Soundproofing a bedroom Theater.

[Bluesmoke]

I have a problem. My theater is in an upstairs bedroom, and everything is hunky dore except for the right wall which is opposite the staircase. It's very thin and you can hear sounds downstrairs.

Is there a cheap way to prevent sound from going through the wall or muffle it substantially, without breaking the wall down?

 

[bpape]

Unfortunately, cheap and soundproofing don't usually go together. My suspicion is that the wall is not insulated.

Steps to take to help:

- Bore holes in the top of each stud cavity and rent a blower from Home Depot or Lowes and fill the cavities. Patch the drywall.

- Replace the standard cheap hollow interior door with a solid core door.

- Add another layer of drywall to the existing one. Liquid Nails is a start - Green Glue is better. It's the mass that will help more than anything else.

Bryan

 

[mtrycrafts]

I have a problem. My theater is in an upstairs bedroom, and everything is hunky dore except for the right wall which is opposite the staircase. It's very thin and you can hear sounds downstrairs.

Is there a cheap way to prevent sound from going through the wall or muffle it substantially, without breaking the wall down?

And to add further, you will not stop the low frequency getting out. That takes an even more effort if it is even possible in such a setup.

 

[Bluesmoke]

Ugh! I was hoping that If I hung a thick blackout curtain all along the wall, that might prevent sound from going through.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Ugh! I was hoping that If I hung a thick blackout curtain all along the wall, that might prevent sound from going through.

Well, what can I say. That will just not do much at all, at best.
Acoustic isolation is work, not cheap and not easy. Sound passes under doors, through electric outlets, etc.
Reducing volume will help a lot, but then, you may not hear much

 

[Glenn Kuras]

Well, what can I say. That will just not do much at all, at best.
Acoustic isolation is work, not cheap and not easy. Sound passes under doors, through electric outlets, etc.
Reducing volume will help a lot, but then, you may not hear much

And just to help prove this, hold up a curtain in front of you and have some stand on the other side. Talk and see if the person can still hear you. Bet they can.
Don't confuse sound proofing with absorption products. Totally two different animals. I can see why people get this messed up. Just go to google and type in "sound proofing" and about a million foam companies come up. Foam does nothing for sounding proofing.

Glenn

 

[evilkat]

And just to help prove this, hold up a curtain in front of you and have some stand on the other side. Talk and see if the person can still hear you. Bet they can.
Don't confuse sound proofing with absorption products. Totally two different animals. I can see why people get this messed up. Just go to google and type in "sound proofing" and about a million foam companies come up. Foam does nothing for sounding proofing.

Glenn

Care to further expound on the differences then?

 

[bpape]

Soundproofing requires 2 things:

- Stopping sound from moving through the air
- Stopping sound from moving through the structure.

An uninsulated wall is basically a drum.

To really do soundproofing, you need mass - pure and simple. You need seals on the doors. The doors need to be solid (seeing a pattern here? Door drum? - No mass?)

Hanging a blanket, mineral wool, OC703, foam, etc. will change the sound INSIDE ther room but do absolutely nothing to negate sound transmission to outside the room.

Bryan

 

[mtrycrafts]

Care to further expound on the differences then?

Not speaking for him and he may have a better explanation but I thought you were looking for an answer before you got too old

Sound isolation is measures taken to prevent sound transmission to other rooms, other parts of a home, workplace or what have you. This may or may not absorb any sound in that room you are isolating. Like the Skywalker Ranch theater. It has its own foundation separate from the home and a totally walled building withing that home. I bet not much gets transmitted to the rest of the structure. This is extreme but a good example.

Sound absorption is a measure inside the room to alter a rooms acoustic characteristics. This may or may not prevent sound transmission to the rest of the structure, you home or workplace.