What if I cant find any Rigid Fiberglass?

Check at the local home center or ceiling installer for fiberglass panels for hanging ceilings. These are the exact same stuff only thinner and they have a decorative plastic sheet glued to one face.

These panels are 1/2" thick but the plastic face is easily removed and you can glue two together with spray adhisive to get a 1"x2'x4' panel.

Cheers
Kevin.
 
Torture,

Here's what I did to get OC703:

I looked on the Owens Corning website. Big Joke. No help.
I looked in the yellow pages and began calling insulation distributors, especially those catering to industrial construction firms. I found one in my area (North Brothers in Raleigh, NC) and plead my case to a sympathetic sales guy. Keep in mind this insulation is typically ordered by the tractor-trailer load, so your quantity doesn't do diddly for this guys commission.

I played the weekend warrior angle, rather than pepper my speech with "Dude" and "awesome." Although I live 35 miles from their warehouse, I live near an interstate and made a deal that I would just wait until they came nearby to drop off 60 sheets of 2" OC703.

Worked like a charm.

Give it a try!
 
Todzilla,

Curious, how much did you pay per square foot?

Those are 2X4 sheets, correct?

I ended up paying $44.00 per 4X8 sheet of comparable knauff rigid f/g board. Something like $1.38 a square ft. is what it came out to. I tried talking them down, he said he "had no room, this is the out the door price", whatever the hell that means! Wouldn't budge unless I bought in excess of 10,000 square ft.
 
I was able to find a local place that can get it, he said he would have to call one of his suppliers in the morning.
Wish me luck
 
Dweller,

If I recall correctly, I paid about $400 for 60 sheets of 2" OC703, 2'X4' pieces. It might have been a bit more, but not more than $500.

I think I got a good deal.
 
Well no returned calls and I was out most of the day and was unable to call him. Typical for most companies, I think he knew right off the bat that I was not going to purchase an 18 wheeler full of the stuff, and he blew me off.
I am going to call some other places today.
I will check out lowes they have a store near me, I dont care what it costs, I just need a good room!!
Thanks for your help guy's
 
Just a thought...

If cost is not an issue (to an extent), why not just use 4" acoustic foam? I read somewhere (possibly Ethan's site) that 4" foam is roughly equivalent to 1" fiberglass.

If you go to www.foambymail.com, you'll find quite an assortment of acoustic foam products, and relatively inexpensive. On orders of $50 or more, they will even ship FREE in the continental US. (I had to pay for shipping, because of my location, but it still works out to be about 45% cheaper than buying Auralex from places like Musician's Friend)

Something to think about. Hope this helps.
 
So one solution is to use 4 times the amount of foam than you would RFSB?

Not a very good solution, IMHO.

Foambymail is a waste of money. 2" Knauf or OC is available and used throughout the country. You're just not talking to the right people.
 
I called 5 different contractors and about 4 different HVAC places today as well as Chase Pitkin's and Home depot. Either they could not get it or they simply said we cant help you.
I cant understand how everybody else finds the stuff so easily?
Maybe I am not looking in the right places. I have a buddy that works for Energy Star and he is going to ask around for me as he knows alot of people in the new construction areas.
Where else can I look?
Thanks for your help!!
 
The folks to talk to are insulation supply houses.

Google Knauf and Owens/Corning and they should be able to put you in touch with a supplier.
 
c7sus said:
So one solution is to use 4 times the amount of foam than you would RFSB?

Not a very good solution, IMHO.

Foambymail is a waste of money. 2" Knauf or OC is available and used throughout the country. You're just not talking to the right people.
Click to expand...

Well, according to Ethan and others, it would take 4 times the amount of foam to equal fiberglass. But if you're in a situation like me (and Mr. Torture) what choice do we have? No one locally carries 703 or 705, and even if they did, I myself don't want to deal with fiberglass in my living room, even if it's covered in fabric. It's just not something I'm willing to risk. If I can get 4" foam for about the same price as 1" fiberglass (because of shipping costs and greedy local suppliers) why not? I have the space for 4" foam, and hopefully, so does Mr. Torture. To disregard that option, simply for "snob effect" is just plain stupidity, IMHO.

By the way, I've gotten decent results using foam. So much for the "fiberglass only" theory.
 
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mr. torture said:
I called 5 different contractors and about 4 different HVAC places today as well as Chase Pitkin's and Home depot. Either they could not get it or they simply said we cant help you.
I cant understand how everybody else finds the stuff so easily?
Maybe I am not looking in the right places. I have a buddy that works for Energy Star and he is going to ask around for me as he knows alot of people in the new construction areas.
Where else can I look?
Thanks for your help!!
Click to expand...

You know, for some of us, 703 is just not an option, as much as we would like it to be. I've gotten decent results with foam, and as much as everyone else hates it, it does indeed work.

Yeah, and I know Ethan and the other fiberglass advocates will now tell you that foam is of course a viable option, just not as cost effective as fiberglass - WHERE THEY LIVE.
 
The stuff is available NATIONWIDE. It is used in industrial apps everywhere.

I built gobos for my room. I used 3" of RFSB in my gobos, and 5" in my slot resonator. Using the values you've thrown out here, I would have had to use TWENTY INCHES of foam to achieve what I did with 5 in. of RFSB.

Look at the NRC or STC numbers for RFSB and foam.

I'm not trying to be a snob. I'm telling you what works and what doesn't. Search around the net. The only folks you see touting foam are the guys that manufacture and sell it. Knauf and O/C don't seem to recognize the homereccor market yet. But when enough guys call and request the stuff and tell them what they want it for, they will eventually catch on.

I'll tell you the one product from Auralex that really cracks me up: The little piece of foam they sell with a slit it in so you can put it behind your mic capsule. Like an inch of foam is gonna do ANYTHING sonically to keep reflections off the back of a capsule. THAT to me illustrates how lame Auralex really is as a company, and how desperate they are to sell shit to folks that don't know any better.
 
Ethen has apparently found a way to improve low-end absorption/per given depth in his application with rigid board, but isn't the typical low density is just as effective?
 
Knauff

I had a hell of a time finding it too. I ended up calling Knauff, they located a distributor who would deliver up to 100 lbs for $20.

Knauf, I've heard, is equal to or better than OC (and cheaper!).

Good luck.
 
Shipping is expensive, but if you just need a few sheets of 703 or 705, realtraps.com will sell them to you.

-lee-
 
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