Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: How to soundproof shared walls and floors/ceilings

[James Kacki (jimkacki]

Also, resilient channels (+/- 1/2" metal spacers) to keep the drywall  
away from the studs, prevents sound from vibrating through the  
drywall & studs.  In Canada (not sure about the U.S.) it's a Code  
accepted means of achieving a higher STC rating (Sound Transmission  
Coefficient).
Also, acoustic sealant under the sill plate of walls or anywhere else  
where a sliver of an opening could occur from one side of the wall to  
another.
James

On 28-Jan-08, at 10:04 AM, Laura Fitch wrote:

> Use dense-pack cellulose insulation in the party wall.  It is much  
> more
> effective at sound dampening than regular acoustic insulation.
>
> Laura Fitch, AIA, LEED
> Kraus-Fitch Architects, Inc
> 110 Pulpit Hill Rd.
> Amherst, MA  01002
> 413-549-5799
> lfitch [at] krausfitch.com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bob Morrison [mailto:RHmorrison [at] aol.com]
> Sent: Monday, January 28, 2008 9:28 AM
> To: cohousing-L [at] cohousing.org
> Subject: [C-L]_ How to soundproof shared walls and floors/ceilings
>
>
>
>     On Jan. 27, Sharon Villines wrote:
>
>   I would like to hear from the construction wise among us who know  
> how to
> create shared walls, floors, and ceilings so sound does not  
> penetrate. [end
> quote]
>
>   I am not an expert on construction, but:
>
>   The best way to prevent noise from carrying thru shared walls is  
> to put
> lots of insulation in the walls and use offset studs. That is, put  
> a set of
> studs in the half of the wall that is facing one unit and put in  
> another set
> of studs, offset from the first set, in the other half of the wall.
>
>   In a building that has four or more units per floor, I recommend  
> having
> concrete floors. However, there is a problem: You must put a  
> "chase" thru
> the floor to run water, sewer, and (if applicable) gas and FHW heat  
> pipes to
> the units. This isn't a problem in a large building because you can  
> spread
> the cost of the chase over many units. If you have fewer than four  
> units per
> floor, the cost per unit of the chase may be prohibitive, and that  
> may make
> concrete floors impractical.
>
>   Whether you have wood or concrete floors, I recommend you have a  
> rule that
> all units that have another unit underneath must have (and keep in  
> place)
> wall-to-wall carpet on all floors except in the kitchen and bath.  
> You get a
> lot more noise in the units below if the floors are hard-surfaced.
>
>   I know there is more you can do to soundproof floors, but I don't  
> know
> what.
>
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