Soundproofing your home doesn’t have to cost a fortune. If it’s under new construction, we all know money is tight. There are plenty of common hardware items that can be used for soundproofing that won’t break the bank. Most people don’t think of sand as a soundproofing material, but it’s actually very good for soundproofing. If your walls are reinforced, you can use sand in the stud cavities as a sound deadening material. You must be sure that your walls can support the weight of the sand. Always use refined or purified sand, not regular beach sand which could cause mold or other bacteria that will cause problems in the future.

Let’s say you’re in the middle of new construction in your new home and you know that one of the rooms will be your new home theater. You want the room to be soundproof but your budget is already stretched. Did you know you can use regular roll roofing material from Home Depot or Lowe’s? Rolled roofing is typically used on buildings such as chicken coops and other roofs where aesthetics are not an issue, but stopping leaks is. Roll roofing typically comes in rolls that are 30′ long and 3′ wide. I hear the little wheels in your brain turning a hundred miles an hour. What am I going to do with all this rolled up roofing material? Well, I’m glad you asked. One of the best sound deadening agents on the market today is Mass Loaded Vinyl (MLV for short). Mass loaded vinyl is a high quality vinyl material that is impregnated with barium salts and silica to give it the same sound deadening properties as lead sheeting without the hazards. associated with lead.

Now MLV can cost anywhere from $1.25 to $2.00 per square foot and when you’re building your new dream home, that might be beyond your budget. So now comes the laminate roofing material. I suggest stretching rolled ceiling material across the studs or joists if you are soundproofing your ceiling. You will staple or nail the rolled roof directly to the stud frame as a web along the face of the studs. The next section of the rolled ceiling should overlap the first piece by at least 1″. It is essential to caulk the overlap with an acoustical caulk (hey, you have to buy some from the soundproofing guy for giving you all these free tips, right? ). Acoustic caulk can be purchased from any reputable soundproofing company such as Acoustical Solutions, Sound Isolation Company, or Soundproofing America.Once you have the ceiling rolled in place and have caulked the 1″ overlap, you will also need to caulk around the entire ceiling. perimeter of the newly installed rolled roofing membrane. There’s a little saying we have in the soundproofing industry: “Caulk is cheap.” I think you understand the pun. The point is, use as much caulk as you need to seal every seam or crack in your soundproofing membrane. You want this roofing material to be as sealed and airtight as possible. Now, since the rolled ceiling does not have the same soundproofing power as MLV, I would strongly suggest applying a second coat of the rolled ceiling to each wall and area of ​​the ceiling you are soundproofing. Stagger seams where possible This is a small investment for a soundproof room for your home theater or just a quiet place to study.

Once you have installed the 2 layers of rolled ceiling on the walls and ceiling and everything is generously sealed, it is time to finish the layer of drywall. I would suggest installing a layer of 5/8″ fire code drywall to finish off your soundproofing project. Don’t forget to tape and paint the finished drywall.

Now, finally, I would like to talk a little about acoustic putty. Acoustic caulk is an inexpensive product compared to the cost of other soundproofing agents, but it is one of the most essential parts of any soundproofing effort. Buy a good acoustical caulk and not a cheap silicone caulk. We are already being frugal with soundproofing material; Let’s not skimp on the putty. A good acoustical sealer is OSI-175 SC Sealer or Tremco Smoke and Sound Sealer. Both caulking compounds have excellent acoustic properties. If you have questions about acoustic caulk, call one of the online soundproofing companies, they will be happy to help you.

Once the drywall is in place and the rolled ceiling is completely covered, you’ll find you’ve got a well-soundproofed room, and you did it at half the cost of using professional soundproofing agents. That being said, today’s modern soundproofing products are extremely effective and I find very reasonably priced compared to other specialist building materials. In this article I just wanted to show that there are other ways to soundproof a wall or ceiling without using the more expensive professional soundproofing agents. I hope this narrative has been informative; It was a pleasure to write it, since there is very little information on the net about soundproofing. Once again, this is Dr. Bob… Get out!