Retrofitting a Sound-Deadening Material Inside Studded Walls

Try blowing in isulation used for attics and wall. If that fails you will have to redo the wall with a double wall system.

Hello,

I don't think many options exist beyond blow-in insulation or an additional layer of drywall (sheetrock). To the best of my knowledge, vermiculite contains asbestos .

I tend to believe the "small detail" your design engineers overlooked, may have larger scale reciprocations.

fm!

No vermiculite does not have anything to do with asbestos. Just checked up it is a particular form of mica. Expands when heated. Used in agro industry potted plants.

Hello,

Sorry for any confusion, I replied from memory w/o researching first. However, I do think there has been some association between vermiculite and asbestos in the past. Maybe there aren't any serious concerns, but I wouldn't say vermiculite has nothing to do with asbestos! Link

fm!

There is an Australian material which is made from dried wheat or rice stalks. This material is bonded together using heat , pressure and the natural chemicals:lignum vitae (no other adhesive) contained in the fibrous material.

It was produced in : Melbourne. The Companys Name was : Ortech Industries ortech@river.net.au ir produced internationally recognised accousti tiles ( can be sawn to size). They should still be around ! Tel 61-3-5447-8698. ( I used their products very successfully , some years back.)

Sound deadening preconstructed sheetrock on timber construction is very difficult. The studs act as sound conductors while the sheetrock acts as a speaker & microphone. The simplest suggestion if possible would be to buy some very big very thick tapestries, artwork, or Flags of some sort and hang them on the walls in question. Heavy fabrics hung with a small 1/4 inch airspace between it and the wall will create an air pocket between it and the sheetrock wall. This air pocket will act as a sound insulator. Another simple solution would be to turn up the musak in the waiting room.

Hope this helps.

Check out www.quietsolution.com and www.supressproducts.com. We're installing suppress and the sheets are less than standard thickness drywall with good results. Just apply 4x8 sheets over existing drywall. Also there is a product you can "weave" in between studs prior to installing drywall if feasable. Hope this helps...

Take a look at QuietRock -

http://www.quietsolution.com/html/quietrock.html?OVRAW=quietrock&OVKEY=drywall%20soundproof&OVMTC=advanced.

It worked great in our application (STC-50).

"Our design engineers overlooked a small detail when constructing a courthouse, omitting sound deadening material in the wall separating the jury deliberation room from the visitor waiting area."

It appears that you may have laid the blame at the wrong door-step. Design engineers work to requirements. If they over-design, that leads to increased costs, so they usually don't design to unspecified requirements.

I suspect that the Requirements for this project neglected the inclusion of a "sound insulation" requirement. As is usually the case, faulty requirements lead to mission creep and increased expenses, followed by assigning blame, usually to the engineers.

IF YOUR STUDS ARE VERTICAL, CROSS 24"OC HORIZONTALLY ATTACHING ALONG BOTTOM EDGE, INSTALL SHEETROCK VERITCALLY TO HAT CHANNELS. LEAVE THE TOP EDGE OF THE CHANNEL LOOSE. USE PLASTIC TRIM AT DOOR JAMBS AND LEAVE CAULK GAP. IF DOOR ARE A PROBLEM YOU WILL NEED A SPECIAL DOOR BUT I NO LONGER REMEMBER WHAT WE USED BUT IT WAS EQUALLY EASY AND INEXPENSIVE.

Pannel it in leather looks good and is easy to keep clean.

Writer #4 has it right. Sound waves transfer their energy to the drywall, which transfers it to the studs, which transfer it to the drywall on the other side. Fill insulation is of limited help. The sound-engineered drywall and wood plywood panels mentioned in the other comments are effective when properly retrofitted. There are other sound energy pathways in walls such as micro gaps around the perimeter of drywall; unsealed electrical boxes in the wall; and unsealed doors or windows. As a first step install a sealant bead around the perimeter of the wall; then apply sealants to the perimeter and interior of all electrical boxes in the wall. For an effective solution I suspect that you will need to retrofit sound enginerred panels on one or both sides of the wall. But don't waste time or money on the blown-in insulation.

don't forget to look at the top of the walls-above the ceiling--many 'commercial' buildings have simple suspended ceilings over the entire area, with no partitions of the 'actic' space. Sound easily travels through the ceiling tile, spreading into adjacent rooms.

When I needed conversational privacy in my job negotiating contracts, we made sure to install soft lead 'sound barriers' in the above the ceiling space to seal the top. Very essential.

Properly sealed drywall (sheetrock) wall will usually suffice. Be sure and seal ALL openings-at top, sides, bottom, outlets. The DIY expanding foam is very effective for this. Evan a tiny penetration ,left unsealed, will allow significant sound through.

Then covering the 'public' side of the sensitive wall with heavy cloth hangings will significantly lower retransmission of any sound energy.