Interior Wall Insulation-Sound Dampening
I need to insulate for acoustical purposes some interior walls in a 1967 1 1/2 story Cape Cod style home.<!—-> <!—-><!—->
One wall in my upstairs home office is the upper wall of our vaulted family room below. We have a pet bird (cockatiel) that talks and squawks when I am on the phone with clients and with the lack of insulation in the interior walls, I can hear the bird almost as if I’m in the same room and he can hear me which is why he starts squawking! It’s hard to think, let alone, sound professional when the bird and bird dog are at it in the back ground! =)<!—-><!—->
I have somewhat reviewed options such as blown in cellulose and foam, but am wondering if it would be easier and of better quality to just replace the drywall and use acoustic batts (2×4 walls). I am talking about a 7′ H x 13′ W section. The other foot in height is the roof line (8/12 pitch) of this 1 1/2 story and is insulated. I typically like opening things up to get a better look (read perfectionist), but it usually takes a little longer and drives my wife nuts! ;-0 <!—-><!—->
Thanks! =)
Replies
Sound only travels to our ears through the movement of air. (For example, a stereo speaker won't work on the moon). To mitigate sound travel you must lessen the movement of air vibrations. This would be in the form of open gaps (doors and suspended ceilings are the main offenders), or the stiffening of membranes that transmit the sound like the skin of a drum. In your case that would be wall membrane (Drywall, plaster, etc.) If you added an additional layer of 5/8" sheetrock to each side of the wall, weatherstripped the interior doors and foamed around electrical boxes, you could virtually eliminate the sound transfer, and especially the high frequency types emitted by Polly the Parrot.
Perhaps the cockatiel is trying to tell you something?
If not, start by sealing all air passages. That might be sufficient in itself. Then use a high STC acoustic insulation (cellulose or acoustic batt). If you're going to open up the wall, installing resilient channels before the drywall goes back on will do more than doubling the drywall mass.
Solar & Super-Insulated Healthy Homes
There is special 'sound proof' drywall. One sheet of it is apparently equal to 8 or more layers of ordinary sheetrock. It also costs about 8 times a normal sheet of sheet rock. It flat out works.
Let's not confuse the issue with facts!
simple solution
Fill one stud bay with bird feathers
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Thanks, it would be easier to leave the back door open and my hand has been on the door more than once, but your suggestion or a variation on it would definately be the least costly and quickest solution! ;-)
HERE KITTY Kitty
You know Piffin, you got me thinking. The problem just might not be the sound transfer, but the source of the noise itself. Two in the hat for Polly would quiet things down, and preserve the balance in the bank account, not having to spend all that money on fix-its.....
that was my intention - get you thinking
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
We could maybe work together, I have a renter that has an annoying cat, I could send it up and then when you are done with it you could let the cat walk back.
You might also look at replacing your interior hollow core doors with 1 3/4" fire rated doors. These also have weather stripping around the edges, besides being as dense as lead, so they really choke off sound.
Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
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http://www.taunton.com/finehomebuilding/how-to/articles/quest-quiet-room.aspx?ac=ts&ra=fp
Described quite a few more methods including what's been posted. I've used resillient channel. It's sort of effective.
"Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing..."
blown in celulose is easy and doesn't require a big commitment. My partner used celulose in his floor and the difference in sound is dramatic and it creates a better feel under foot. You can always start adding more mass over the existing wall, but you may not need to.
Definitely replace the door and think about a threashold to block unwanted noise from getting around the door. Also either set the door stop close to the door or use weatherstripping to further block sound travel.
Best of luck
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
I'm not sure that anything short of a concrete bunker will dampen a cockatiel screech.
My advice is to train the cockatiel. Start off in the same room with the bird and use a cordless phone and a water pistol. Leave the phone off, but pretend to carry on a conversation. When the cockatiel screeches, use the water pistol. When the bird learns to keep quiet when you are close, slowly increase the distance.
Here is some more info for you.
http://www.acousticalsolutions.com/education/index.asp
http://www.quietsolution.com/
http://www.acousticalsurfaces.com/acousti_board/acousti_board.htm
When redoing the bathroom, I used combination of the following. Rigid foam insulation in between the studs with a tight fit. Layered the walls with .060" thick flexible roofing membrane (black rubber type) before drywalling, and making sure to leave as few openings as possible. And solid core door. Overall, i'm guessing cheaper than the dedicated acoustical drywall, or channeling, etc.
All toilet noises are confined:) and the shower noise is greatly muffled.
Use QuietRock - it works. http://www.quietsolution.com/html/quietrock.html Also, the more MASS the better. Layer of cement board, etc.
Jeff
the bird has about the same Hz as humans. maybe a little higher, 5k to 20k Hz when they get going, this is the frequency you want to concentrate on, but the spl (loudness, for a better term) in these litttle rascales can be, as you know, amazing. so, we look at wave frequency and power.
for low Hz noise a break, such as you would see in ducting, and on machine bases won't work for the bird. you need to provide a dead space and something to use up all that energy. some folks suggested insulation. whatever you use, it should provide a lot of surface area and non'transferable space, like air spaces. the studs in the wall will provide a noise transfer path, not what you want. you don't won't any leaks if possible. if you have air leaks around outlets, etc., that will allow the unwanted noise to move through. if you have seen those soft baffles with dimples used as cushions to prevent breaking, that is the idea. lots of surface area, and trapped air to slow down the short high frequency energy waves. keep in mind the fire hazard, as some of this stuff is flammable. that's one reason why the stuff made for soundproofing is much more expensive.
there are a lot of acoustic absorption materials on the market for commercial application. if you are interested in only one wall it may be worth your while. remember dB reduction is log scale so you can reduce the spl a lot at first but it requires a lot more substrate to ringout the last 20 to 30 percent of the energy. and as i said no leaks. if it leaks it will not give you what you are looking for.
Thanks to everyone for all of the great advice!
I will let you know what combination ends up being the final solution, including if the bird accidently escapes to the wild beyond! ;-)
I do know quite a bit more about acoustics and sounds transfer, for sure
Best regards!