Drywall & Interior Plaster FAQ
Noise-Reducing Construction Techniques
Build interior walls with metal studs or staggered wood studs to disrupt the path of sound vibrations.
Add additional layers of Drywall or Gypsum Lath to ceilings and walls to increase mass.
Installing
RC1 Sound Channel - often called "resilient channel" - across wood studs, or across the floor and ceiling joists helps prevent noise
from moving through the wall into another room.
Caulk around the perimeter of drywall panels, plumbing fixtures, pipes, windows and wall plates. Use a non-hardening caulk such as a
silicone rubber or a butyl-based compound. Caulking around drywall at the floor, corners and ceiling is recommended, to ensure that acoustical gaps from warped or uneven studs are
filled. The flexible caulk will also help to reduce vibration and limit noise transmission.
Avoid locating electrical outlets or switches back-to-back.
Plan interior layouts to stagger doorways.
Use solid core doors with threshold and seals for rooms requiring privacy.
Holes in the wall will increase the sound that is transmitted, but these are often needed for wires, airways, etc. Offsetting holes can help maintain sound isolation properties. Another problem with sound isolation is that other paths may be ignored. For example a barrier may be built between two rooms, but raised floor is ignored, and sound continues to travel through this route. Other well known sound paths are ventilation ducts.
Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning ducts should be lined and wrapped with a sound deadening material to reduce sound and vibration.· The more material, the better these devices absorb sound. Typical materials include mineral wool, and may use a stainless steel or Mylar cover.For Glossary of Sound Control Terms Click Here
All of the statements, opinions, specifications, and recommendations on noise reduction technics contained on this website are for general information purposes only and are not intended to imply that these are the only materials, methods, procedures, or processes which are available or suitable.
Always consult with your licensed building professional.
By publishing this web site K.E. McNurney, Inc. makes no express or implied warranty or other representation as to the quality, characteristics, or suitability of the materials or techniques described herein, and specifically disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose which may arise by operation of law or otherwise.