywall or dyna-mat type of product?

Something that could handle the decibel levels of an angle grinder and air compressor so I could work at night without having to worry about waking the kids or the neighbors?

 

[CT2012]

i installed a thick rubber mat in one room on all walls and ceiling when i renovated. royal pain in the ****, very heavy. i forget the brand. first it was insulation batts in the joists, then stapled & screwed the mat to 2x4's/2x6's, then sheetrock over it. was ridiculously quiet when all done. well the walls were at least. sound still comes through door panels.

 

[ludakris04]

i have looked at this stuff before, haven't moved forward with my other plans yet, but it looks real good..

http://www.acoustiblok.com/

 

[sublimate]

Of the normal insulation choices, cellulose insulation is supposed to be the best for noise because it has the most mass.

 

[jdwilson44]

What is the best sound deadening insulation for residential or garage applications?

Or some type of sound deadening drywall or dyna-mat type of product?

Something that could handle the decibel levels of an angle grinder and air compressor so I could work at night without having to worry about waking the kids or the neighbors?

Do some research on the AV (audio-visual) forums. These guys go into good detail on what they've done for their home theatres. I spent a bit of time a few years back researching this because I've got the same problem. I need to finish
out my barn and make it as soundproof as possible because I want to be able bang, nail, and swear in there without waking up the neighbors.

The response about putting a big rubber mat on the wall is a good one. It's called acoustic decoupling. Sound travels thru walls by vibration. Putting a rubber mat against the wall decouples the sheetrock from the wall and therefore the sound has a much harder time traveling thru it.

There are wallboard/sheetrock products available that do the same thing. Just increasing the thickness of the sheetrock and using heaver insulation products in the wall helps because they dampen down the walls ability to conduct sound. Not at my home computer right now or I could lookup some of the stuff I know I've saved links to.

One place that might be a good starting point for your research is www.avsforum.com - lots of high end home theatre types there who can probably steer you in the right direction.

 

[jdwilson44]

i installed a thick rubber mat in one room on all walls and ceiling when i renovated. royal pain in the ****, very heavy. i forget the brand. first it was insulation batts in the joists, then stapled & screwed the mat to 2x4's/2x6's, then sheetrock over it. was ridiculously quiet when all done. well the walls were at least. sound still comes through door panels.

I'd be really interested to know what the rubber sheet product was that you used if you can figure it out. I've getting close to being able to finish off the interior of my barn and I'd like to soundproof it. This sounds like a good option.

 

[jdwilson44]

Was it this stuff?

http://www.audimutesoundproofing.co...-proof-material-soundproofing-insulation.aspx

 

[Mr. T]

For the money, Roxul safe'n'sound. Lots cheaper than the OC board and just as good

It's also fire resistant.

That being said. There's a whole lot more to the construction end you can do. It's all about what you want vs how much you're willing to spend.

 

[Ray-CA]

Off-set double studs, that shredded denim insulation, double layers of drywall with off-set seams. Isolate the compressor from the floor using rubber pads (hockey pucks work well.) What you are trying to do is prevent sound from vibrating-transmitting through the wall. By off-setting the studs and insulating around them you've broken one "highway" that the vibrations can take.

Good luck with this...

Ray

 

[rick carpenter]

Check out this thread. It has a link that was really interesting...

http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=137086&highlight=fascinating

 

[teamextreme]

jdwilson and Ray have it right. I went through this last year soundproofing my girlfriends ski condo. It's all about adding mass and decoupling. The decoupling is done in a wall by offsetting studs or hat channel and acoustic clips. In a ceiling use hat channel and acoustic clips. This website has a ton of good info and they sell several products that are effective.
http://www.soundproofingcompany.com/
Be wary of any "magic" product that claims to cut noise that only involves adding some small layer or something similar. The only way to knock the noise down is by the 2 methods mentioned above, mass and decoupling. Those types of products can help a little, but should be a compliment to the main deterrent. That's why just adding regular insulation is not that effective. Double layers of drywall, isolation clips, staggered walls is the only way to get it done. We used the Green Glue, 3 layers of drywall (std 5/8", the quiet-rock, IMO doesn't add much over standard drywall) and acoustic clips and it made a world of difference.

 

[J Persons]

These guys seem to sell it all.
http://www.soundproofcow.com/Sound-Absorption-Materials/

 

[Rossco]

Upside down egg cartons stuck to the walls.

 

[CT2012]

JD i looked in my files for receipts but no luck, sorry. I know I ordered it online from an audio/video place that provided soundproofing supplies.

It was several millimeters thick, dense, came in a big roll (i think it was about 4' wide by maybe 10' long or so), expensive (esp. shipping), HEAVY as heck and a royal pain in the **** to mount on ceiling. Basically it's a 3 person job if you want to do it right (very little cutting, leaving as much continuous roll as possible). Walls were a little easier, but that ceiling....man what a nightmare.

The end result, however, in combination with regular r-19 batts in between joists and 1/2" sheetrock, was that the tv in the room above could be cranked almost full blast and you could barely--and i mean barely--hear it in the room below. This is in a 100 year old Victorian by the way.

edit: click on that link that jpersons provided and look in the "soundproofing materials" section. the stuff i bought was just like this. for that matter, maybe it was it, but from a different vendor (i don't recognize soundproof cow as the place i got it from). as you can see, a 4.5'x20' roll is 180 pounds.

http://www.soundproofcow.com/Quiet-Barrier-HD-Soundproofing-Material-Roll.html

I'd be really interested to know what the rubber sheet product was that you used if you can figure it out. I've getting close to being able to finish off the interior of my barn and I'd like to soundproof it. This sounds like a good option.

 

[Falcon67]

On my compressor closet, I used regular R13 in the frame, Quiet Brace and OSB on top. The working side of the closet with just a sheet of Quiet Brace and the air vents is not near as loud as an open compressor and the sound in the work room with no openings and the door to the work area close is pretty dang muted.

 

[theoldwizard1]

For the money, Roxul safe'n'sound. Lots cheaper than the OC board and just as good

It's also fire resistant.

Good stuff, but any "rock wool" insulation is good !

Off-set double studs, ...

If you mean build a double wall, floor to ceiling, this is also a good idea. You can use 2x3 or maybe even 2x2 if you are packing it with rock wool. The 2 walls can nor touch anywhere on the inside.

 

[MDSPHOTO]

These guys seem to sell it all.
http://www.soundproofcow.com/Sound-Absorption-Materials/

I used the denim material from these guys in the walls between my great room and my master bedroom, it works great considering there are 3 speakers a subwoofer and 200 watts of power you can barely hear a sound.

Now I am trying to tame the reflections in the 17' tall great room and am using Roksul 80 to build decorative sound absorbers in the room.