Sound deadening a ceiling

[Cris B]

Hi all

Does anyone have an experience of sound deadening their workshop or garage?

I know it's about either decoupling or adding mass (or both) so I am after good sources for materials as I will likely be doing this myself.

Our setup is that the master bedroom is directly above the garage and there is very little acoustic shielding!

 

[Burdekin]

These guys: http://www.customaudiodesigns.co.uk/products.htm

I actually use their tecsound range for car sound deadening as it's as good or better than mass loaded vinyl. Not done any building sound deadening though but their range looks very good.

One other thing, it is very heavy so post is expensive.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Our setup is that the master bedroom is directly above the garage and there is very little acoustic shielding!

Tell the lodger he'll have to find a new garage to sleep in........

 

[RBDIVE]

Your right in decoupling AND adding mass. I assume you have the standard 12mm plasterboard and a chipboard floor over the top of joists?
If so you could consider putting resilient bars under the existing ceiling and create the largest void you can, this should be clad with min 12mm Soundbloc plasterboard.
The voids in between the joists can be filled with Earthwool Acoustic Roll, if you can the isolate the floor either using a batten system from www.proctorgroup.com or similar but this will raise the height of your floor.
this way you will isolate the sound from the floor, although you will still get some structure based sound travelling through the walls
some good info is on www.robustdetails.com/the-handbook/selecting-your-robust-details/timberframe-floors

 

[Cris B]

Thanks chaps

I reckon I can comfortably drop the ceiling height by 8" and fit a whole new ceiling in below the current one. I think that gives me some real opportunity to suppress sound transfer.

The thing that I am a bit uncertain about is whether I need to put anything between the Timber wall plates of the new ceiling. I.e thick rubber which I can then drill though and mount the wood with traditional screws and rawlplugs.

There should be a 3" air gap between the current ceiling and the top of the joists for the new ceiling.

I can do this and get an earthwool infill between the new joists and then look at doing a decoupled ceiling for the plasterboard. Is the soundbloc plasterboard also fire proof? If not I may need a second layer on top. I think that most decoupling hangers can take the weight of two sheets.

Then once the plasterboard is up I'll fill the edge cap with acoustic sealant.

Let me put up a diagram to show what I envisage...

 

[Mee]

You can simply lag with standard Rockwool, although it is an insulation it has excellent sound deadening properties and is still regularly used in the construction industry as sound deadening material and as packing in industrial sound deadening equipment.

 

[feen]

Pretty much what RBDive said above. Soundblock boards and resilient bars although they require a support structure. You could try a gypframe type suspended ceiling again with soundbloc. If you need to support it mid span use wire to tie it to the ceiling above, the sound travels just as much through solids than the air.
You won't fit soundblock yourself ;-)

 

[Cris B]

This is the plan I had in mind:

 

[Cris B]

Pretty much what RBDive said above. Soundblock boards and resilient bars although they require a support structure. You could try a gypframe type suspended ceiling again with soundbloc. If you need to support it mid span use wire to tie it to the ceiling above, the sound travels just as much through solids than the air.

I need to do some more investigation into z type hanger bars. I assumed I need them off every joist. Given the weights below I need to check the specs.

Having had a look, has anyone used these resilient bars (they'd be in place of the Z bars in my diagram above)?

There's no indication of a load limit?

You won't fit soundblock yourself ;-)

I think you're right - not without some help! Having had a look a regular sheet of 12mm plasterboard is about 25kg for an 8' x 4' sheet

The Gyproc fireline is 30kg a sheet

The Gyproc soundbloc is 35kg a sheet

I reckon I'll be needing a plasterboard jack lift!

 

[Cris B]

Okay bit more research. My garage has a 14'6" width, so according to the UK building regs calculator I have found I am borderline between 47 x 195 and 47 x 220 ceiling joists at 400 C/C – C16 Grade timber. Given I'm going to be hanging some weight off it I am drawn towards the latter.

Also Genie clips might be a better solution for what I want to achieve than the resilient bars I identified earlier. Any one used them?

 

[feen]

We use 13mm resilient bars regularly now though I often feel they're the latest buzz from the architect. They are installed perpendicular to the joists.
From your diagram, I fear you are grossly over engineering the job and perhaps over thinking it.
If you already have a fire layer I wouldn't install another one.
There is a metal system for what you want to do which will be quick to install and very lightweight.
I'll have a look and come back.....

 

[feen]

http://www.british-gypsum.com/white...tems-overview/floors-and-ceilings/casoline-mf

 

[Cris B]

Cheers for that feen - looks really interesting as a solution! Just having a read through now...

 

[feen]

If I'm honest I've only used it once. It was specified for a fire escape stairwell ceiling. Piece of cake and quick to install.

Feen