need some sound isolation advise

[cheapskete OCer]

im not going all out here but would like to reduce some sound carrying up from the HT in the basement to the living room up stairs and well the rest of the house too. there is 1/4" wood panel for a ceiling between the basement and the floorboards to the living room thats it.

What would you suggest i stuff in between there?
something not to expensive, i have to cover 16x27' on the ceiling and i was thinking of using the same material for the wall the faces the other room in the basement and the hall way that leads to the stairs.

the wall is constructed of 2x4s and the same wood panel on each side thats it
the three other walls are brick.

where do i start

 

[bpape]

Standard fiberglass insulation will work fine. Just be sure to FILL the cavity. You don't need to jam it in and compress it but fill the space. Same for the walls.

1/4" plywood has little to no mass to it. Drywall, and potentially 2 layers will provide the mass you need to help stop bass.

Bryan

 

[cheapskete OCer]

you dont suggest anything else but insulation while im in there?

 

[cheapskete OCer]

seriously people i need some advice. would it be worth it to take down every piece of panel from the ceiling and then put up insulation the drywall then the panel over the drywall or should i just take certain sections down and pull the insulation through (since the panels go the panels go east and west and the floor boards go north south) and call it good?

 

[bpape]

Not sure what to tell you. You need to fully fill the cavities. If you can do that without pulling it all down, then that's fine - but you'll still only have plywood up there that doesn't have sufficient mass to begin to stop bass transmission.

Bryan

 

[Alex2507]

I do this kind of thing for work and I'll tell you that you should pull everything down to insulate. Here's a link I think you might find useful.

http://www.greengluecompany.com/soundAbsorption.php

 

[cheapskete OCer]

interesting read..thanks.
i need to start pulling a few panels off the ceiling to see how much of a pain it will be, the ceiling is actually just short of 7' high and im 6'2" so its going to kill my back using a nail punch and hammer on 3 nails every 16" wide and 4" deep over a 16' x 27' ceiling

 

[cheapskete OCer]

I do this kind of thing for work and I'll tell you that you should pull everything down to insulate. Here's a link I think you might find useful.

http://www.greengluecompany.com/soundAbsorption.php

i can get insulation in there without removing all the panels but ofcourse i need to pull them all down to get the drywall up, is it going to make enough difference between just the insulation with the wood panels, and insulation 1/2" drywall and then panels to justify all that work

 

[Alex2507]

From what I understand you need mass to attenuate lower frequencies that your sub puts out. The drywall is the really important part. So important that 2 layers is recommended. Not to seem like a freak but if it were me, I would put 3 layers up there. First 5/8", then 1/2" and finally 3/8". I understand that they block out different frequencies.

I'm not sure what your wood paneling is like but I would be concerned about how reflective it is. Nothing wrong with taking your time and gathering info.

From another thread I got the idea that your ceiling was 8'. I like smooth finishes on drywall and painting it white would give it the appearance of being more open.

Edit: Filling the void completely with insulation without opening the ceiling sounds unlikely, kind of like building a sea worthy ship in a bottle.

 

[cheapskete OCer]

ya i decided im just going to rip the stuff down of the ceiling and just buy new panel to put over the drywall, my ceilings actually only 7' theres no way i could put up 3 layers im 6'3