Building a Soundproof Room
How to Build a Soundproof Wall
Introduction:
Building soundproof walls is
often necessary for privacy between rooms. Some of
the places a soundproof wall is necessary is
between bathrooms and living space, between
bedrooms and just about anywhere a teenager may be
practicing a musical instrument or listening to a
television.
There’s a lot of noise that penetrates the wall
of a home, from both inside and outside the house.
This noise cannot be entirely eliminated but it can
be toned down by building a soundproof wall.
Outside noise such as heavy trucks passing
by your home isn’t quite as bad as inside noise
because outside walls are heavily insulated. Most
home builders do not insulate inside walls unless
there is a special request to do so by the buyer.
Some inside walls seem like
amplifiers, especially in a kid’s room when they
are watching television or listening to music.
While it is impractical to soundproof all the
interior walls, it does make sense to insulate some
of them. For existing walls it is not an easy task
but it is not as difficult as it may seem. However,
an ideal time to insulate interior walls is during
initial construction or remodeling.
Building soundproof walls:
If you are
remodeling and want to soundproof a wall, it is
best to build a 2x6 stud wall. A 2x6 stud wall can
accommodate R-19 fiberglass insulation which is an
inexpensive way to insulate a wall and will cut the
penetration noise by eighty percent. Another good
soundproofing material to use is two inch Styrofoam
insulation between the studs. There are other
soundproofing materials that can be used but they
are very expensive.
If you are not remodeling and
you want to soundproof an existing interior wall,
you can simply pump cellulose insulation into the
cavity between the wallboard. This is done by
cutting a three inch hole in the top of the wall
board and pumping in the cellulose insulation. The
plugs that are removed to make the blow in hole are
reinstalled with joint compound to repair the wall.
Cellulose insulation will cut the noise penetration
through the wall by approximately 85%.
Not only will soundproofing
walls offer a little privacy, the decreased noise
will permit more peaceful rest period or sleep.
Related articles:
Building a Floor On top Of Concrete
Building a
Half Wall
Building a Pergola
Building an In-Law Apartment