Hi to kindly inclined ears. This is my first time; please be gentle.
I’m building a–yumm–floor sandwich. Bottom is 3/4″ boards on timbers, top is 1.5″ t & g pine on battens. Problem is–yuck–the middle, in terms of sound-deadening & structural support. Above the bottom layer’s 3/4″ boards I’m thinking of putting down gypsum board or gypcrete. Above that, I was thinking of laying-in recycled 1/2″- thick acoustical (false) ceiling panels 2′ x 4′ wide.
The bitter taste: I worry that these panels might get crushed over time by my floor battens, leading to an uneven floor, especially if I want to put point loads like an interior stud partition over top. Even if I put the panels under the gypsum. But to simply insert the panels in between the battens would be a night mare of angled cuts making for an incredibly complicated sandwich that no Subway Sandwich technician would dare touch. What’s potentially worse is that the panels are 1960’s era–who knows what asbestos-like fibres et al I might consume whilst sawing! (I can’t seem to find out what manner of scraps off the factory floor went into the making of old ceiling panels).
Any pearls or part-pearls of wisdom that help break this fast will receive commensurate prayers for blessings directed divinely.
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What are you building a recording studio? IMHO, lose the acoustical tiles and use sheetrock. A guy I worked with described building a control booth in a recording studio to me. I forget the numbers and thicknesses but he used plywood and sheetrock of varying thicknesses to "confuse" the soundwaves soundwaves (they run out of steam). I believe it was 5 or 6 layers before the finish floor.
Make sure your floor joists are up the to added weight.
The awful thing is that beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and the devil are fighting there, and the battlefield is the heart of man.
- Fyodor Dostoyevski
If weight would be a problem, maybe (don't know if you're trying to prevent sound from impact on floor from going to room below, or just normal sound) Styrofoam might work. Maybe 2" thickness, along with a layer or two of gypboard. This is getting expensive, but to prevent point load crushing, top the polystyrene with 3/8" OSB or 1/4" luan plywood. The latter probably isn't necessary though. Polystyrene is pretty crush resistant.
Why is the pine on battens?
If I am undrstanding you correctly, you want to fill the void created by these battens. So, why not get rid of them? Do you need the build-up to match another floor height?
Otherwise use 3/4" rigid foam insulation. If you also incorporate a sheet of 1/8" roll foam you'll get a tight, compressed fill that will completely fill the void. The hollow sound comes from this void.
F.
A friend built a two-story house about 10 yrs ago, and the builder laid 1/2" homosote board on top of the osb flooring. Carpet and pad were installed on the homosote. The area around the toilets was 5/8" ply rather than homosote.
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
( . . . whisper . . . Hey guys, did he really say whilst ??)
He ain't from around here ! ; )
Greg
He also called it timber. Obviously not a southern redneck.
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
OK, OK: I'm a recovering northern academic still trying to attain redneck status. I'd best not use terms like "sound attenuation" or y'all might cook my goose.
Homosote's real hard to get where I am and I ain't usin' any flame-lovin' styrofo. The battens are to allow underfloor wiring & space to fill with sound-deadening stuff.
There ee go. Now yer soundin' more normal. I had a lady from Jamaica laugh at my accent (midwest)--I told her "I don't have an accent." She laughed again and said she loved the way I said "jaab". I said, "How do you say "job" and she replied, "Johb." Can't really do her accent justice in print--almost a long 'o' sound.
The point is: you need to fill the whole cavity, to the top. Any airspace will create a hollow sounding floor, although the homosote or any other filler will inhibit sound transfer to the below levels.
Hollow sounding floors sound horrible, esp in the room they are in.
F.
Here's a site with much info.
http://www.customaudiodesigns.co.uk/
Click on help articles and then transmission loss link.
See Mass Law.
Seems concrete backerboard might serve you even better than drywall for soundproofing.
Also, see link to soundproofing floors under the help articles.
There is a sound deadening board that is manufactured. Only thing is.. I can't remember the name of it!!
I believe it is manufactured by Weyerhauser. It is made like corrugated.. only it is actually a rigid board product. Hopefully someone else can think of the name of it. I saw it at a show in Vegas. I also saw a sample of it at a Lowes (of all places). Not sure if they carry it via special order... or if the sample was just a fluke.
Sounds (pun intended) like it might be an option.