BuilderBill Posted April 24, 2015 Report Share Posted April 24, 2015 After a few years of annoying the wife and contemplating whether or not to build a detached shop(spending around $35-40K with no hope of resale value recovery) I figured my best way out was to live in the meager space I have and reduce sound transmission from the basement to the upstairs. The main floor of the house has 2x10 floor joists, my first thought was to rip out the R11 fiberglass a previous owner had put in and replace it with R30 batts. But the more I thought about the work involved and the questionable return in noise reduction with fiberglass batts, I called a spray-foam contractor I've worked with and he advised 6" of open-cell foam in the floor and foaming the 2x6 wall separating the shop area from the rest of the basement. And I'll remove the drywall from the main level of the stairwell so he can foam that as well. So I rented a storage room and will spend a few days moving seldom-used stuff out, do a little carpentry and wait for him to do his thing. I've also ordered 3 fire-rated exterior doors with decent STC/OITC ratings to replace the hollow-core Masonite door at the top of the stairwell and to put into 2 openings in the barrier wall. The biggest effort will be moving stuff out and writing the check. Anybody tried this? I'll post back in a couple weeks and let you know how it's worked out. Happy wife, happy life and all that, I'm hoping! Best, Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted April 24, 2015 Report Share Posted April 24, 2015 Looking forward to it bill. I actually need to rip out the drywall and spray foam the two walls that connect the garage to the house. While you've got them ripped open is a good time to throw in more power drops if you need them. I know I do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfitz Posted April 24, 2015 Report Share Posted April 24, 2015 I'd call a local home theater outfit, and see what they recommend for soundproofing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted April 24, 2015 Report Share Posted April 24, 2015 Spray foam is really expensive and actually isn't a very good sound blocker. Mineral wool is far better & a lot cheaper. Probably more important is to us some method of decoupling, such as staggered studs or sound bar. You also want lots of mass. 2 layers of 5/8" drywall with a layer of Green Glue between is very effective. The money saved by not using spray foam will go a long way towards paying for these additional steps & you'll end up with far better sound isolation from the rest of the house. Using the exterior doors is a good idea. I found that screwing a layer of 3/4" MDF to the door with a layer of Green Glue between really helps reduce sound transmission. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted April 24, 2015 Report Share Posted April 24, 2015 Homasote. You can get it in sheets and it is better at dampening than drywall. I am not sure about fire. It may need to be installed over drywall. The nice thing is that it will take paint if you want and will also cut way down on the noise reflection in your work space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted April 24, 2015 Report Share Posted April 24, 2015 Our offices are located in one corner of the shop which is a 15K sq ft warehouse. The walls were built with 2x4 studs insulated with fiberglass I don't know the R rating. All exterior walls were covered with shaft liner inside and out. The office and break rooms are dead silent no shop noise what so ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkrusen Posted April 24, 2015 Report Share Posted April 24, 2015 Roxul wool insulation is great. Does a pretty nice job with soundproofing and is fire/bug resistant as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuilderBill Posted April 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2015 Spray foam is really expensive and actually isn't a very good sound blocker. Mineral wool is far better & a lot cheaper. Probably more important is to us some method of decoupling, such as staggered studs or sound bar. You also want lots of mass. 2 layers of 5/8" drywall with a layer of Green Glue between is very effective. The money saved by not using spray foam will go a long way towards paying for these additional steps & you'll end up with far better sound isolation from the rest of the house. Using the exterior doors is a good idea. I found that screwing a layer of 3/4" MDF to the door with a layer of Green Glue between really helps reduce sound transmission. It's a ceiling/floor assembly with existing walls in the basement so staggered studs aren't an option. It's more than likely the ceiling will never be covered so RC1 channel and 2 layers of 5/8 Type X gyp or Homasote boards or gypcrete on the subfloor above just aren't going to happen.The house is 40 years old and there's a limit on what I'll spend vs. the return I'll get on resale(practically nothing). Ditto for RockWool, I just have to get within 50 yards of an open carton to break out in hives, worked with it for years and hate the stuff. FYI, in a previous life I was a commercial drywall project manager so I'm pretty familiar with construction of sound-isolation assemblies. I'm just trying to make the best of what I have. But thanks for putting a bug in the ear, I did some research and I think cellulose would do a better job. I'll call the contractor Monday and see what he says or find another contractor. Thanks for your thoughts, Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcarswell Posted April 25, 2015 Report Share Posted April 25, 2015 I did r23 or r 19 (I think ? That's what is was... ) 2 layers of 5/8 rock and a cellutex layer my garage isn't connected by a door to the home though . My wife never hears a thing I mainly did it cause I always hobby time after 9 pm to 3 am and I like my neighbors worked out great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted April 25, 2015 Report Share Posted April 25, 2015 Shredded cotton bats are also really good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted April 25, 2015 Report Share Posted April 25, 2015 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Macks-Slim-Fit-Foam-Earplugs-50-Pack-50-Pairs-/271713424212?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f4361d354 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted April 25, 2015 Report Share Posted April 25, 2015 I did r23 or r 19 (I think ? That's what is was... ) 2 layers of 5/8 rock and a cellutex layer my garage isn't connected by a door to the home though . My wife never hears a thing I mainly did it cause I always hobby time after 9 pm to 3 am and I like my neighbors worked out great. If there was a way to sound proof an aluminum garage roll up door, I'd be all about it. I too like to nerd out late at night but I've got an old ninny across the street who has literally come over at 9:10 and pouNded on the door to inform me that quiet hours begin at 9pm. I mainly switch to hand tools at night or save things like glue ups and finishing for the late hours Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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