How do I soundproof a room on the cheap?

[Shopdog]

We have a relativly old (1943) home, this spring I am going to remove the panelling in the "master bedroom". By pushing on the panelling I believe that there is nothing behind it, as if the old lathe and plaster had been removed. It also seems that there is no insulation in the walls. I therefore am going to remove the panelling, install insulation and sheetrock the room.

My question is this:

I want to soundproof the room as best I can on the cheap. Adjacent to the bedroom on the left is a bathroom and to the front is the hall, the other two walls are outer walls. In the past when my dad and I built an addition to our other house, we had a theater room and to soundproof this from the main house we installed layers of sheetrock in between the studs. It worked well and we could enjoy loud movies without waking anyone in the main house. Although this worked before is there another way this can be done without all that weight?

I don't want to hear the bathroom and I don't want the kids to hear the bedroom.

Thanks

Searcher

[HotRdd]

Have a look at home depot for the metal channels that are used to isolate the drywall from the studs. Buy yourself a solid bedroom door and remember that if air can move between the rooms so can sound. I've also heard of people using heavy rugs and egg cartons to soften the room and transfer of sound.

[Chris Friesen]

Don't know about "on the cheap", but assuming you're in the US, Roxul sells something called "AFB" that is a dense mineral wool insulation designed to cut down on sound.

Someone else mentioned metal channels. You want the resiliant channels specifically designed for sound isolation, not just regular z-channels.

Chris

[hallerb]

Closed cell foam blown in place seals all the cracks and crevices, cutting noise a LOT. then add new soundproof drywall, perhas on tracks to cut sound futher.

[Shopdog]

I sent off an Email to Roxul. Which after looking at it online sounds like a great idea for insulating around the kids bedrooms.

Thanks for the info

Search

[hallerb]

blown in closed cell is the best and at R6 per inch a real winner, to save energy.

you might try a quieter toilet in the batroom, power flushers sound like a airplane at take off

[Shopdog]

Well, we replaced the toilet "guts" with the quietest one we could buy. The problem is that the shower/jacuzzi tub is right next to our bedroom wall. Thats loud! I was thinking of foaming around the inside of the tub area to help quiet the pump. I know I can isolate the pump from the floor using a rubber set up to help a bit. When someone is in the shower you can hear every creak and step they make in the bedroom.

Isn't there a DIY kit you can buy to spray the foam in bulk, I cannot see me buying cans and doing it that way. I have heard that hiring a contractor to do this is quite expensive. I would much rather spray foam so that I know that every nook and cranny is is filled.

We already installed a new furnace and hot water heater, So far we have blown through 800.00 worth of oil this year as opposed to the 1500.00 before the new furnace. I ripped out the panelling in the attic/ finished room. I insulated with R30 (there was NO insulation) then sheetrocked the walls and ceiling which I believed helped alot. I insulated the band joist in the basment. The previous owners had a siding job done and there is insulation behind the siding (that thin blue foam board stuff). We have new windows and I replaced the weatherstripping around the two entry doors.

I am trying to keep this house warm without killing myself to pay for the oil. We added a humidifier and brought the humidity up to 60% which helps.

Searcher

[mm]

I had a friend with a new loft in SoHo. It takes extra space, unless there is a clever design, but he and the neighbor built the wall between them so that it had two sides that didn't touch each other. Except at the floor and 16 foot ceiling.

[Joseph Meehan]

In general you want to block air exchange. Air caries sound very well. (Try opening your car's window as a train is going by.)

Next you want weight. Heavy things (drywall lead sheets etc.) block sound well.

You also want to prevent any direct solid connections. Stagger wall studs or use special isolation devices to keep the sound from traveling through the wall (remember the two cans on a string (well wire actuarially worked) you want to break the wire).

Filling in wall cavities with sound absorbing materials (accustical fiberglass bats) will do a little.

Point source control (special absorption material) at the source of the sound will also help.

[mm]

I should say that my friend was clever and read, but who knows if he was right or if there aren't better ideas since 1973.

[3G]

cheapest way glue cardboard egg cartons to the wall (bottoms facing toward you) great for acoustics.

or 1/2" x 4ft x 8ft sound board

| Adjacent to the bedroom on the left is a bathroom and to the front is the | hall, the other two walls are outer walls. In the past when my dad and I | built an addition to our other house, we had a theater room and to | soundproof this from the main house we installed layers of sheetrock in | between the studs. It worked well and we could enjoy loud movies without | waking anyone in the main house. Although this worked before is there | another way this can be done without all that weight? | | I don't want to hear the bathroom and I don't want the kids to hear the | bedroom. | | | Thanks | | Searcher | |