flooring and walls

[timotheus]

I have been perusing posts about soundproofing and acoustics. I am curious if anyone has ever used or has any thoughts about using the foam tile flooring that is used in gyms and playrooms? I was thinking of using the 1' x 1' or 2' x 2' puzzle pieces for floors and walls. Comes in 3/8" and 1/2" thick tiles. It is fairly dense. I am still working on designing based on tips and tricks I am reading in the forum for acoustics and soundproofing.

Any feedback is appreciated! Thanks!
Timotheus

 

[Haoleb]

I dont know about that stuff, but at the Custom install place I used to work at, when we did the showroom we put down this really heavy dark grey vinyl type material. I dont know what it was exactly but its really heavy. I am pretty sure its made specifically for sound proofing. It came in a big tar paper size roll.

 

[highfigh]

I dont know about that stuff, but at the Custom install place I used to work at, when we did the showroom we put down this really heavy dark grey vinyl type material. I dont know what it was exactly but its really heavy. I am pretty sure its made specifically for sound proofing. It came in a big tar paper size roll.

Did you enjoy fastening that stuff? I didn't.

 

[highfigh]

I have been perusing posts about soundproofing and acoustics. I am curious if anyone has ever used or has any thoughts about using the foam tile flooring that is used in gyms and playrooms? I was thinking of using the 1' x 1' or 2' x 2' puzzle pieces for floors and walls. Comes in 3/8" and 1/2" thick tiles. It is fairly dense. I am still working on designing based on tips and tricks I am reading in the forum for acoustics and soundproofing.

Any feedback is appreciated! Thanks!
Timotheus

What is your goal, in soundproofing? Keeping the sound from getting to the other side of particular walls, floors and ceilings or making the room a better listening environment? The foam you refer to is made for keeping kids from getting banged up when they fall, not acoustical treatment.

Google is your friend and there is a huge amount of info out there, but also look here in the thread about DIY panels- many links have been posted.

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49872

The membrane is great if you can strip the drywall/paneling or plaster. It's heavy, you'll need at least one other person and maybe a rig to hold it in place but it's effective for blocking certain sounds. Doubling the drywall helps, too.

What needs to be stopped will determine how it's addressed.

 

[Haoleb]

Did you enjoy fastening that stuff? I didn't.

well rolling it out on the floor wasnt bad... getting it up on the walls was a different story though

 

[highfigh]

well rolling it out on the floor wasnt bad... getting it up on the walls was a different story though

Yeah, rolling it out isn't bad, neither is pushing the roll over when it's standing upright.

Did you have to do the ceiling? We did that at the house of an owner where I worked and I used some left over 2x4 to make a big T. It wasn't as bad as before I did that. We had 5 guys working on it and it was still a major PITA. We did it again at the display space. Since that's a commercial building, they specified metal studs and put the membrane up, then 3/4" fire-resistant particle board before they came in and installed insulation in the stud/joist bays. They drywalled over everything and we had double solid core doors on the back wall. When the system was cranked, it was barely audible from the outside.

 

[Haoleb]

No we didnt do the ceiling, if we did that would have been a nightmare. Its like trying to hang sheets of lead.

 

[highfigh]

No we didnt do the ceiling, if we did that would have been a nightmare. Its like trying to hang sheets of lead.

That pretty much describes it and is why I made the T frame. We tried to stop after hanging half a sheet maybe 6' long) and we got halfway done, then stopped because our arms were dying and when we let it go, it fell down. Oh, yeah- we were havin' some fun!

The stuff works, though. We could crank the theaters and not hear much of anything outside, or in the case of the house, in the kitchen.