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Properties of Soundproofing Materials and Sound Control Workmanship InspectAPedia®  -     List of soundproofing products Acoustical sealant for sound control in buildings Resilient channel used for building sound reduction Soundproofing insulation details Soundproofing & sound transmission reduction gaskets

Here we provide a list of soundproofing materials & devices used to control sound transmission in buildings: how to make a quiet home, office, or place of business using sound isolation for ceilings, floors, walls, plumbing, etc. This article includes excerpts or adaptations from Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, by Steven Bliss, courtesy of Wiley & Sons. Readers interested in uses of acoustical sealants in buildings should also see ACOUSTICAL SEALANTS.

© Copyright 2009 Daniel Friedman, Steve Bliss, Wiley & Sons, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

List & Properties of Soundproofing Materials and Workmanship

Like weatherization work, effective soundproofing requires careful detailing and workmanship. Small holes and bypasses can lower field STC values to 15 to 20 points below laboratory values. Leaky edge joints, unsealed doorways, interconnecting ductwork, and unsealed electrical and plumbing penetrations all degrade acoustical performance.

Acoustical Sealant for Sound Control in Buildings

While special non hardening acoustical sealants are often specified in commercial work, any high-quality sealant that remains flexible can be effective in blocking sound transmission. Butyl, silicone, and urethane caulk can all be used.

To prevent sound leaks, use sealant around electrical boxes, plumbing penetrations, and any other penetrations in the wall or ceiling surface.

For walls with STC ratings in excess of 35, apply a flexible sealant at the joint where the drywall meets the floor. Acoustical sealant is also used to seal around the perimeter of walls or ceilings hung from resilient channel.

Soundproof Acoustical Grade Drywall Products, Quietrock, QuietWood, & Sound-Resistant Windows

Special drywall products such as Quietrock® are sold in as many as eight product variations ranging from economy sound-transmission-resistant drywall to fire-rated and high performance soundproof drywall. According to the product manufacturer"

QuietRock replaces older techniques such as resilient channels, clips, sound board and vinyl and offer lower cost solutions than other methods with higher Sound Transmission Class (STC) performance.

The company, Quiet Solution, a division of Serious Materials, also produces QuietWood® "a multi-layer engineered internally damped panel ideal for use in existing or new construction, ... used in place of standard plywood in most applications" and QuietHome® noise reducing indows, additional sound-transmission resistant products.

Resilient Channel for Sound Transmission Reduction in Buildings

Resilient channel such as Auralex RC8 is installed perpendicular to the studs or joists and needs at least 3 inches of free space in the cavity behind it to be effective.

Resilient channel is a specially-formed, metal device that, when used to hang drywall (instead of attaching the drywall directly to the wall studs or ceiling joists), significantly reduces the sound transmission of the wall or ceiling system. The channel material is secured to the studs and drywall is secured to the channel - providing a break in sound transmission through the wall.

Resilient channel for sound control is not effective if attached to sheet materials, such as drywall. It is also important to use the right length screws, so they do not penetrate into the wood framing.

Just a few screws into the wood can undermine the resilient connection and substantially lower the STC and IIC ratings.

Leave a 1/4 to 1/2-inch gap around the perimeter of a ceiling or wall hung from resilient channel and fill with an acoustical or other non hardening sealant.

Insulation Details for Sound & Noise Reduction in Buildings

Ordinary fiberglass insulation is an effective sound absorber in cavities and increases the STC rating of walls by 3 to 5 decibels. The insulation needs to fill only about three-quarters of the thickness of the cavity to be effective.

Adding more adds little additional sound protection, and stuffing insulation in too densely could actually increase sound transmission.

Cellulose insulation has about the same sound deadening characteristics as fiberglass.

Foam insulation is not particularly effective for sound control. Foam is too light to add mass to the wall and is not resilient enough to absorb sound.

Gasketing for Building Sound Transmission Control

Flexible, heavy rubber gasketing makes an effective seal against sound leaks as well as thermal leaks around doors and windows.

Either bulb- or magnetic-type weather-stripping is effective as long as it makes an airtight seal between the frame and door or window.

-- Adapted with permission from Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction.

Continue reading about methods for sound control in buildings by using the links provided just below.

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• Daniel Friedman - principal author/editor of the InspectAPedia^® Website
• Steven Bliss served as editorial director and co-publisher of The Journal of Light Construction for 16 years and previously as building technology editor for Progressive Builder and Solar Age magazines. He worked in the building trades as a carpenter and design/build contractor for more than ten years and holds a masters degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Excerpts from his recent book, Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, Wiley (November 18, 2005) ISBN-10: 0471648361, ISBN-13: 978-0471648369, appear throughout this website, with permission and courtesy of Wiley & Sons. Best Practices Guide is available from the publisher, J. Wiley & Sons, and also at Amazon.com.
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INTERIORS of BUILDINGS
AGE of a BUILDING - how to determine
AIR BYPASS LEAKS
AIR LEAK DETECTION TOOLS
AIR LEAK MINIMIZATION
AIR SEALING STRATEGIES
ANIMAL ALLERGENS
ASBESTOS IDENTIFICATION IN BUILDINGS
ATTIC LEAKS, CONDENSATION & ATTIC MOLD
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BASEMENT HEAT LOSS
BASEMENT LEAKS Moisture or Mold
BLOWER DOORS & AIR INFILTRATION
CHIMNEY INSPECTION DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR
COMBUSTION AIR for TIGHT BUILDINGS
CRAWL SPACES
ELECTRICAL INSPECTION, DIAGNOSIS, REPAIR
ENERGY SAVINGS in BUILDINGS
ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS
FIREPLACE Damage & Unsafe Hearths - Settlement
FLAT ROOF MOISTURE & CONDENSATION
FLOOD DAMAGE ASSESSMENT, SAFETY & CLEANUP
FLOORING TYPES & DEFECTS
FREEZE-PROOF A BUILDING
HEAT LOSS in BUILDINGS
HEAT LOSS DETECTION TOOLS
HEAT LOSS INDICATORS
HEAT LOSS R U & K VALUE CALCULATION
HOUSEWRAP AIR & VAPOR BARRIERS
HUMIDITY LEVEL TARGET
ICE DAM PREVENTION
INSULATION IDENTIFICATION GUIDE
INSULATION LOCATION for BASEMENTS
INSULATION LOCATION for CAPES, CRAWLSPACES
INSULATION R-Values & Properties
INSULATION & VENTILATION INSPECTION & IMPROVEMENT
INSULATION LOCATION for BASEMENTS
INSULATION LOCATION for CAPES, CRAWLSPACES
INSULATION for GREENHOUSE or SOLARIUM
INSULATION MATERIAL IDENTIFICATION GUIDE
INSULATION R-Values & Properties
Insulation Values of Log Home Walls
LOG HOME GUIDE
MOBILE HOME INSPECTIONS
MOLD INFORMATION CENTER
ODORS & SMELLS DIAGNOSIS & CURE
PAINT FALURE, DIAGNOSIS, CURE, PREVENTION
PLASTER & BEAVERBOARD & DRYWALL
ROT, FUNGUS, TERMITES
  TERMITE SHIELDS vs TERMITICIDE
ROT, TIMBER FRAME
SEARS KIT HOUSES
SOUND CONTROL in BUILDINGS
  ACOUSTICAL SEALANTS
  Principles of Sound Transmission
  How Sound Levels are Measured
  Sound Absorption vs. Sound Isolation
  Sound Isolation Strategies
  Cut Off Flanking Sound Paths
  Sound Transmission Class Ratings
  Sound Control for Walls
  Sound Control for Floors
  Sound Control for Plumbing
  Properties of Soundproofing Materials
  Acoustical Sealant for Sound Control
  Resilient Channel for Sound Reduction
  Insulation Details for Sound Reduction
  Gasketing for Noise Control
  Duct Insulation for Soundproofing
  White Noise & Sound Conditioners
STAIN DIAGNOSIS
STAIRS, RAILINGS, LANDINGS, RAMPS
STUCCO OVER FOAM INSULATION
STRUCTURAL INSPECTIONS & DEFECTS
SUMP PUMPS GUIDE
THERMAL TRACKING & HEAT LOSS
VAPOR BARRIERS & AIR SEALING at BAND JOISTS
VAPOR BARRIERS & CONDENSATION in BUILDINGS
VAPOR BARRIERS & HOUSEWRAP
VAPOR CONDENSATION & BUILDING SHEATHING
VENTILATION in BUILDINGS
WATER ENTRY in BUILDINGS
WINTERIZE A BUILDING
WOOD Burning Heaters Fireplaces Stoves

• Quietrock® soundproof drywall is distributed by Serious Materials Inc. 1250 Elko Drive Sunnyvale, CA 94089 - more information is at http://www.quietsolution.com/html/quietrock.html
• Marpac, produces white sound generators, a product that they identify as the Marpac sound conditioner. Marpac can be contacted at http://www.marpac.com/ or contact the Marpac Corporation, P.O. Box 560 Rocky Point, NC 28457 Phone: 800-999-6962 (USA and Canada) Fax: 910-602-1435 1-910-602-1421 (worldwide), 800-999- or email: info@marpac.com
• Auralex resilient channel, additional information: from Auralex acoustics www.auralex.com/, a producer of 800-959-3343

  "Auralex's RC-8 Resilient Channel is a specially-formed, sturdy metal device that, when used to hang drywall (instead of just attaching the drywall to the studs or joists), GREATLY improves the sound transmission characteristics of the wall or ceiling system.
  RC-8 should be installed horizontally at the bottom and top of your wall, then every 2' or less in between. Up to (2) layers of 5/8" drywall and a layer of SheetBlok may be hung on RC-8, even on a ceiling"

• Sound Oasis sound conditioners are produced by Sound Oasis: http://www.sound-oasis.com/ email: info@sound-oasis.com or 1-866-625-3218

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• Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, by Steven Bliss. John Wiley & Sons, 2006. ISBN-10: 0471648361, ISBN-13: 978-0471648369, Hardcover: 320 pages, available from Wiley.com and also at Amazon.com. See our book review of this publication.expand and contract. To avoid these problems, make sure pipe runs are not tight against framing.

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