Scrapped plans and redesigned, already framed

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undrgrnd studio

undrgrnd studio

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OK I was planning on simply finishing my apartment basement best I could, simply as I could; while also adding some sound isolation techniques. But when I entered the basement for the first time I was dumbfounded by how easily I could hear my neighbors talking. That made me rethink the whole design.

Instead of using the ceiling joists and furring strips to hold up the sheetrock, I decided to build a completely independent ceiling.

I built freestanding walls anchored to the concrete floor, and then used cross beams to support 2x4 ceiling joists. I'm using 5/8th fire rated sheetrock, glass insulation, and insulation filled steel doors sealed with weather stripping.

So now the entire room is independent of all the existing walls and ceiling. I figure this should give me the best sound isolation possible. I'm not touching anything in the basement but the floor which is very thick and very hard concrete.

I also went around the entire basement and plugged all the cracks and holes leading to the neighbors basements to stop any air movement.

I still need to do electrical, insulation, and sheet rock. I'm taking pictures, I'll post them up when i get time.
What do you think?
 
If you are going through that much trouble you will probably want to float the floor also. Concrete can transmit a lot of vibration.
 
Well I can always do that later if I don't achieve as much as I hope. It not hard to move everything out of the room and build a framed floor skinned with plywood. This concrete is 30years old and solid as granite. It doesn't seem to carry sound much at all. My biggest concern is the fact that I can't cover the outer ceiling and one wall with another sheet of sheet rock. But with a concrete wall, and a 5/8th drywall wall; I think I'm going to accomplish as much sound isolation as possible anyways. I'm betting this works out great.

Does anybody have any recommendations for doors. I was planning on using pre-hung insulation filled steel doors, but I need two and they are $110 each. It's getting to be more than I wanted to pay.
 
Any solid core door will work fairly well. You might be able to save $40 per door with a solid core wood door. The trick is hanging them perfectly which is a trick I have never quite grasped :D

Exterior doors will give you a better seal.
 
Any solid core door will work fairly well. You might be able to save $40 per door with a solid core wood door. The trick is hanging them perfectly which is a trick I have never quite grasped :D

Exterior doors will give you a better seal.

Solid core doors are your best bet - insulated exterior doors are great for insulation and lousy for isolation.

The trick (actually) is multiple seals - I generally use 2 layers of rubber (chevy trunk rubber to be exact) and then a magnetic seal

This redundancy makes up for small imperfections as well as future movement.

Rod
 
Are you modifying the door jam or just sticking the rubber all around the exisiting jam?
 
Solid core doors are your best bet - insulated exterior doors are great for insulation and lousy for isolation.

The trick (actually) is multiple seals - I generally use 2 layers of rubber (chevy trunk rubber to be exact) and then a magnetic seal

This redundancy makes up for small imperfections as well as future movement.

Rod

What do you do for the bottom seal?
 
For easier isolation re electrical, you can use all surface mount conduit and devices. Any penetrations into the room should be done in an MDF box that's caulked tight and with the penetration into that box being perpendicular to the opening in the room.

Bryan
 
the doors need to be hung so they create a vacuum in the room when you open and shut them, this ensures a tight seal. I never used any rubber or sealers with indoor doors, just a real tight fit works wonders.
 
If you are going through that much trouble you will probably want to float the floor also. Concrete can transmit a lot of vibration.

He doesn't have to float the floor to stop the vibrations. Floating floors are not always the right thing to do. I think putting a layer of rubber then wood flooring over it would do, but i dunno. GUILFO???
 
Any solid core door will work fairly well. You might be able to save $40 per door with a solid core wood door. The trick is hanging them perfectly which is a trick I have never quite grasped :D

Exterior doors will give you a better seal.

For some reason I couldn't find any solid wood slab doors. All I was seeing was 6 pane doors, and windowed doors etc.
 
the doors need to be hung so they create a vacuum in the room when you open and shut them, this ensures a tight seal. I never used any rubber or sealers with indoor doors, just a real tight fit works wonders.

Lab,

with all due respect, that can't be done.

the hinges wiill force an 1/8" clearance (+/- 1/32") at the hinge side - you couldn't fit to the floor with less than 1/8" clearance - and even with 1/16" clearance (and NO-ONE in the industry could fit a door tighter than that on the average) around the door edge - that would be a total of (for a 3068) of 18'-4" lf of 1/16" gap - and every l.f. is 3/4" clear opening - thus a total opening of 13 3/4" clear.

So if you were to caulk and seal the door edge - and then were to cut a hole through the door 4" high by 3 7/16" wide that would be your loss in isolation.

Any indoor unit intended to seal is gasketed - otherwise you're lucky if you can get an STC of 25 for the opening.

You might well be satisfied with what your method acheives for you - but it is anything except a decent sound door.

Please don't confuse your personal satisfaction with any sort of measurable results.

Your opinion is (at best) subjective.

Sincerely,

Rod
 
For some reason I couldn't find any solid wood slab doors. All I was seeing was 6 pane doors, and windowed doors etc.

Even home despot carries solid core doors (go in and ask to see their flush wood doors).

Rod
 
I'll have to ask someone, I checked Lowes and Home Despot and couldn't find any solid wood on my own. I was in a hurry though so I didn't look that hard.

As far as electrical goes, I'm definitely running through the walls, I'm not going to have surface mounted electrical, it looks like shit. After all the work I'm doing it has to look good. I'm sure I can seal the openings with caulk or expandable foam or something. As far as lighting goes, I can live with track lighting so maybe I'll take a look at some. Although there is one old light I have to drop into my ceiling because this is an apartment and I have to retain all the existing electric and lighting functionality. I will be adding about 6 new outlets and 3 lights with switches from a new 15 amp breaker, but I can't change the existing circuit.
 
I think putting a layer of rubber then wood flooring over it would do, but i dunno. GUILFO???

Otherwise known as floating the floor.



I've bought solid core doors at Home Depot before. Make sure you are asking for Solid Core and not Solid Wood. Solid Core just means the center isn't hollow but it's made out of of a ply or particle type core and not one solid piece of wood.
 
As far as electrical goes, I'm definitely running through the walls, I'm not going to have surface mounted electrical, it looks like shit.

You don't have to leave the conduit exposed. You can hide it behind sound treatment, wainscot type panelling, chair rails, etc. Every hole you make in the drywall will reduce your isolation no matter how well you caulk it. Track lighting can also be pretty noisy unless you get the high quality transformers and dimmers. I would stick with regular 110v lighting if you want to keep costs down.
 
I'll have to ask someone, I checked Lowes and Home Despot and couldn't find any solid wood on my own. I was in a hurry though so I didn't look that hard.

As far as electrical goes, I'm definitely running through the walls, I'm not going to have surface mounted electrical, it looks like shit. After all the work I'm doing it has to look good. I'm sure I can seal the openings with caulk or expandable foam or something. As far as lighting goes, I can live with track lighting so maybe I'll take a look at some. Although there is one old light I have to drop into my ceiling because this is an apartment and I have to retain all the existing electric and lighting functionality. I will be adding about 6 new outlets and 3 lights with switches from a new 15 amp breaker, but I can't change the existing circuit.

Just caulking around the penetration won't really get the job done - and the expansive foam is useless for isolation purposes - HOWEVER - if you wrap each box with a fire rated putty pack - that will essentially replace what you lose in the penetration. let the putty run to cover the entier box - then install your first layer of drywall - caulk betweeh putty and drywall - then turn the putty down to bridge from the box to over the face of the drywall -

Install the 2nd sheet od drywall and caulk the remaining seam at the box.

Any penetration can be dealt with if it is approached in the right manner.

Sincerely,

Rod
 
Every hole you make in the drywall will reduce your isolation no matter how well you caulk it.

Tex,

This is only true if you get sloppy - if one takes their time and attacks the situation properly they do not have to loose one dB of isolation because of penetrations.

Sincerely,

Rod
 
I built freestanding walls anchored to the concrete floor, and then used cross beams to support 2x4 ceiling joists. I'm using 5/8th fire rated sheetrock,
What do you think?

I hope I am not reading this right.
2 x 4 ceiling joists?
The span must be really tiny, or.........
 
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