[chris.big.money]

I've read on this forum many times about "staggered studs"? well i am still in need of building a final wall for my home theater that butts up to the stairs...and i wondered if this would give me any advantage? Also what recommendations would people give for double doors leading into the theater? preferably sliding doors that can slide into the walls...but where would i find those?

[JohnRice]

Staggered studs, and insulation, give better sound isolation outside the HT.

[Ed Moxley]

You should be able to find Pocket Doors at Lowe's or Home Depot. If you want something fancier than that, you may have to get custom built. Check with a local contractor for suppliers too.

I did a Google search for Pocket Doors, and got this page:
pocket doors hardware - Google Search
Good luck!

[chris.big.money]

thanks guys. also, could i get some more info on staggered studs anywhere? how do i do it, etc. is it just a matter of placing the studs at different widths apart...or is it more complicated than that? and as far as insulation goes...is there a good type of sound insulation anywhere?

[JohnRice]

Chris, that is not what the "staggered" means. It means that as opposed to having a stud and attaching drywall to both sides of it, you have one set of studs with one wall attached and another entirely different set of studs, usually set at least an inch off center from the first, toward the other room, with the drywall attached to them. In this way, there is no direct contact from one room to the other. You end up with a thicker wall and higher material cost, but better sound insulation. I think you usually use 2x6 headers and footers instead of 2x4 and offset the studs by the extra width.

I'm not describing it well, but hopefully you understand or someone else can explain better.

[chris.big.money]

thanks a lot for the help. i actually ended up finding a great visual guide online for how to do it. i really appreciate everyone's help! lots more questions on the way!

[Ed Moxley]

Have you looked at DIY's site for help in building an HT? See here:
DIY Network
also here:
Ultimate Media Room : DIY Network
Enjoy!

[Robert_J]

I used staggered studs on my home theater. It does a great job of keeping noises OUT of the theater. It also does a good job of containing the highs. It does NOT contain all of the sound though. With a pair of 15" subs and a 2,400w amp, I can shake the entire house. I could have used double drywall, QuietRock, Green Glue, sound isolation mat in the walls, etc but the lower the frequency, the more difficult to contain. It wasn't worth the money.

-Robert

[chris.big.money]

well i don't think i'll be going that wild with my low frequency ....i just wanted to know a simple way to make that last wall a little more sound proof. it might take me a while with the drywall and what not (since i'm such a newbie) but i am planning on building a 2 by 8(?) wall with staggered 2 by 4's and pocket doors leading into the theater. i also hope to add the sound proofing insulation. thanks for the help!

[JohnRice]

I think Robert makes a good point. Isolating outside noise is probably easier than containing the high energy Sub output within thhe room. Of course, I've never built a staggered stud wall, and this discussion is probably better suited to the HT construction section of the forum.