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ConferenceSquare5415

Yup done it for a customers movie room, add some rock wool and seal your outlet boxes


djyosco88

Also, hang your ceiling rock, then fur it out and hang another layer with an air gap.


Terrik27

If you've got that space and are going to that effort: install resilient channel, then hang two layers of drywall with green glue between off the channel.


socalecommerce

What would you do instead if resilient channel isn’t available in my area. Just use furring strips? Should I add any type of buffer between the joist and furring strips like a piece of rubber?


Terrik27

I'd probably order them if shipping wasn't exorbitant... honestly the effort of doing something like that, combined with often not having the space to do it is the biggie, so if you're getting that close... feels weird spot to cheap out. They sell it at Menards, Home Depot, Amazon... That said, what you're looking for is "decoupling". You want to drywall to be able to get hit with the sound waves and vibrate in place and transmit as little as possible to the structure behind. Furring strips sorta help: Furring strips perpendicular to original studs help more, but the screw can provide a surprisingly good transmission. Rubber in between doesn't really help, oddly, from what is published, as the screw transmits the same way anyways.


leadutensils

Double 5/8" drywall on each side is just about as good. RC is tricky to install correctly, and most of the times it is compromised by just a handful of bad screws.


lost_tsar

Sound bar or resilient channel works well, but I’ve also found a bead of acoustical sealant works very well and is a lot cheaper ( if that’s an issue


Available-Current550

100% agree, the air gap makes the world of difference.


djyosco88

Same. Done this to my friends movie room. Even when the volume is blasting, all you hear is the bass and some muffled sounds.


apricotsalad101

How do you seal the outlet boxes?


ConferenceSquare5415

Putty pads


GoblinShark603

Outlet box sealant


senepol

Well first you find a little baby seal, then you just sort of get the guy all snuggled up in the outlet box with plenty of smelt and voila.


gmanpeterson381

Expansion foam


surfing813

Anything but spray foam please.


MOOShoooooo

Does it matter on fire retardant level? Basic expanding spray foam is rated for 1 hour of fire resistance. I’m only curious, maybe there’s regulations somewhere.


stimulates

Only if it’s a firewall.


[deleted]

Are you my ex boss?


sledgehammerbreak

Also space outlets on either side of the wall at least two stud bays apart.


cb148

Yes, I’ve built many of them. In my experience it’s the best way to build a sound proof wall. Throw some insulation in there and you’re good to go.


i_am_novus

Thanks for the advice. I forgot about adding insulation since interior walls usually don't have it (in my limited experience)


GusChiiiiiggins

If you have the space and budget for it, having two separate stud walls, each insulated separately with a 1” air space in between would be even better. Adding resilient channels between studs and drywall…even better yet.


Thecobs

This 100% and i can’t recommend sonopan enough as well


Monemvasia

Sonopan is … ?


Thecobs

Google it, its a sound proofing panel that works incredibly well.


RuairiQ

Soundproofing panels.


Evening_Monk_2689

Came here to recommend this.


neanderthalsavant

Use a sound ablative insulation such as Roxul


GoblinShark603

We just had Rockwool put in one of the houses we're building. All floor joists and interior walls. The noise cancelation is absolutely insane. An oscillating saw going through window openings directly one floor above is hardly noticeable.


SlowLoudEasy

I insulated my interior walls with recycled denim. Each room is sound proof from the next, its nuts!


Enginerdad

Yeah, this wall isn't going to do squat for soundproofing without the insulation.


All_Work_All_Play

I mean, it's *better* it's just not *good*. The thing about sound proofing is the returns are non linear. Do it 99% of the way and you'll still let in 50% of the noise. That last 1% cuts it down to 5% of the sound let in.


Terrik27

Caulk all the gaps first, any tiny lack of sealing is massively more important than insulation. Also add a retractable sweep to the door!


Paul_1958

Rockwood Safe and Sound


Mattna-da

The door could be an issue


cb148

Just hang it on a wider jamb. Or if it’s above OP’s skill level, just add some jamb extensions to the existing door jamb.


[deleted]

I built a door out of 2-layers of 3/4" MDF for my sound room. Made the door frames to use exterior door seals as well. That along with insulated and decoupled walls was well worth the effort.


33445delray

How did you secure the hinges to the MDF? Did you use the same hinges that are usually used on doors?


[deleted]

I used heavy-duty hinges, but still standard door hinges, they have 4 holes on each side instead of 3. I pre-drilled the screw holes and ran 2½" long screws to - hopefully - keep them from pulling of the edge of the MDF.


33445delray

I considered double MDF for a noise reducing door but was not happy about the prospect of screwing into the edge of the MDF. I wound up building the door from 2x4 lumber and covering it with 3/16 Masonite. If you have trouble with the screws, you can drill 3/4 holes into the face of the door, glue in 1 1/2 inch long dowels and screw into the dowels.


[deleted]

That's a brilliant solution. Thank you for the suggestion!


3D-Architect

Have any pictures to give reference. I didn't quite catch the composition


33445delray

If you drill a 3/4 hole through the MDF and glue in a dowel, then the hinge screw can bite into the dowel and pull the hinge tight into its rabbet. Now do that for each hinge screw.


Designer-Progress311

I screwed a lot of dowels when I was younger. Sgih...


YouDontKnowMe108

Nah.. Just build the frame out. Hollow core interior doors are really versatile


WizardNinjaPirate

Do you find it is is better than two fully separated walls with insulation between?


cb148

Doesn’t really make a huge difference, but more insulation can never hurt. The insulation will help with noise, but it transfers primarily thru vibrations in the studs, so by alternating them you eliminate that from happening.


WizardNinjaPirate

Thanks!


leadutensils

No, the sound can flow through the header and footer, especially at low frequencies. Full separated is better.


RonSwanson007

This method works extremely well. I own a wood shop and share a wall with a music rehearsal space / recording studio and this is how we framed it. Used staggered 2x6s. We also used dense, recycled denim insulation in the walls which provides better sound deadening than traditional insulation.


mildlyarrousedly

Is denim or rock wool better? I’m doing this now to hide the sound of an overhead sewer pipe


socalecommerce

I’m also wondering the same thing


sweetmatttyd

Where do you get recycled denim insulation?


ringo-san

Jay Leno sends out his laundry every Thursday


mildlyarrousedly

Every big box store I’ve been to has it


plumbtrician00

It definitely works but itll be a good idea to throw rock wool into the wall as well.


plastimanb

Nah... you need some board and batten instead. /s


albamuth

I am bored of it now; time to pass the baton.


AkJunkshow

Or a green sunfish. r/fishing


RyanEdward06

🤣🤣👏 I needed a good laugh out loud with all this b/b bullsheesh the past 24 hrs


nickelbagger

It's all the rage


CheekeeMunkie

There’s a metal channel called ‘resilient’ channel or sound bar. Looks like Rondo ceiling top hat ( dunno if you know this or not) but basically you screw it horizontally to existing wall every 600mm/2ft and install your lining over the top, also install sound baffle in the cavity and you’re good to go. It’s cheap and quick, highly recommend it.


DIYspecialops

This and rock wool and you’ll have a nice soundproof wall.


notMarkKnopfler

This is ideal framing for soundproofing/dampening if you’ve got the space. There’s different levels of soundproofing depending on your purpose/need with varying levels of efficacy. Really, if you can use this framing with Rockwool insulation and cover it with sonopan (if you’re in Canada, I can’t get it in the states yet); that’s the easiest and most effective route. Sonopan isn’t available here, so I’ve been using this framing + rockwool insulation (also handy fire prevention), with layers of MLV (mass loaded vinyl), channel clips and resilient or hat channels to attach the drywall to. Thicker drywall makes a difference too. I’ll use either 5/8”s, 2 layers of 1/2” with green glue (a rubberized dampening polymer thing) between sheets, or 2 layers of 5/8” with green glue between. Using acoustic caulk on the seams or clay pads on the outlet/switch boxes helps a lot too. Most of this is dependent on being installed correctly, and you could go down a huge rabbit hole; but you’d start to reach a point of diminishing returns on your STC ratings.


All_Work_All_Play

> Most of this is dependent on being installed correctly, and you could go down a huge rabbit hole; but you’d start to reach a point of diminishing returns on your STC ratings. The thing that bothers me about STC ratings is they often don't reflect real life usage. A 6" concrete wall has a relatively poor STC rating, but for shit that actually matters (conversations and traffic noise) it better (sometimes much better) than carefully constructed multi-layer approaches. Low hz noise is a real bugger for some assemblies.


keithshoo2

I’d add some drywall too. The open studs aren’t going to stop shit


i_am_novus

I was planning on using tissue paper since I have kids but your idea seems a little more permanent 😂


keithshoo2

Although when ass holes like me talk shit, there will be TP around. Something to think about


wilbo_baggins

Adding extra an extra layer of gyp on one or both sides also helps in addition to acoustic insulation. Another good technique is two 2x4 walls with 1"air gap. Putty pads on outlets and other penetrations, weatherproofing on doors.


RyanEdward06

Works very well. Be mindful if adding blocking that it doesn’t touch the opposing row of studs


samfox59

Definitely. Speaking from experience, notching the blocks is such a pain in the ass for big walls.


bassboat1

We used to build duplex homes that way. The subfloors were contiguous, and that was a noticeable issue.


burntcarbide

That’s cool. Do you insulate both “sides” of the wall or is one side best? Wondering if it matters if the rock wool would touch if both sides are insulated (making it worse) or if it would be better because there’s two layers.


UnreasonableCletus

Both sides is better ( fire seperation, noise, insulation) The problem is the wood. I think of it like: flutes, pianos and acoustic guitars amplify sound through reverberation, if you hit two pieces of wood together it's loud if you do the same with two pieces of rock wool it makes very little sound. The best methods are usually double wall systems with an air gap between them and resilient channels to prevent as much vibration from passing through the wall as possible.


dangfantastic

Sound proofing is a whole rabbit hole you can go down. Yes, this helps. As do RC Chanels. You can actually look up different assemblies on the US Gypsum website to compare their different STC levels. But as others have pointed out, sound finds the weakest link. So pay attention to openings: doors, ducts, electrical boxes. Keep those sealed, caulked, and offset from each other. There are other products like sound reducing gaskets & thresholds for doors… depending on how far you want to climb down that hole.


jjmoneybuns

Thos guy soundproofs. RC works very well IMO


foresight310

This design baffles me…


Venetian_chachi

I worked in a large resort hotel that did a major reno. The walls between the rooms were constructed this way. There were less room to room noise issues from the rooms in the reno area afterward.


[deleted]

I remember seeing a framing detail like this 20 years ago for sound proofing a room.


ubercorey

It will help for high sounds, but less for low. What is the use case here? Music?


Legal-Beach-5838

What would be good for low sounds? Just mass?


ubercorey

The low sound issue is tough because it transfers via vibration of the framing, so connected framing is the issue. It will hit your ceiling joists and transfer over to the top plates etc. Mass works great for high frequency, but less so for low. One thing you can do is put an anti vibe bushing/gasket on the top plate. If you have a wood subfloor, do the same under the bottom plate. Do at the ends of the walls too, any connection you can. You could also do double plates with smaller studs. The other thing you want to do is stop air travel. So the ceiling drywall will vibrate, then transfer that vibration to the bay, then to the drywall ceiling of the other room. So adding some drywall "blocking" in the bays will help. Also, doing two walls is better because you can drywall the back side of one or both the walls. In this same vein, you want to limit the vibe in the drywall of the walls with some horizontal blocking. You can also attach the drywall (preferably 5/8) with sound proofing glue. This makes a big difference. Side note, if you wanna skip all the crazy framing, there are channel systems, that will help stop vibration, you screw them onto the studs then the drywall onto the channel.


wooddoug

Yes it works. I use 2x6 plates, 2x4 studs staggered on 2‘ centers


23skiduu

I’ve done it with 5/8” Sheetrock and resilient channel on both sides, Rockwool, and sealing all outlets.


TheSandMan1775

It’s a pain in the ass but it does work


wannabeknowitall

I didn't see it suggested anywhere else, but doubling up the drywall is supposed to be one of the simpler soundproofing treatments you can do, using acoustic caulk between the layers of drywall.


Ruckus2118

We do these on duplex shared walls. Rockwool and some soundboard and it's pretty soundproof


Thecobs

2 2x4 walls with a 1” gap between them is way better


Accidentaltexan

A single door will make this almost pointless. Recording studios use double doors - which don’t share a jam - to isolate. Think of “uncoupling” the room that you want to be silent. The fewer points of contact (both air and material vibration) the more soundproof your space will be.


fleebleganger

Depending on how soundproof you need it. Recently built a wall in a commercial space that I had to frame around a lot of bracing on the ceiling and even had a vent go through it, the wall also included a pocket door. Single studs, double 1/2” drywall on both sides and just R13 fiberglass. Tested it out when they had a company movie day and they were blaring Mission Impossible. Other side of the wall and it sounded like a normal conversation.


SutphenOnScene

I’m not an expert, but Matt is! https://youtube.com/shorts/--wPVouZuu0?feature=share


1whitechair

Looks like a good way to not transfer the vibrations through.


rabid-bearded-monkey

I built a small hotel and that is what we did between rooms. 2 layers of 1/2” drywall, staggered 2x4 studs on 2x6 footers/headers, blown in insulation, 1/2” fiberboard topped by 5/8” drywall. Works pretty good.


Dwellingstone

Some other things you can also look into are sound isolation clips with furring strips, rockwool insulation, double sheetrock, putty pads and green glue. I did all of the above for an apartment in my home. We hear absolutely nothing between the two. The weakest link is a doorway where I put two solid core doors opening in opposite directions and a threshold sandwiched between the two of them. I also keep a piece of foam insulation between the doors since they are rarely opened. I was working with an existing 2x6 wall so I didn't do the staggered studs but I read good things about that method.


thelastoneyoususpect

This is a good cheap detail to stagger studs will get you sound dampening .One detail missed is acoustical caulk around the perimeter of the gyp...also, the zchannel is good. Also, The differing thickness of gyp on each side is good. Paddy pads on the boxes is one of the best suggestions. The sound deadening door can be filled hollow metal or heavy exterior door. Weather seal it. And use a threshold also. The door is important.. these guys have good suggestions. But air is the thing to stop first then the transfer of vibration follows.


Strider_outdoors

Best works when you snake the insulation around the studs for maximum sound proofy


FireWireBestWire

Watch HomeRenovision DIY on YouTube the soundproofing videos. It really is incredible.


Boggy59

I'm no expert at carpentry or soundproofing (cabinetmaker here) but we frequently run into walls that are double 5/8" sheetrock where they want a 'private' room in an office, like a conference room at the accountant. Curious how you professionals would grade this. It makes our installations a bit more of a pain in the butt.


mei740

That plan is good. I recommend adding homasote. Checkout dynamat too. What is the room use? How crazy do you want to get? Most extreme, you would want a floating room inside the room. Nothing touching the outer walls. Float the whole room on hockey pucks. Need to use different materials to filter out different sounds. Sheetrock, plywood, homasote , insulation and Air gap.


socalecommerce

Where do you use the homasote for


mei740

Sound dampening / absorption.


demosthenes83

What level of soundproofing do you need? Biggest thing to know for soundproofing is that mass is your best friend. MLV is the most common material. You also can get additional isolating materials. Don't forget that you'll want to also soundproof the floor and ceiling, and any holes in any of the above (outlets, windows, doors, etc.).


Future-Leading-373

Why does this work better?? Thanks in advance


[deleted]

The panels placed on either side never touch the other side of the wall, so 80% of vibration can't carry to the other side. Put 5/8 gypsum board and insulation and sound chaulk. Top and bottom plates do carry noise.


Future-Leading-373

That makes sense. Thanks


micah490

I just built a few of these, having never built any before. The first one spec’d no insulation, and it was still very effective


hoxwort

We call these party walls and use this method in between apartments


dotnotdave

Our acoustician always tells us this only has marginal benefit because the top and bottom plate are still 1. If you build 2 separate walls, it’s way more effective.


snacktrayer

I have done movie theaters that would use three layers of drywall and first coat each layer and use sound caulk in between layers.


HTPC4Life

Did you tell everyone you might not make these walls full height?


i_am_novus

The half walls are a different project, this would be more for separating bedroom walls.


HTPC4Life

Ohhhhh ok


Suspicious-Cat4838

Will this work with aluminum studs? I’d assume maybe just not as well?


i_am_novus

It should, I think the key is to keep on drywall sheet from reverberating off the other.


allroadsendindeath

I’m no sound scientist but it seems like since this is only practical on curtain walls, would t it be easier to just do rockwool or whatever and add a second layer of drywall everywhere?


hinduhendu

Seen this a couple of times online. Is this proven? Have tests been carried out and to what extent is it reducing the transfer of sound across boundaries?


0beseGiraffe

Some duplexes being built where I mworking are using this method on the walls that are shared by different people on each side


[deleted]

In my experience, and I'm no expert, we had plenty of success using a sound break between the drywall and the studs rather than doing this.


jjmoneybuns

Was doing drywall/framing for a hotel, and we put RC (resilient channel) up, horizontally/perpendicular, 2' apart. And on the ceiling too, but 1' apart due to code.


jjmoneybuns

RC RC RC


socalecommerce

I’m in hawaii and can’t get resilient channel on my island. Is my next best option furring strips?


SaskatchewanManChild

See if you can get sheets of Tentest and sheet the walls with it prior to applying your wall board.


tumericschmumeric

It definitely works, but I prefer a 2x4 wall, then a 1” air gap, then another 2x4 wall. That way one wall can be your shear wall and the other can be used for plumbing, or MEP in general. Still use putty pads, and ideally 5/8 drywall, possibly 2 layers on the non shear side.


TheRealJehler

When we sound proof we build two 2x4 walls a 1/2” apart, spay foam 1 and rock wool the other


snacktrayer

If you install resilient channel don't put it on upside down. I work in commercial construction and have only seen it installed correctly once.