David Cotton

Possible Sound Proofing method?

This may sound like a strange idea but I thought I would run it past you guru's out there and see what you think.

As I have mentioned in a previous post, the theater room I will be building is not big enough for the room within a room idea, and though I had planned on putting insulation in my interior walls I know this will only help a small amount. Then I had an idea....

Other than true isolation, the next best way to reduce noise is mass, or if you will a dense material correct? I thought about double sheetrock, but that is a pain in the a@# to re-do doorways, plugs etc...

Well what if I were to remove the sheetrock in my furture theater room and brick in between the studs? Since my room is on the bottom floor I could create a "wall" of bricks that would be mortared in between the wall studs, floor to ceiling. If the bricks were trimmed to fit tightly I figure that their mass would help stop sound transmissions beyond the room both by them being dense and also absorbing any vibration that was imparted to the studs via the sheetrock once it was replaced.

I know this may not be the cheapest method, but will it work? Am I mad for even contemplating this?

Obviously all of my prewire, conduit etc would need to be pre-run and built around, but it is the concept that I am curious about, not the small details at the moment.

Let me know.

David

Lead me not into temptation, I can find it myself.

ChrisWiggles

If you're getting serious enough to build part of a brick wall with 2x4 (seems like a PITA and I dunno if anyone's ever done something like that before), I would probably explore the more standard trusted wall constructions, and bring in someone who specializes in HT stuff for isolation, as well as acoustics.

JoshGivens

I think I would go with something like dynamat (sp?) that they use in auto setups before I would brick it.

Wayne A. Pflughaupt

JoshGivens

Oh well, it was just a thought. Goes to show what I don't know. I'm learning...slowly.

George Anderson

what about spray insulation? that spray foam stuff? im not sure brick would give the desired effect... wait, what about spray foam around the brick to secure the bricks in place? that would add mass and stability... im doing a basement project too and im having the same questions go through my head.

David Cotton

I figured if I trimmed the bricks to fit between the 2X4 studs so they were really snug (might use mortar to "seal" them to the studs) I wouldn't really need the expanding spray insulation etc. I think the brick from floor to ceiling should have enough mass to deaden some of the vibrations.

Lead me not into temptation, I can find it myself.

George Anderson

thats alot of work david. and bricks are expensive.

Wayne A. Pflughaupt

Dave Poehlman

And you thought an extra layer of sheetrock was a PITA?

Do you really need to block that much sound from leaving your HT?

For the most part, higher frequencies escape through air gaps (ductwork, door frames, windows.. etc). While bass frequencies are transmitted through solid objects via vibration (walls, floors, etc) and are much harder to contain.

Not that bricks wouldn't help, but IMO I think it's an example of people "over-obsessing" about soundproofing. You really have to weigh the cost and labor with the benefits... which, unless the home was constructed with soundproofing in mind from the get-go, will probably be minimal.

Living with a little bass rumble in the kitchen on occasion isn't that terrible.

Personally, I would just insulate heavily with fiberglass and maybe use some steel isolation channels behind the drywall. For me, getting the sound right inside the room is more important.