Drywall under floor as Sound deadener ?

Why not just put sound insulation between the joists? The drywall is rigid and will transfer the sound.

All the recording studios ive seen are double floating drywall walls usualy 2-5/8" sheets or more, it is mass that deadens. If it was held off the wood with rubber or foam spacers it would really work. Cheapest would be carpet padding cut into strips used where screws attach so the drywall doesnt touch wood.

All the recording studios ive seen are double floating drywall walls usualy 2-5/8" sheets or more, it is mass that deadens. If it was held off the wood with rubber or foam spacers it would really work. Cheapest would be carpet padding cut into strips used where screws attach so the drywall doesnt touch wood.

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In the past, I have used insulation in the ceiling, and it helps a little, but does nothing for impact noise. I'm thinking that the extra mass of the drywall would help stop the noise from the footsteps from being developed in the first place..

Holding it off the wood, would still let the sub floor vibrate and create the sound ???

Also it is a way to get rid of the drywall, which commands expensive disposal charges..

Ray wrote: (snip)

I wouldn't see why, other than the weight. Do you have a back yard and a shovel? Bust it up and bury it, a little at a time if you think the neighbors will have kittens.

-- aem sends...

If you are efficient in your planning, there shouldn't be so much scrap drywall. Putting it in the ceiling wouldn't hurt, but it probably won't help much either. Be careful you don't cause sagging between joists due to the extra unsupported weight, Mounting the new ceiling on spacers below the ceiling joists would be the best way to reduce the direct sound transfer. Carpeting on the upper level would be the most effective way to reduce the sound of footsteps.

If you are efficient in your planning, there shouldn't be so much scrap drywall. Putting it in the ceiling wouldn't hurt, but it probably won't help much either. Be careful you don't cause sagging between joists due to the extra unsupported weight, Mounting the new ceiling on spacers below the ceiling joists would be the best way to reduce the direct sound transfer. Carpeting on the upper level would be the most effective way to reduce the sound of footsteps.

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This isnt drywall scraps I'm talking about, It is the old drywall I removed when gutting the basement

There will be a truckload of this stuff, It has to be recycled here..

The trouble is my wife just got rid of all the carpets and installed hardwood. That is why

the noise subject has come up.

I probably wont use drywall on the new ceiling, maybe suspended tiles for access

All that would accomplish is getting a cloud of white dust everytime somebody walks across the floor....Search this group for the many threads on sound proofing....There was one recently with alot of good ideas that REALLY work...

...LOL...I was on a job a while back where the electrician was TRYING to pull some wires with no luck...Opened the wall up to find it stuffed with scrap...LOL..He had to open up every interior wall he had to wire...Made more work and money for me...LOL...And NO I didn't do it...The place was built in the 60's....LOL...

You can't really depend on mass as a sound deadener.

If you put your ear on a railroad rail, you can hear the train from many miles away even though several hundred tons of steel intervene.

Be sure to remove your head as the train approaches.

Google plans for - recording studio sound proofing - Drywall is used, at least 2 thick sheets, the walls and ceilings float meaning they are not attached to the main walls, on the floor rubber pucks are used to not transfer vibrations. The key is having a seperate structure and using a fiber or rubber carpet pad backing would reduce contact points but give a soft material that wont transfer vibrations to the ceiling. Alot here say it wont work, but floating drywall rooms are in fact, recording studio, Industry Standard. Any pro drywaller will at least up the standard for a home where sound is a issue. Even a bead of caulk left to cure first on studs makes a difference.

Drywall is a good sound control, but I think I would want to mount full size drywall sheets attached to the joists with resilent connectors. You also want to make sure there are no air to air connections, like heating ducts and returns to allow the sound transrer.

I use to have a link for a great source of information and materials but I can no longer find it.

Ive been told it works better with a wet ear on a frozen track, it sticks better.

Yeah - but what a mess to clean up afterward!