Soundproofing America

Soundproofing your boat

2013-08-10T14:59:00.000-07:00

Soundproofing a boat can be a relatively simple project if you are willing to follow a few careful steps. If your water craft has a stern forward in board engine, then what you need to look at are the engine hatch and the hull walls and spars.

The premiere product used for boat soundproofing is what we call America Mat closed cell foam. America mat is PVC-NBR foam that acts as both a blocking agent as well as an absorber. This combination is exactly what you want to soundproof your boat.

Your first priority is to treat the underside of the engine hatch by adhering the America mat to the underneath surface of the hatch. The best thickness for this application is the 1” thick America mat. America Mat is a flat black smooth surfaced foam that will be glued to the underside of the hatch. You can use any type of waterproof adhesive, but we recommend the 3-M77 or 3-M80 spray contact cements. The first step for installing the America Mat is to cut it to fit perfectly into the cavity on the underside of the engine hatch. When cutting the America mat we strongly suggest using a electric meat cutting knife, you know the kind your mother used back in the 1970’s and 80’s. These electric knives will cut the foam leaving a nice factory smooth edge and the knife can also make it easy to bevel or radius the edge of the foam to make the installation look professional. The America mat has been used extensively in Custom automobiles such as Ferrari’s and Lamborghini’s so you know it looks professional.

Once the America mat foam is cut to fit, you may want to tale san paper and rough up the underside of the engine hatch. Once you have scuffed the surface, it is time to apply the adhesive. First you will spray the underside of the hatch as stated on the can and also spray the side of the foam that will be glued down. Let both pieces set apart as long as the can states and then carefully adhere the 2 pieces together and press firmly. I recommend that you allow the adhesive to cure over night before replacing the hatch back over the engine compartment.

Just this simply project will help to dramatically reduce the noise that would normally be transmitter to the deck surface. It is a good idea to adhere the America mat foam to the inside surface of the boat hull especially if the engine compartment does not have a wet bilge.

This step is imperative if you have living quarters below deck. Treating the bulkheads with the 1” America mat can mean the difference between a restful night’s sleep and a night of tossing and turning.

To learn more about soundproofing your boat, call one of the Pros at Soundproofing America, Inc. You’ll be glad you did. This is Dr. Bob, Adios!

Soundproofing with Mass Loaded Vinyl

2013-08-09T13:07:00.000-07:00

I have written a lot of articles on Mass loaded Vinyl because it is a very

versatile and effective soundproofing agent. Mass Loaded Vinyl or (MLV for short)

is a high grade vinyl that is impregnated with Barium salts and silica

(sand) to give it the consistency and the mass of lead sheeting, however MLV contains absolutely no lead at all.

Mass Loaded vinyl perform best when it able to move or resonate with the

sound. In other words, when sound hits a MLV membrane, it vibrates the vinyl

which in turn prevents the sound from passing through the vinyl. With that in

mind, it is always best to install mass loaded vinyl directly to bare studs

or joists, that way the MLV is able to resonate with the sound that is trying

to pass through a wall or ceiling assembly.

It is always a good idea to install mass loaded vinyl during the

construction phase of a new home, office or room addition. By installing the

MLV directly to the new structure you are insuring great room to room

soundproofing for the life of your home.

Most contractors don't think about soundproofing until it is too late and

they are being sued by new owners who are experiencing noise issues in their

new house, condo or co-op.

The uses for mass loaded vinyl are endless, it has been used to soundproof

homes, and offices as well as automobiles and aircraft. It is also used

extensively to soundproof fences from noisy neighbors or loud traffic noise.

With new city sound ordinances being enacted almost daily, soundproofing is

becoming a very big issue.

Many people are now living in smaller multifamily units such as condos,

duplexes and apartments where sound can hit you from above, below and all

around you. Soundproofing is becoming an essential part of any new

construction or new renovation project.

Mass Loaded Vinyl has been an industry standard for over 20 years and it is

one of the best and most economical soundproofing agents on the market today.

The American mass loaded vinyl is used in many recording studio and home

theater applications to prevent the unwanted sounds from migrating to other

parts of the house or industrial space.

Again I would like to say that the uses for this material are nearly

endless. Mass loaded vinyl has been used in large concert and theater venues

as well as indoor and outdoor sports areas.

Many nite clubs and bars have used mass loaded vinyl to keep the noise of

live bands or live DJ's from leaving the club and reaching the ears of nearby

neighbors.

Mass Loaded vinyl has been used in wood fence construction and has proven to

be quite effective at blocking unwanted neighbor noise as well as loud and

annoying traffic sounds.

To learn more about this or any of our other Soundproofing or Acoustical treatment products, please feel free to contact one of the Soundproofing

pros at Soundproofing America, Inc, you'll be glad you did. This is Dr.Bob

Adios!

Soundproofing your windows

2013-08-09T13:03:00.001-07:00

If you are having sound issues in your home, office, or studio, especially

from intrusive outdoor noise, the weak link in the chain is usually your

windows. Standard window glass, even double pane windows actually do very

little to reduce loud outdoor noise from invading your home. Standard window

glass just doesn't have the mass needed to provide adequate soundproofing in

today’s loud and noisy world.

So what can you do to stop unwanted noise from entering your space? You can

always replace your windows with soundproof windows from manufacturers such

as Mil-gard or Sound Guard, but that can BE a little pricy. There are other

more cost effective ways to soundproof your existing windows.

There are window inserts which are quite effective at blocking traffic noise

and other irritating noises. A window insert is a made of a window grade acrylic that connects to the frame of your window (generally on a magnetic

track system). The window inserts can add as much as a 32 dB reduction of the

sounds coming through the existing window from the outdoors. The Climate

Seal Acoustic Series window insert is one such soundproof window insert from Soundproofing

America, Inc.. These inserts are very easy to install and can be done by any

do-it-yourself-er. The Climate Seal window inserts do not open and close, but

they easily detach from their magnetic track in the event that you would want

to open your window. Climate Seal windows are a clear window grade acrylic

that will maintain it's clear view for many years to come. They will provide

up to 30- 32 STC depending on the quality if your existing windows.

No matter what type of window you are dealing with, sealing the window with

an acoustical caulk can help block out the noise that can be transmitted from

between the glass and the window frame itself. Sealing the window panes is

key to reducing the transmission of sound through any common window.

The last treatment I would like to discuss is the infamous window plug. Many

times people are willing to sacrifice the light that a window provides in

order to get some soundproofing. That's where the window plug comes in handy.a window plug is made from a closed cell vinyl nitrile foam mat that is

generally at least 2" thick.

Here's a simple explanation on how to build yourself a window plug. You need

to find a specific closed cell foam mat. One such mat is called America mat.

America mat in the 2" version is perfect for constructing your window plug.

Now let's say that the window you wish to soundproof is 3' X 4' you would cut

the foam to 3' 1" X 4' 1" that way you will have 1/2" around the entire

perimeter of the foam plug that will make the foam plug fit tightly into the

window frame much like a cork in a bottle. Now this extra 1/2" of foam may

need to be trimmed down so that the foam will actually fit tightly into the

window frame. The best way to cut this foam is by using a common electric

kitchen knife much like those used in the late 1970's and early 1980's. They

can still be found at Wal-Mart or K-Mart. The electric knife cuts the foam

leaving a nice smooth almost factory edge on the foam and that makes it

easire to trim down to fit tightly into the window frame.

Once the foam is cut to fit tightly into the window frame, you will need to

glue the foam to a backing board, something like wood paneling or luaan. The

backing board needs to hold the foam taut so that it will not roll up when it

is placed into the window frame. Placing a couple of kitchen cabinet handles

on the backer board will make for easy installation and removal of the plug.

One note, it is not recommended that you leave the plug installed in the

window during daylight hours. The sun will heat up the cavity between the

foam and the glass panes and could actually crack the glass. Just keep that

in mind if you decide that the window plugs are right for you.

The products mentioned are all available online through www.

soundproofingamerica.us

Thanks for reading about how to soundproof your window This is Bob Orther,

make it a quiet one!

Soundproofing a wood or tile floor

2013-08-09T12:44:00.000-07:00

This is a question we get quite often here at Soundproofing America, How do I soundproof a wood or tile floor to stop the transmission of sound to the people below. This is a very common issue in condos, co-op and apartments. Generally with a condo or co-op there are regulations called CC&R’s for which govern the amount of noise that can be transmitted from one floor to another. A very big concern with condo associations is the amount of impact or foot traffic noise which is transmitted through a wood or tile floor and down to the neighbors below.

In most condo or apartment situations, the upper units have installed carpet and padding. The reason for this is that these materials are soft and absorbent and will stop most the of the harsh foot fall noise that would otherwise transmit through a wood or tile surfaced floor.

So, what do you do if you live in an upper unit condo or apartment and you want to put in a wood or tile floor? Well I’m glad you asked. There are very effective floor underlayment’s which can be installed directly over top of your clean bare sub floor. Generally these soundproof floor underlay’s are made of high grade recycled rubber (basically recycled car tires) For some scientific reason, recycled rubber is quite effective at blocking unwanted foot fall noises from being transmitted through an normal wood structure floor assembly.

When looking at a soundproof floor underlay you will need to be concerned about 2 numbers or ratings. The first rating is the STC rating which stands for (Sound Transmission Class) this number refers to the amount of airborne sound that will be transmitted through your floor assembly. Sounds like TV’s telephones, stereos etc. These noises are much easier to combat than the Impact or foot fall noises that can be transmitted through a floor ceiling assembly.

The second and more important rating is the IIC rating which stands for (Impact Isolation Coefficient) this number tells you how effective a floor underlay product is a stopping foot fall noise from being transmitted through a floor ceiling assembly. The IIC number is the number that most condo and apartment associations are most concerned about. They want to keep the downstairs neighbors happy.

Now when looking for a high quality soundproof floor underlay you will need to consider the complete floor ceiling assembly. In other words what is in your assembly? Is there insulation between the joists? Is the ceiling down below floated on resilient channels or sound clips? Is the ceiling below 5/8” or thicker drywall? All of these factors added up give you the complete picture when you are looking for the highest STC and IIC numbers.

One good example of an effective floor underlayment is our American Impact Standard soundproof floor underlay. This material is a 3/8” thick recycled rubber that comes in rolls that are 4’ wide X 25’ long. It has one of the highest STC and IIC rating of any soundproof floor underlay on the market today. It is the product we recommend most for both efficiency and cost effectiveness.

Now let’s talk about the installation of the American Impact Standard. First of all we recommend cleaning the bare sub floor thoroughly before beginning the installation application. Once the floor is cleaned we strongly recommend applying a rubber to sub floor adhesive. One of the best is the DA-5 subfloor adhesive. This product comes in a 5 gallon can and is applied directly to your wood or concrete sub floor using a 3/16” notched trowel. After you have applied the DA-5 adhesive, you will then roll out the American Impact Standard directly over top of the applied adhesive. You want the Impact Standard to cover the floor from wall to wall. If you are able to get this product up under the base boards, that would be great, but if not bring the underlay as close to the baseboard as possible. As you roll the Impact Standard out onto your floor, make sure that you butt all seams together tightly. It is a good idea to lay down a bead of acoustical caulk to the edge of the Impact Standard before you roll out the next roll, this will insure that this product is sealed at the butted seams. The next step would be to caulk around the perimeter of the soundproof floor underlay, this will help to block the airborne sounds from escaping to the floor below and visa versa.

Hey we’re almost finished. The next step is to lay down your wood or tile floor. One quick note, if your wood floor is a nail down wood floor you will need to glue a backer board directly over top of the Impact Standard so you have something to nail the nails into besides the rubber membrane. If you are putting down a snap together or an engineered wood floor then you can do so directly over top of the Impact Standard underlayment.

That’s basically the entire procedure for soundproofing a wood or tiles floor. Keep in mind that if you are planning to install a marble floor we do recommend using a backer board to prevent the marble from shifting or cracking. This is simply a recommendation; many of our customers install their marble floors directly over top of the American Impact Standard underlay.

Take a look at all of our soundproof floor underlay’s such as the Impactless brand for carpet and pad applications as well as the Impact Standard and the Impact Pro recycled rubber underlayment’s. I hope this has been helpful. Before installing any new floor in an upper floor apartment or a condo, check with your association to see what requirements they have set forth for installing a hard surface floor in an upper unit. This is Dr. Bob, Bye for now.

Soundproofing an upstairs floor using Impactless

2013-08-09T12:40:00.000-07:00

Let’s talk about soundproofing an upper floor when you are on a budget. Soundproofing any hard surface floor can be time consuming and sometimes expensive, but if you use your head when purchasing floor soundproofing agents you can save a lot of money and time.

The floor underlayment we will be talking about is called Impactless. Impactless is a lighter weight recycled rubber product that can be sued effectively under carpet and padded floors as well as hardwood and tiles floors. To get the same results as the more costly underlay’s there are some rules that need to be adhered to carefully. For a carpet and pad installation you would simply place the Impactless floor underlay directly atop of a thoroughly cleaned wood or concrete sub floor. It is a good idea to glue this material to the floor using a common sub floor adhesive that can be found at any Home Depot or Lowe’s.

It is not essential to glue this material to the sub floor but gluing it does help with the soundproofing characteristics of this material. Now there are 2 sides of the Impactless underlayment product, 1 side is a rubber faced side and that other is a white scrim faced side. When installing carpet and pad, you want the white scrims facing to face upwards. The scrim face gives you a smooth surface in which to glue the carpet pad directly to the Impactless material.

After you have rolled out the Impactless floor underlay, you would then caulk all of the seams as well as the perimeter of the rubber membrane with an acoustical caulk that you will purchase with your Impactless package. The acoustical caulk seals the membrane at the seams as well as sealing the outer perimeter of the membrane. After the Impactless is sealed you will spot glue the carper padding directly to the white scrim facing if the Impactless.

We’re almost done now! The last step is to nail down the new carpet tack strips (nail board that the carpet stretches too) right through the padding and the Impactless and directly into the sub floor. Once the tack stripe and nailed into place simply install the new carpet, stretching it tightly to the tack strips. That’s it, you have just installed an economically and very effective soundproof flooring assembly. For more tips on how to soundproof a floor, call the professional at Soundproofing America, they’re here to help. This is Dr. Bob, Adios.

Commercial and Industrial Soundproofing

2013-08-09T12:36:00.001-07:00

Commercial and industrial soundproofing offers a unique set of challenges. As a

general rule the areas to be soundproofed are larger and more open. For example, if you are soundproofing a metal crushing machine in a factory setting, you need to deal with the high ceilings and open spaces. If you plan to construct an enclosure around the machine, many times that enclosure will

be free standing on at least 2 legs. Also you will want to construct walls

that are a minimum of 8' tall, the higher the walls of the enclosure the

better the soundproofing will be. The enclosure will need a gateway or a door

where workers will be able to work with the machine as well as maintain it.

If the machine is in a corner, that makes building the enclosure much easier

because you would only need to construct 2 soundproof walls for an enclosure.

It is always best to construct an enclosure much the same as building a room

around the machine. In other words using metal studs and constructing solid

walls that will contain soundproofing agents such as American mass loaded

vinyl or the America Mat closed cell foam ma, maybe a combination of both

materials.

The mass loaded vinyl (MLV for short would be screwed to the stud structure

using self taping drywall screws with washers on them. It is recommended that

the MLV be installed horizontally across the studs and that the seams be over

lapped by at least 1 inch. You will need to caulk all of the seams as well as

the over lap and around the entire perimeter of the vinyl membrane.

Once the MLV is installed and sealed with the caulk, you have the option of gluing a layer of the 1/2" or the 1" closed cell foam mat directly to the

back of the MLV membrane.

Now the America mat will help, but is not essential to obtain good soundproofing from this system. Once the MLV and the closed cell foam are installed onto the stud framework

it is time to drywall both sides of the wall assembly. I would recommend using 5/8" drywall on both sides of the wall to add additional mass and

therefore additional soundproofing to the enclosure.

Finally, when you install your door, you will want to install a solid core door which will help to block the noise from escaping through the door.

Well that's about it for soundproofing machinery in an Industrial

application. I will be writing more on other commercial soundproofing

projects in later articles. This is Dr. Bob...Adios!

Soundproofing a drop ceiling

2013-08-09T12:33:00.001-07:00

Soundproofing a drop ceiling or a t bar ceiling is not nearly as difficult as it may seem. The first of order of business is to see how many ceiling tiles you actually have in your acoustical ceiling assembly. Are they 2’ X 2’ or 2’ X 4’? All of these factors are important when calculation the amount of soundproofing material you will need to get the job done.

Today we are going to use a simple method called the Fibraboard method. What is Fibraboard you may ask? Fibraboard is a bonded cotton based material that is compressed into a board like material. In the world of soundproofing and acoustical treatment material, cotton is one of the most efficient and cost effective materials on the market today.

To soundproof our drop ceiling, we are going to first bring down all of the individual ceiling tiles. Once you have removed all of the tiles and you now have them stacked up, you are going to be soundproofing these acoustic tiles using a product called Fibraboard. The bonded cotton Fibraboard will be spot glued to the backside of each of the acoustical ceiling tiles. We then recommend that you stack the ceiling tiles one on top of another and let them dry all night.

The next day it’s time to re-install the treated acoustical tiles back onto the ceiling grid. It is a good idea to put a small bead of acoustical caulk on the inside of the T bar in order to seal the tiles into the grid. This is not an essential step, but it does help seal the grid ceiling assembly.

Now that you have your ceiling tiles back in place, do a sound check using a boom box or a loud stereo to see just how effective your new drop ceiling really is. The above application works for any drop type acoustical ceiling. This method is used extensively in doctors and psychologists ‘offices, not to mention dentist’s offices and massage therapy rooms and spas. The Fibraboard is an amazing product.

For more information on how to soundproof a T-Bar ceiling, call one of the professionals at Soundproofing America, Inc. This is Dr. Bob, Adios.

Soundproofing a ceiling that has recessed lights

2013-08-02T18:38:00.002-07:00

As promised, I am going to talk about how to deal with recessed (canned) lighting systems when soundproofing a ceiling. First let me start by saying that I always discourage using any kind of canned lighting system when soundproofing a ceiling. Basically canned light are a hole in your ceiling, pretty much like a screen door in a submarine. That being said, there are ways to soundproof a ceiling and still retain your canned lights.

If you are planning to float your ceiling on sound clips and furring channels, then it would be best to construct drywall boxes and line them with the America mat closed cell foam. These boxes can be made of other materials besides drywall, but they need to completely surround the recessed light can from above,. The 1” America mat will both block and absorb the noise that would normally pass right through the canned light assembly. This is a very effective method for isolating the recessed light assembly so it is unable to transmit sound through the can. The America mat is extremely flame retardant and will resist the heat of the canned light units.

The box method is very effective but it can be cumbersome when it is installed on top of the floated drywall. There is another effective method that can be used to block the transmission of sound through canned lights and that is the use if the America Mat alone. I would recommend taking a piece of the ½” thick America mat and completely wrapping the canned light in it covering the sides and the back of the light assembly. The newer recessed lights are what we call self ventilating so they vent from the front of the light. Wrapping the entire can so that the foam fits tightly where the can of the lights meets the drywall will prove to be quite effective and blocking the sound in both directions. One quick little tip, take some silicone caulk on your finger and swirl a little bit of the caulk around the circumference of the decorative trim piece that fits onto the surface of the drywall. This will help to better seal the canned light can and will prevent the transmission of sound. Well that’s if for soundproofing recessed lights and a soundproofed ceiling. If you have any questions or comments, please post them on this forum or call one of the pros at soundproofing America @ (877) 530-0139. This is Dr. Bob, Adios!

www.soundproofingamerica.us

www.soundproofingamerica.com

PH (877) 530-0139

Soundproofing a food or catering truck

2013-08-02T18:12:00.001-07:00

Generally when dealing with any type of food or beverage vehicle the owner is always concerned about the welfare of his clientele. One of the worst hazards of a food service vehicle is the loud and obnoxious generator unit. Yet a portable gen set is essential for electricity that powers the fryers and other food preparation devices. As a general rule most portable generators are either diesel or gas powered and have an annoying exhaust system.

How do you deal with these noisy generators? The best way is to construct a generator enclosure that will completely cover the gen set and will reduce the noise while the truck is parked and helping customers. When designing your generator enclosure, be sure that you allow for proper ventilation of the unit itself. Improper ventilation could do damage to the gen set and will void any warranties it may have.

Your enclosure can be built from any weather resistant material such as treated wood, or aluminum, other metal or even plastic. Once you have decided on an enclosure for the generator and you have made sure that the generator will have proper ventilation, you will want to line the inside of the box enclosure with a product we call America Mat. America Mat is a closed cell foam that works as both a blocking agent as well as an absorber. This mat is to be cut to fit the 4 sides of the enclosure as well as the top on the inside of the box. Generally the bottom of the enclosure will be left open for ventilation of the unit. It may be necessary to incorporate a small computer type of fan on the enclosure to assure proper generator ventilation. Now as far as the exhaust noise and breathability, it is a good idea to add a duct from the exhaust port of the enclosure that directs the exhaust and the noise away from the vehicle and its patrons. Now that you have addressed everything from the exhaust ducting to the ventilation of the gen set, it’s time to test out the enclosure. Place it over top of the generator leaving enough space for the unit to breathe properly and for the exhaust to be duct ed away from the enclosure. An effective ducting is the foil type of duct used for dryers to duct off the hot air. That being said, you have now soundproofed your food service truck and both you and your customers will be very happy campers.

Lastly, if your vehicle already has an enclosure built onto the truck, all you will need to do is add the 1” thick America mat to the inside of the enclosure and you will be good to go. Remember, if you have a service door for the gen set that will also need to be treated with the America mat closed cell foam. Well that about covers it. If you have more questions about soundproofing a food service vehicle, don’t hesitate to call the pros at Soundproofing America at (877) 530-0139. That’s it for now, this is Dr. Bob, Adios!

www.soundproofingamerica.us

www.soundproofingamerica.com

PH (877) 530-0139

Mass Loaded Vinyl

2013-04-23T14:49:00.002-07:00

Mass Loaded Vinyl (MLV for short) is one of the industry standards for soundproofing. MLV is used to soundproof wall, ceiling and floors. In essence Mass Loaded Vinyl is a high grade vinyl that is impregnates with barium and silica to give it mass. It was designed to emulate lead sheeting bit without the hazards of dealing with lead sheeting. MLV is used for residential as well as Industrial and commercial applications. It is a very weatherproof material so it can be used in most outdoor situations.

Installing MLV is not rocket science, but there are some rules to follow so that the vinyl performs to it’s optimum ability. For example, if you are going to soundproof a wall using the MLV then it is best to remove the existing drywall and then install the Vinyl directly to the wall studs., Basically you would staple the MLV right to the face of the studwork much like a vapor barrier on a bathroom wall. You can also use an air drive nail gun that shoots the roofing nails with the large plastic heads. Keep in mind that for the most part Mass Loaded Vinyl is not a reinforced product. You can buy reinforced MLV but it is nearly double the cost of the non-reinforced product. I don’t feel that it is worth the additional cost in most soundproofing applications.

You will be stapling the MLV directly to the studs, overlapping the seams by at least 1inch. You will need to caulk all seams using an acoustical caulking compound. It is also recommended that you caulk the perimeter of the installed MLV membrane. The key to getting the most bang for the buck from MLV is to make sure that it is properly sealed. Sealing is vital to any soundproofing endeavor. Now if you overlap the MLV directly over a stud, you will have a hump there , you’ll want to flatten that out the bump using a hammer. Simply flatten out the vinyl overlap so that the new layer of drywall will lay flush on the studs. I always recommend bringing the MLV all the way to the floor and then caulking the seam where the MLV meets the floor. This will insure a good seal of the MLV membrane.

Now that you have the MLV installed and properly sealed, it is time for the drywall to be installed. You can use one of the soundproof drywalls such as the Sound Break XP or you can simply install a later of quality 5/8” fire code drywall. It is a great idea to butter the edges of the drywall with caulk so that you guarantee and excellent seal. Well there you have it. Mass Loaded Vinyl is a simple and quite effective soundproofing agent. This is Dr. Bob, Adios!

www.soundproofingamerica.com
www.soundproofingamerica.us
e-mail bob@soundproofingamerica.com
PH (877) 530-0139

Soundproofing, soundproof, mass loaded vinyl, sound absorption, soundproof foam, acoustical treatment, Green Glue, noise control, Soundproof doors, recording studio windows, recording studio doors, sound isolation, home theater soundproofing, industrial soundproofing, home soundproofing, Ultra touch insulation, sound barrier, wall soundproofing, floor soundproofing, soundproof ceiling soundproofing a fence, soundproofing and aircraft, RV soundproofing, acoustical caulk, soundproofing your car. Soundproof flooring, basement soundproofing, Green Glue,

Green Glue soundproofing compound

2013-04-19T15:50:00.002-07:00

There are tons of articles and posts regarding the use of Green Glue to soundproof walls, ceilings, and floors. We have had experience using the Green Glue for over 5 years now. Green Glue is a Visco Elastic Damping Compound that is used in conjunction with multiple layers of wallboard, In essence, the Green Glue applied between 2 layers of drywall will damp both layers of drywall (remover the resonant frequency of the drywall) or the ability of the drywall to vibrate and thus transmit sound.

Normal drywall and even the soundproof drywall still can have a tendency to transmit sound. The Green Glue is an excellent retrofit soundproofing agent. In other words, if you already have drywall up on your walls and wish to soundproof the wall, you don’t have to remove the existing drywall. All you would need to do is apply the Green Glue to a new layer of drywall and once the Green Glue is applied, simply screw the drywall over top of your existing drywall with the Green Glue sandwiched between the 2 layers of drywall.

Basically, you would place a layer of quality 5/8” drywall onto saw horses and then take a tube of the Green Glue and cut the tio of the tube to give you a ¼” round bead. Then simply shoot the drywall from the Green Glue tube using and ‘S’ pattern, back an forth, The ‘S’s would be about ½: apart. You will need to apply 2 full tubes to each layer of 4’ X 8’ drywall. Once you have 2 tubes applied with the ¼” bead, you will leave the Green Glue with the bead you do not want to trowel of smooth it out. It’s visco elastic properties will allow the GG to spread out evenly and completely dame both layers of drywall.

I always recommend using at least 2 tubes of Green Glue for each 4’ X 8’ sheet of drywall and I always recommend using the 5/8: drywall in most applications.

Before applying the new layer of drywall to your existing wall you will need to move and electrical outlets or light switches out about 5/8” or so to accommodate the new layer of drywall. We also recommend that your seal up all electrical outlets and light switches using the Nielson Fire stop putty pads. This will seal the electrical outlets and switches and prevent the sound from transmitting through these open areas. You also may want to put a small bead of silicone caulk around the perimeter of the light switch cover as well as the electrical outlet cover. Once all the electrical has been repositioned and the boxes sealed with the putty pads, it is time to install the Green Glue laden drywall. You will still use drywall screws to affix this new layer of drywall. The Green Glue compound will be sandwiched between the 2 layers of drywall. Make sure to bring the drywall screw down tightly to force the Green Glue into both layers of drywall. Using the Green Glue method will give you instant soundproofing when first applied, but give the glue 30 complete days to completely cure before judging your results There you have it. Green Glue for eadsy and effective Soundproofing. This is Dr. Bob, Adios!

www.soundproofingamerica.com
www.soundproofingamerica.us
e-mail bob@soundproofingamerica.com
PH (877) 530-0139

Basement Soundproofing

2013-04-19T14:37:00.001-07:00

There are a variety of reasons for soundproofing your basement. Many times a home owner wants to renovate the basement so they can rent it out to potential tenants. Sometimes they just want to build a recreation area in the basement with perhaps a home theater and other entertainment facility and they want to keep the noise in the basement and not have it travel up the floors above.

Whatever the reason is that you would like to soundproof your basement, here are some pointers and methods for keeping the sound from transmitting between floors and for stopping the foot fall traffic above from being transmitted to the basement area.

One of the major problems you will come across when dealing with a basement soundproofing project is low floor to ceiling heights. Sometimes this precludes you from floating the ceiling on Sound Clips and furring channels, If you have typical 8’ or higher ceilings in your basement, then all of the soundproofing options are open to you. Many times when building out a basement people want to install recessed lighting in the ceiling. I generally discourage people from using recessed lighting in a ceiling because they are a serious breach in the soundproofing effort. That being said, that are a multitude of ways to soundproof the canned lights and still maintain the acoustical properties of the ceiling assembly. We will discuss soundproofing recessed lighting in a subsequent post.

The ceiling is where you want to start when soundproofing a basement. You can either do your soundproofing from below or put down a soundproof floor underlayment above and soundproof your upper floor at the source. The recycled rubber floor underlayments that we carry at Soundproofing America, Inc would be perfect in this application.

Let’s get to work on the basement ceiling. I am assuming that there is no drywall on the basement ceiling so we will be working with bare joists and studs on the walls and ceiling. In the joist cavity of your ceiling assembly it is recommended that you add a sound absorbing insulation that will friction fit in the cavity and will be positioned right up against the sub floor above Some Great insulations are Rockwool (Roxul safe and Sound or Roxul AFB are both good choices) You also have the option of using the recycled bonded cotton called (Ultra Touch), Either one of these product will offer great sound absorption in the joist and wall cavities. The joist cavities will be deeper than one layer of the R-19 sound insulation would fill. You would simply fill the rest of the cavity with standard fiberglass insulation (the pink stuff will work).

Once the cavities are filled with the sound absorbing insulations we will be stapling up a layer of the 1% per sq ft mass loaded vinyl. (MLV for short) MLV is a high grade vinyl that is impregnated with barium and silica to give it mass. It was designed to emulate lead sheeting. It has all of the characteristics of lead but it contains no lead whatsoever. MLV comes in rolls that are 4’ X 25’ long or 4.5’ X 30’ long. It is no picnic attaching this to a ceiling, but you can always cut the vinyl into more manageable lengths. You will still need at least 2 people to install the MLV to your ceiling. Using an air drive stapler or nail gun, you would staple the MLV directly to the face of the joists, overlapping the seams by about 1” and then caulking the over lap as well as the perimeter of the MLV membrane.

Now that you have the MLV attached to the ceiling and properly sealed with the acoustical caulk, you come to a crossroads. If you have 8’ or higher floor to ceiling joists, then you can float a new ceiling using Sound Clips and metal furring channels. Sound clips are a device that is used to completely isolate a ceiling from the joist structure above. We will be talking about floating your ceiling is later posts. It takes a lot of time to explain the floated ceiling concept in one post.

The next option would be to add 2 layers of quality 5/8” drywall (good brands are National and US gypsum), You would basically screw up the first layer of drywall directly over the MLV membrane making sure to screw into the joist only. You only want to perforate the MLV where it is on the joist itself. Putting unnecessary punctures in the center of the membrane degrades the amount of soundproofing you will obtain. Once the first layer of drywall is up on the ceiling, I would recommend that you place the second layer of 5/8” drywall onto aw horses and apply a damping compound that we call Green Glue directly to the surface of the new drywall where it will mate with the first layer of drywall that is already installed on the ceiling. The Green Glue comes in 29oz caulk tubes. You would cut the tip for a ¼” bead and then shoot it out onto the drywall in an “S” pattern. The distance between the “S” would be about ½” apart. You will need to apply 2 full tubes of Green Glue for each 4’ X 8’ sheet of drywall. Leave the Green glue in the ¼” bead, do not trowel it out or spread it out. When you screw the new layer over top of the existing layer of drywall, the Green Glue will automatically spread out evenly. That is a characteristic of a visco elastic compound. In essence, the Green Glue will damp both layers of drywall and thus will remove the Drywall’s ability to transmit sound, It is not 100% effective but the Green Glue with 2 layers of drywall can add up to 35-38 STC points to any ceiling. Basically that equated to a 35-38 Decibel reduction of sound through the ceiling.

Dealing with the walls is not as critical as the ceiling, but if you need to block noise from one room to another, it is recommended that you add the sound absorbing insulation to the open walls and perhaps installing a layer of the MLV prior to installing the drywall.

I have pretty much described to you exactly what needs to be done to soundproof a basement. I could not get into doors and windows in the basement but we will cover those areas later. Thanks for reading and learning about soundproofing your basement. This is Dr. Bob, Adios!

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PH (877) 530-0139

Soundproofing your Vehicle

2013-04-18T16:06:00.004-07:00

Soundproofing your vehicle doesn’t really have to be a daunting task. What you want to look for are the hot spots where sound is able to penetrate into your ride. One of the biggest culprits when it comes to the transmission of both engine and road noise is the hood of the Vehicle. Generally there is some sort of fiber pad underneath the hood and most people assume that this is soundproofing. Actually is si there to reduce the heat transfer from the engine to the metal hood and damaging the paint. This fibrous material does nothing for soundproofing. The hood on most vehicles are notorious for transmitting road noise from the struts or shock as well as engine noise. We will discussing how to stop both the transmission of noise and head through the hood of your vehicle.

America Mat is a very heat resistant foam that will withstand temperatures in excess of 240 Deg F. The rolls of America Mat comes 4’ wide X up to 70’ long. Basically for standard hood for a car or truck or SUV you should not need a piece larger than 5’ X 4’. The best way to cut the America mat to give your vehicle a professional look is to use an electric meat cutting knife. This will allow you to contour the cut of the foam and will give the foam a nice factory edge cut. The knife also allows you to make a radiused cut for the corners of the foam. Whenever cutting any foam mat we always recommend using an electric carving knife.

Now that you have cut the America mat to fit under the hood, it is recommended that you remove the hood from the car in order to properly clean the underside and to get the absolute best adhesion possible of the foam to the hood. The first order of business would be to remove the fibrous mat that was put under the hood by the factory. Next you will want to clean the hood thoroughly It is good to use a de-greaser and then to clean the entire underside of the hood with pure rubbing alcohol. Allow the surface of the hood to dry then apply spray contact cement to both the America mat as well as to the underside of the hood. Let the material sit apart as long as the can states and then mate the two pieces together. With contact cement you don’t have a lot of wiggle room so make sure you lay the foam in the exact position you want the first time. I would suggest that you lay something heavy over top of the foam to insure proper adhesion to the underside of the hood. Let the hood sit over night and then re-install the hood the next day. You will be surprised at just how much noise is mitigated by adding the 1” America mat to the underside of your hood.

The next step in soundproofing your vehicle is working on soundproofing the floor boards. This will require removal of the carpet or vinyl kit from the floor of the vehicle. You will clean the floor board are in the same manner that you cleaned the underside of the hood. The De-greaser is probably unnecessary, but a good alcohol wipe down is important. Now that your have the metal floor cleaned, you will want to install a mass loaded vinyl material with closed cell foam backing directly to the floor of the vehicle. Mass Loaded vinyl is a high grade vinyl that is impregnated with barium and silica to give it mass. The closed cell foam backing de-couples the MLV from the actual metal floor boards. It is recommended that you either spot glue the foam facing to the floor of the vehicle or you could full strength glue the foam backed vinyl to the floor. You also have the option of not gluing it at all. This would make the foam backed barrier a floated mass layer. I do strongly recommend that you caulk around the perimeter of the foam backed barrier for help seal it to the floor at the seams and edges. Once you have the MLV composite installed, it is time to re-install your carpet kit. This is a job the can be done by a do it yourself enthusiast or you can have a local upholstery shop install it for you.

Lastly we need to focus on the doors. I recommend using the ½” America mat foam in the door panels. You would glue the foam to the outer door panel and also to the back of the decorative interior panels. Make sure you have plenty of space so as to not interfere with the window and the door opening mechanisms. You want to cover as much of the metal outer door area as possible so make sure you jave plenty of ½” America mat closed cell foam.

Soundproofing the trunk of a car would pretty much follow the same procedures as soundproofing the door panels, I hop this narrative has been helpful to you. Believe me this is a project that you can do on your own if you are hand and have a minimum amount of skill and knowledge of you Vehicle. This is Dr. Bob, Adios!

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Soundproof Flooring

2013-04-18T14:13:00.001-07:00

With the number of Condos, apartment and other multi family buildings, the need for effective floor soundproofing is imperative. If you have ever lived in a lower unit in a condo or apartment complex where the people upstairs have a wood or tiles floor with no soundproofing, you know that is is a living Hell. I deal with these issues on a daily basis. There are many effective soundproof floor underlayment’s such as dense recycled rubber membranes, or mass loaded vinyl with the foam backing for decoupling. The recycled rubber products are the most widely used. One such product is called American Impact Standard, This is a 3/8” thick recycled robber membrane that comes in a 4’ X 25’ roll. This product would be rolled out onto your subfloor wall to wall. It is suggested that you glue this material directly to the subfloor using an specialized adhesive designed for adhering rubber to wood or concrete. Once the Impact Standard is rolled out over the adhesive you would butt the seams together and then caulk the seams with an acoustical caulk. It is recommended that you also caulk the perimeter of the membrane with the same caulking compound. Now that you have got the Impact Standard Installed, you can then install any type of floor you would like over top of the membrane. Keep in mind that if you are installing a nail down wood floor, you will need to glue down a backing board over top of the Impact Standard so you have something to nail into when installing the wood flooring. It is also recommended that you install a backing board for a ceramic floor. This would make sure that you have a stable platform for the tile to prevent the tile or the grout from cracking.

The America Impact Standard is much more effective than standard cork underlayment’s. For more information on this or any of our soundproof floor underlayment’s please call or e-mail one of the Pro’s at Soundproofing America, Inc. This is Dr. Bob, Adios.

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Floating a wall or ceiling the poor man’s way

2013-04-17T18:32:00.000-07:00

There is a relatively easy and inexpensive way to get some great soundproofing especially if your home is under construction or is being completely remodeled. The soundproofing method I am about to discuss requires that the drywall be removed and you’re working with bare studs or joists/ There is a very versatile Sound Isolation tape that can be adhered directly to the face of the stud or joist. This Iso tape would be taped to the face of every stud or joist to give you isolation of the wallboard from the actuall joist or stud structure. The Iso tape ihas a PSA stick back and a smooth vinyl surface where you would screw the new drywall directly to the stud or joist. If you are floating a wall, you need to make sure that there is a small gap (approximately ¼”from the adjoining walls as well as isolation from the floor and ceiling. This small gap will be filled with an acoustical caulking compound or a combination of a backer rod and acoustical caulk to seal this joint completely. Now that you have isolated your wall and sealed the perimeter gap you would still tape mud and paint or texture the drywall as usual. Make sure you do not over mud the area of the caulked gap and always use the mesh drywall tape as opposed to the paper tape.

Well that’s it in a nutshell, a very easy and economical way to soundproof a wall or ceiling. This is a method that is effective during new construction, but if you are looking for more soundproofing for a home theater or a home recording studio, you will need to use more heavy duty soundproofing agents such as Mass Loaded Vinyl, Green Glue, Closed cell foam or soundproof drywall. I hope this post sheds a little light on soundproofing on a budget; This is Dr. Bob, Adios!

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Soundproof foams

2013-04-17T15:51:00.003-07:00

A lot of folks get soundproof foam confused with acoustical foams. I am going to explain the differences. The Soundproof foams such as our America mat foam is a closed cell foam, which means the foam has pours but the pours or cells are closed and therefore the sound would be both absorbed and blocked if you use this foam. When you are talking about an acoustical foam you are generally talking about an open celled foam where the sound is absorbed into the foam, but the foam has no ability to block sound or to soundproof anything. Open cell acoustical foam is used in studios to reduce the echo and reverberation in the live room. It stops the reflective sounds from bouncing off the walls floor and ceiling. The Closed cell foams do stop reflective sound to a degree both they are mostly designed to block sounds from getting out or coming in to any given area.

Closed cell foam are used is a wide variety of applications from Soundproofing water pipes in a wall to soundproofing a car or a boat or even and aircraft. The America mat closed cell foam is fire retardant and will withstand temperatures up to 260 deg Fahrenheit. America mat is used to soundproof generator compartments on motor homes of class C RV’s The America mat is also used in building applications such as stopping the sound transmission of recessed lighting in a ceiling assembly. It can also be used to line stud and joist cavities and will seal these cavities and isolate the cavity from the rest of the structure. In other words, if a stud cavity is lined with the America mat even in the ¼” variety it will seal off that cavity and add to the soundproofing by creating a sealed dead air space.

Lastly, the America mat closed cell foam in the 2” thick variety can be cut to fit into a window cavity and would act like a cork in a bottle to soundproof the window. If you would like to learn more about the America Mat closed cell foam, call the pro’s at Soundproofing America inc, they will be glad to help you. This is dr, Bob, Adios!

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Soundproofing a Wall

2013-04-16T15:58:00.000-07:00

Soundproofing a common wall is a relatively simple job that could be easily accomplished as a home DIY project. When soundproofing a wall you have to decide how in depth you wish to go. If you are willing to remover the existing drywall then you will get some remarkable soundproofing results. So your first task would be to remove the existing drywall. Once you have the wallboard removed, you would start by filling the open stud cavity with a sound batt insulation such as Rockwool (Roxul is a great brand) or you can use the bonded cotton insulation called Ultra touch. You will want to use at least an R-13 sound insulation. Once you have filled the cavity with the sound insulation you will then use a sound isolation tape that your will tape directly to the face of the wood studs. The isolation tape is going to provide sound isolation from the studs and the cavity from the new drywall layer. As soon as you have finished applying the Iso tape to the studs and any stud cross members, you would then staple or nail up a layer of the 1# per sq ft mass Loaded Vinyl (MLV for short) The MLV will staple directly to the studs with the staple penetrating both the MLV and the Isolation tape and attaching directly to the stud. We recommend that you overlap the seams of the MLV by at least 1” and then you would caulk the overlap as well as around the perimeter of the MLV membrane. As soon as you are confident that the MLV is sealed properly you would simply drywall over top of the vinyl with a layer of quality 5/8” fire code drywall. Remember to bring the MLV all the way to the floor and do the same with your layer of drywall. If there is a gap at the bottom of the MLV or drywall, sound will be able to transmit through the gap and essentially through the wall. Think of the sound like you would water and the soundproof wall as a Dam. You want your wall to be as water tight as Hoover Dam for the best soundproofing results. One detail that will help is to seal off any electrical outlets or light switches on this wall using our fire stop putty pads to seal off the electrical boxes. Many times electrical outlets and light switches are directly adjacent to your neighbors so if you neglect to seal these switches and outlets you are allowing sound to pass through the wall. Remember 1% of an air leak or a light leak equates to a 30% sound leak. Sealing the wall is imperative.

I hope this has been informative. If you have questions, please post then on this Blog. Thank you Bob O. Adios!

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e-mail bob@soundproofingamerica.com
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Soundproofing a ceiling in a condo or apartment

2013-04-16T13:09:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest soundproofing issues today is the transmission of both impact and airborne noises from an upper condo unit to the people below. This problem is becoming increasingly common due to people living in smaller multifamily units. It is by far the most common problem we deal with here at Soundproofing America, Inc.

To deal with this issue from below we are going to be discussing the most effective method for alleviating this problem. You will need to have a contractor do this work unless you are very handy with drywall and the demolition of a ceiling assembly. The first order of business would be to remove the drywall ceiling so you are able to get to the joist cavity above. Once you have the ceiling drywall removed we would recommend that you install a sound absorbing insulation such as Rockwool (Roxul AFB or Roxul Safe and sound are great brands) or if you want a Green product, the Ultra Touch bonded cotton insulation is a great product. Which even insulation you decide to purchase, you will want to get a minimum of R-19 insulation. The R-19 is generally 5 – 5 ½” thick so it will not completely fill your joist cavity. Friction fit the Rockwool or Ultra Touch into the cavities and up against the bottom of the subfloor above. Next you will want to fill the rest of the joist cavity with a standard fiberglass insulation. So that the insulation fills the entire cavity.

Now that the absorbing insulation has been installed , we recommend that you install a layer of the 1# per sq ft mass loaded vinyl as a membrane directly stapled to the face of the joists. Basically you would use an air drive stapler or even a nail gun that shoots the roofing nails with the large plastic heads. You will be attaching the mass loaded vinyl barrier to the underside face of the joist, overlapping the seams by at least 1 inch and then caulking the overlap as well as the perimeter of the membrane, Remember that sealing these materials is key to getting the ultimate in soundproofing.

The next step would be to install sound isolation clips directly through the MLV membrane and into the ceiling joists. The sound clips are approximately 3” ling and about 1” wide and have a rubber isolation grommet which islates the clips from the rest of the ceiling structure. When installing the clips it is recommended that you install one sound clips for every 4 sq ft. Positioning of the clips depends on if your joists are 16” on center or 24” on center, but for argument’s sake lets go with one clips for every 4 sq ft. We will provide you with detailed installation instructions for the sound isolation clips. Once the sound clips are screwed to the joist you will have several rows of sound clips. Each row will be fitted with a metal furring channel (often referred to as “Hat Channel” as it looks like a hat from the side). The metal hat channel is compressed by hand and will snap fit into the sound clip. It is recommended that you use 25 gauge 7/8” tall hat channels. These channels work best in this application. Now that the sound clips and furring channels have been installed you will have numerous rows of channel which is where you will screw in the first layer of 5/8” drywall. You can use a soundproof drywall such as Quiet Rock or Suppress, but it is not necessary and the cost may be prohibitive. For this application we will be using a good quality 5/8” drywall. You will use self tapping drywall screws to attach the drywall directly to the metal furring channels. The drywall will be screwed directly into the furring channel so that you awill be completely isolating the new drywall ceiling from the joist structure above. And from the adjoining walls. There must be a ¼” gap between the new floated drywall ceiling and the the adjoin walls. This ¼: gap will be filled with a backer rod (rolled cord of open cell foam) and also caulked in with an acoustical caulk. The gap will be yapped mudded and painted just like a regulate drywall ceiling. You will want to use a mesh drywall tape and not over mud the gap area. The new floated ceiling would be much like a trampoline. Not contacting the above wooden structure or the adjoining walls.

One last option would be to add and additional layer of 5/8” drywall to the floated drywall for some additional sound damping. The second layer of drywall with the Green Glue would still be screwed into the furring channel as much as possible and would also be isolated from the adjoining walls.

Well, that’s the best way to soundproof a ceiling in a condo, or apartment. There are other less labor intensive methods for soundproofing a condo which we will explore in later posts. For now, this is Bob O. Adios!

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e-mail bob@soundproofingamerica.com
PH (877) 530-0139

Building a soundproof vocal booth

2013-04-15T16:50:00.001-07:00

Building a sound control vocal booth is much like building a complete recording studio except on a much smaller scale. Basically you would start out by framing out the vocal booth. You can use either wood or steel studs. When installing soundproofing materials to the walls and ceiling of a vocal booth it is easiest to use wooden studs. With wood you are able to staple or nail up the soundproofing materials. With steel studs you will need to use sheet metal self tapping screws.

Once you have framed out your vocal booth it’s time to start the soundproofing. Generally with a vocal booth you are not looking at a lot of space to soundproof. The first of order of business is to add either drywall or plywood to the outside of the vocal booth. You can use any type of outer sheathing such as OSB (oriented strand board) or MDF (medium density fiberboard) Now that you have the booth framed and the outer sheathing installed it is time to get down to some serious soundproofing. The next step is to get a good sound absorbing batt insulation such as the Ultra Touch cotton insulation or Rockwool (Roxul Safe and sound or Roxul AFB) Either one of these insulations will work fine. After you have installed the batt insulation between the wall studs and the ceiling joists, your next step would be to staple or nail up a layer of the 1# per sq ft mass loaded vinyl (MLV for short) The MLV is a high grade vinyl that is impregnated with barium and silica to give it mass. It is designed to emulate lead sheeting. When installing MLV you want to overlap the seams by at least 1 inch and then you will want to caulk the overlap as well as around the entire perimeter of the MLV membrane. Sealing the vinyl is key to obtaining the ultimate soundproofing for your vocal booth. As soon as you have sealed the MLV with caulk and have taped the overlapped seam you will be ready to install your drywall on the inside. Once again it is not essential to use drywall, you can use any kind of board such as plywood, OSB or MDF. Before installing the wall and ceiling board you must seal all electrical outlets and light switcheswith our fire stop acoustical putty pads, The putty pads would seal the electrical boxes and light shich enclosures so that sound does not escape through these areas. After sealing all electrical switches and outlets it is time to install the wallboard to the walls and the ceiling of the vocal booth. You will install the wallboard just lake you would in an ordinary room. It is a good idea to caulk all seams with acoustical caulk and then you would simply finish or paint the wall just like any other type of wall. Needless to say you would use the same procedure for the ceiling of the booth as well. Finally you will need to deal with the floor. What I would recommend if your vocal booth has a floor joist system would be to add a barrier directly to the top of the subfloor which will help to block sound transmission through the floor itself/ You can use the same method for the floor as you did for the walls and ceiling of your vocal booth. You will need to have a solid core door with a door seal kit for entering and exiting the vocal booth. That’s pretty much it for building a soundproof vocal booth. If you have question, please feel free to post here on this blog or call me direct at (877) 530-0139 this is Bob O. Adios!

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Ask your soundproofing questions right here on our blog

2013-04-15T15:06:00.002-07:00

We would like to invite all our readers to ask any soundproofing or acoustical treatment question that they might have right here on our blog. We encourage discussions and will be happy to answer questions regarding anything Soundproofing or Acoustics related that you may have. If any of our technicians do not have a ready answer for you, we have the resources to find out and to answer you questions in a timely manner.

We also encourage you to comment about this blog or about our website. Feel free to leave a comment whether positive or negative. We can’t get better if we don’t know what’s wrong. Thank you for your participation. Bob O.

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American Sound Blankets

2013-04-15T11:54:00.002-07:00

The America Sound Blankets are an excellent way to temporarily soundproof any area of your home or office. Sound Blankets are also an excellent way to reduce the noise in an industrial application. These blankets are constructed with a 1lb per sq ft reinforced mass loaded vinyl to give them their blocking capability.. They also have quilted fiberglass batts on either side of the mass loaded vinyl to give the blankets absorbency. Finally the blankets are covered with the woven fiberglass outer covering which allows the sound to pass through to the inner absorbers as well as the blocking ability of the mass loaded vinyl core.

The American sound blankets are attached to a wall or a vertical frame via grommets which are installed usually at the top of the blanket, but can also be installed along the length if need be. They are linked together by industrial strength Velcro strips and the blankets are over lapped by at least 2 inches.

These blankets are used extensively in industrial applications to block noisy machinery and other loud industrial devices. They are also widely used in residential situations for cordoning off a room from the other occupants in the house. They can be used as a door when you have an opening that does not have a door on it. Many people use the Sound Blankets to block noise that comes in through windows. The uses for the Sound Blankets are only limited by your imagination.

We have actually had customers who have used the sound blankets exclusively to construct a home of commercial portable recording studio. The America Sound Blankets are made for indoor and outdoor use and will last for many years exposed to the the severest of elements.

To learn more about the America Sound Blanket. Please call the pro’s at Soundproofing America, Inc, they will be happy to help you. I hope this article has been informative for you, this is Bob O. Adios.

Soundproofing America, Inc.

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Reducing the echo and reverberation in a Gymnasium

2013-04-11T15:25:00.003-07:00

Reducing the echo and reverberation in a large indoor venue such as a
gymnasium or concert arena can be quite a challenge. Doing so on a budget can
be even more challenging. Generally in any large space such as a gymnasium
or concert hall, the main concern is echo or reverberation. Most of these
larger venues have all hard surfaces that need to be dealt with in order to
reduce the reverb times within the room. Adding absorbent panels to the
walls and ceiling areas can make a remarkable difference in the acoustics of
a gym or concert hall. Absorbent panels and baffles can be hung from the
ceiling to intercept much of the reflective noises. Hanging baffles and
panels are often referred to as "clouds". Clouds can be very effective at
reducing reverb times in a large room or hall. This is also true for Church
Sanctuaries.
For the best results reducing the noise in a large venue, you will need to
cover a minimum 30% to 40% of the wall and ceiling areas. Clouds and baffles
figure into this percentage.
One of the best and most effective absorptive materials is the bonded
acoustical cotton panels. We refer to these panels as "Echoless" panels.
Essentially these are a 1 "or 2" thick bonded cotton fiber panel that is
manufactured from recycled denim material, like the scrap from blue jeans
manufacturers or even virgin denim right off of the roll. Cotton has been
proven to be one of the best sound absorbing materials on the planet. It has
a much higher NRC (noise reduction coefficient) than polyurethane pyramid or
wedge panels and cost about the same. The Echoless panels are a very
economical way to reduce the reverberation and echo in any room. The panels
are applied to the walls using a 2 part adhesive. This insures that the
panels will initially stick to the walls temporarily until the permanent
adhesives cures.
These bonded cotton panels when applied to the walls and ceilings can reduce
the reverb time in a gym or concert hall from 7 to 8 seconds down to less
than 1 second. That would drastically change the acoustics in those areas and
make any sporting even or concert much more enjoyable.
The bonded acoustical panels (or Echoless panels) come in a variety of
colors that will match most settings or decor. These panels are very
economical and extremely effective at reducing the the reflective
reverberation in any large venue or arena.
The professionals at Soundproofing America ,Inc will work with you every
step of the way to make sure that you get the most echo and reverberation
reduction possible in any application. Gymnasiums and large arena's present
their own set of challenges. We can arrange low cost shipping directly to the
jobsite and you will have access to a professional technician throughout the
entire installation process.
Thank you for reading about how to acoustically treat a large gymnasium or
arena. Using the proper acoustical treament panels is essential for getting
the best results at the lowest possible cost. Remember that no job is too big
or too small for the pro's at Soundproofing America, Inc.

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e-mail bob@soundproofingamerica.com
PH (877) 530-0139

Soundproof your fence

2013-04-11T15:06:00.004-07:00

Soundproofing a fence is not really as difficult as it may seem. In this
article we will be talking about soundproofing a wooden fence, Generally a
cedar or redwood type fence are the most common fences that we will be
dealing with
Now if you are starting from scratch and will be constructing a completely
new fence, the first order of business would be to sink your 4" X 4" posts
into concrete footers. In order to get the best soundproofing from your fence
it is recommended that the fence be at least 8' high or 8' above the noise
source. Now check to see if the road in question is above grade from your
property below grade. If the road is below grade this will help to make the
soundproofing more effective and you might be able to get away with building
only a 6' high fence. Keep in mind however, that no matter where the road is
located you will get the best soundproofing results from a fence that is 8'
higher than the noise source.
Once the posts are installed into their concrete footers you will then nail
in the fence cross members, These cross members are usually 2" X4''s that are
6' to 8' long. On a regular wooden fence these is a cross member at the top
of the fence structure and one near the bottom, We suggest that you add an
additional cross member in the middle to support the soundproofing material.
Now that the fence structure is complete and the cross members are installed,
it is time to install the soundproofing material. For our fence we will be
installing a soundproofing agent called Mass Loaded Vinyl or (MLV for short)
MLV is a high grade vinyl material that is impregnated with barium salts and
silica (sand) This gives the MLV the same consistency as lead sheeting yest
is contains no lead or any of the hazards associated with raw lead.
The MLV is 1/8" thick and weighs 1lb per sq ft. The vinyl comes on rolls
that are generally 4' wide X 25' long.
You will need an air drive stapler or nail gun to install the MLV to the
fence structure. we will start with the bottom half of the fence and install
that firstt. The MLV will be stapled or nailed to the fence using a plastic
cap stapler or a nail gun that shoots the roofing nails with the large
plastic heads. The first step is to un roll the MLV across the bottom of the
fence. You want the MLV to touch the earth or the be flush to the ground. You
will then staple the MLV to the fence structure. You do not want to put
staple or nail holes into the membrane where there is no fence structure
behind it.Once the bottom ribbon of MLV is attached it is time to staple up
the top ribbon. You will need at least 1 other person to help you lift the
vinyl to staple it to the top half of the fence. It is recommended that you
over lap the top half over the bottom half of the membrane by at least 1 inch.
Once the membrane is installed over the entire fence, you will then caulk
the over lapped are with an acoustical caulk. This will help to maintain the
integrity of the soundproof membrane at the seam. It is also recommended that
you caulk the perimeter of the MLV. Once the entire MLV membrane is sealed
with the acoustical caulk it is time to install the vertical dog eared slats.
Basically you will nail the slats directly through the MLV and into the cross
members. You do not want to put holes in the center of the membrane.
Now the MLV is a weatherproof material, but is highly recommended that you
put slats on both sides of the fence structure. This way you will protect the
MLV from the elements and you will also create a true septum fence.
That's it in a nutshell. This septum soundproof fence can actually reduce
traffic or neighbor noise by 50 to 60%.We all know that you can't get it to
100% because it is soundproofing the outdoors from the outdoors.
I hope this article has helped you especially if you are considering
soundproofing your fence. This system can also be employed on an already
existing wood fence. Until next time, this is Bob O. Adios!

www.soundproofingamerica.com
www.soundproofingamerica.us
e-mail bob@soundproofingamerica.com
PH (877) 530-0139

Soundproofing a drop ceiling

2013-04-11T15:05:00.000-07:00

Soundproofing a T-Bar or drop ceiling in a office or medical facility can appear to
be quite a challenging task, but the reality is that soundproofing a drop
ceiling is not as difficult as you might think.
There are products such as Mass Loaded Vinyl (MLV for short) that can be
placed atop of an acoustical drop ceiling. It is always a good idea to first
lay down a soft absorbent material on top of the ceiling tiler to add
absorbency to the ceiling, but most importantly to decouple the MLV barrier
from the ceiling tiles themselves. One great product for absorption and
decoupling is called Echoless roll material. The Echoless roll is a bonded
cottom product that comes in rolls. This material comes in 2 thicknesses, the
1in and the 2in. Either thickness will sufficiently decouple the MLV from the
ceiling tiles and the grid assembly.
There are two ways to install this method of soundproofing. One would be to
get up on a ladder over looking to top of the ceiling tile grid. You would
then roll out the Echoless bonded cotton roll all the way across the top
surface of the ceiling tiles. You will need to carefully cut the Echoless
roll material so that it will fit around the ceiling grid suspension wires.
This will take a bit of skill because you will not be able toi stand on top
of a t=bar ceiling for obvious reasons.
Once The Echoless roll mat is laid out flat ontop of all of the ceiling tiles,
you will need to perform the same operation using the MLV. The MLV will cut
with scissors as will the Echoless roll so that the MLV will fit around the
grid suspension wires. If you can reach the cuts that surround the suspension
wires, it is a good idea to caulk these areas to seal them as best as you can.
Now the second method will take a little more time, but it would be easier
due to the fact that you would not need to deal with the Grid suspension
wirea at all. This method would require that you remove all of the ceiling
tiles and then cut the Echoless roll material to fit the back of the tiles.
It is a good idea to spot glue the Echoless toll material to the ceiling tile.
There are 2 sides to the echoless roll material, one is a denim cotton and
the other is a black scrim facing. When you glue the Echoless roll to the
ceiling tile, the black facing should be facing upwards, in other words you
will be looking at the black facing material. Now that the Echoless roll
material is adhered to the tile, you will cut the mass loaded vinyl to fit
directly on top of the Echoless mat. It is recommended that you cut the MLV a
little bit bigger that the perimeter of the ceiling tile, that way the MLV
will over lap once the ceiling tile is re-installed into the ceiling grid.
At this point you will place each ceiling tile back into the Grid. Using
this method you will be adding at least 1 Lb per sq ft to your ceiling, but
the weight will be evenly distributed across the entire surface of the grid.
You may need additional suspension wires, but unless the ceiling is over 500
sq ft the additional wires are probably not necessary.
There you have it, and easy and effective way to soundproof your T-Bar grid
ceiling.
For more information about these products or any of our soundproofing or
acoustical treatment products, talk to the professionals at Soundproofing
America, Inc, your #1 Soundproofing Resource. This is Bob O. adios!

www.soundproofingamerica.com
www.soundproofingamerica.us
e-mail bob@soundproofingamerica.com
PH (877) 530-0139

Commercial Soundproofing

2013-04-11T14:49:00.003-07:00

Commercial and industrial soundproofing offers many unique challenges. As a
general rule the areas to be soundproofed are larger and more open. For
example, if you are soundproofing a metal crushing machine in a factory
setting, you need to deal with the high ceilings and open spaces. If you plan
to construct an enclosure around the machine, many times that enclosure will
be free standing on at least 2 legs. Also you will want to construct walls
that are a minimum of 8' tall, the higher the walls of the enclosure the
better the soundproofing will be. The enclosure will need a gateway or a door
where workers will be able to work with the machine as well as maintain it.
If the machine is in a corner, that makes building the enclosure much easier
because you would only need to construct 2 soundproof walls for an enclosure.
It is always best to construct an enclosure much the same as building a room
around the machine. In other words using metal studs and constructing solid
walls that will contain soundproofing agents such as American mass loaded
vinyl or the America Mat closed cell foam ma, maybe a combination of both
materials.
The mass loaded vinyl (MLB for short would be screwed to the stud structure
using self taping drywall screws with washers on them. It is recommended that
the MLV be installed horizontally across the studs and that the seams be over
lapped by at least 1 inch. You will need to caulk all of the seams as well as
the over lap and around the entire perimeter of the vinyl membrane.
Once the MLV is installed and sealed with the caulk, you have the option of
gluing a layer of the 1/2" or the 1" closed cell foam mat directly to the
back of the MLV membrane.
Now the America mat will help, but is not essential to obtain good
soundproofing from this system.
Once the MLV and the closed cell foam are installed onto the stud framework
it is time to drywall both sides of the wall assembly. I would recommend
using 5/8" drywall on both sides of the wall to add additional mass and
therefore additional soundproofing to the enclosure.
Finally, when you install your door, you will want to install a solid core
door which will help to block the noise from escaping through the door.
Well that's about it for soundproofing machinery in an Industrial
application. I will be writing more on other commercial soundproofing
projects in later articles. This is Dr. Bob...Adios!

www.soundproofingamerica.com
www.soundproofingamerica.us
e-mail bob@soundproofingamerica.com