Soundproofing your home doesn’t have to cost a fortune. If you are in new construction, we all know that money is tight. There are many 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 at soundproofing. If your walls are reinforced, you can use sand in the stud cavities as a soundproofing material. You need to make sure that your walls can support the weight of the sand. Always use refined or purified sand, not ordinary beach sand that could cause mold or have other bacteria that will cause problems for you in the future.

Let’s say you are in the middle of a new construction on 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 at its limit. Did you know you can use regular rolled roofing material from Home Depot or Lowe’s? Rolled roof is what is generally used in buildings such as chicken coops and other roofs where aesthetics are not an issue, but stopping leaks is. Roll roofs generally come in 30 ‘long and 3’ wide rolls. I hear the little wheels in your brain spinning at a hundred and fifty kilometers per hour. What am I going to do with all this rolled roofing material? Well, I’m glad you asked. One of the best sound-deadening agents on the market today is Bulk Loaded Vinyl, (MLV for short) Bulk Loaded Vinyl is a high quality vinyl material that is impregnated with barium salts and silica to give you the Same soundproofing properties as lead sheets 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 could exceed your budget. So now comes the rolled roofing material. I suggest that you stretch the rolled roofing material through the studs or joists if you are soundproofing your roof. You will staple or nail the rolled roof directly to the stud frame as a membrane along the face of the studs. The next rolled roof section should overlap the first piece by at least 1 “. Caulking the top lap with an acoustic putty is essential (hey, you have to buy something soundproofing type to give you all these tips for free, right?) Acoustic putty can be purchased from any reputable soundproofing company like Acoustical Solutions, Sound Isolation Company, or Soundproofing America. Either of these companies will have a good quality acoustic putty and can ship it to you. Now back to our soundproof walls Once you have the rolled roof in place and have caulked the 1 “overlap, you will also need to caulk around the entire perimeter of the newly installed rolled roof membrane. There is a little saying we have in the soundproofing industry: “Putty is cheap.” I think you understand the pun. The point is that you use as much sealant as you need to seal every seam gap or crack in your soundproof membrane. You want this roofing material to be as sealed and airtight as possible. Now since the rolled roof does not have the same soundproofing power as the MLV, I would strongly suggest that a second layer of the rolled roof be applied to each wall and the area of ​​the roof that it is soundproofing. Stagger joints whenever possible This is a small investment to have a soundproof room for your home theater or just a quiet place to study.

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

Now finally I would like to talk a little bit about acoustic putty. Acoustic putty 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 acoustic putty and not a cheap silicone putty. We are already being frugal with the soundproofing material; Let’s not skimp on putty. A good acoustic putty is OSI-175 SC putty or Tremco Smoke and Sound putty. Both caulking compounds have excellent acoustic properties. If you have questions about the acoustic sealant, call one of the online soundproofing companies, they will be happy to help you.

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