Need help finding uk suppliers

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anemicrock

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Hi I need some help finding UK suppliers for sheetrok, Acoustic Caulk and RC Channels.

A few of other questions. Is Acoustic Caulk and Acoustic Sealant the same thing?

Is Mineral Fiber sound insulation from Auralex the same as or as good as Rockwool sound pro from these guys SoundPro :: Acoustic Section :: Acoustic Stonewool insulation solutions from Rockwool Ltd to use in between my stud walls?

And finally, If I we're to use a double stud 3" spring wall do I really need Sheetblok? It's just so expensive. If I do need it, is there a cheaper option somewhere?

I just want to know what other options are out there besides Auralex and there crazy prices. Also I read somewhere that there is only one kind of RC Channel ou there that is certified for acoustics or something like that. I can't remember. Is that true?

Sorry for all the questions but like I said I'm in the UK and just want to get the right material. If "doing it right" and quality justifies the expense then I'm okay with that but if anyone knows of any cheaper options for the materials I need, then please let's hear them.

Thanks in advance.
 
anemicrock said:
Hi I need some help finding UK suppliers for sheetrok, Acoustic Caulk and RC Channels.

A few of other questions. Is Acoustic Caulk and Acoustic Sealant the same thing?

Is Mineral Fiber sound insulation from Auralex the same as or as good as Rockwool sound pro from these guys SoundPro :: Acoustic Section :: Acoustic Stonewool insulation solutions from Rockwool Ltd to use in between my stud walls?

And finally, If I we're to use a double stud 3" spring wall do I really need Sheetblok? It's just so expensive. If I do need it, is there a cheaper option somewhere?

I just want to know what other options are out there besides Auralex and there crazy prices. Also I read somewhere that there is only one kind of RC Channel ou there that is certified for acoustics or something like that. I can't remember. Is that true?

Sorry for all the questions but like I said I'm in the UK and just want to get the right material. If "doing it right" and quality justifies the expense then I'm okay with that but if anyone knows of any cheaper options for the materials I need, then please let's hear them.

Thanks in advance.
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I've heard that acoustic caulk isn't really any better than standard caulk, just with a much bigger price tag. Sheetrock, is basically just plasterboard. These are so easy to find at local builders merchants. They even have them at B&Q, homebase, etc.

Just use normal fluffy insulation between the walls. Rockwool(or equivalent) are suggested to treat acoustical problems within a room, not for sound isolation(they don't really improve on standard insulation for isolation). An equivalent for Rockwool which is cheap and easily sourced in the UK is Knauf Rocksilk. I used Rocksilk Universal RS45, and got packs of 10 (4'x2'x2") for £20. I bought two packs, and used these to acousticaly treat my control room and make gobos and clouds for tracking rooms. Best £40 spent, imo. Well + the cost of frames and fabric.

I don't know much about Sheetblok, but I've never really seen it suggested. People do suggest using greenglue between sheets of drywall(plasterboard) though.
 
dont know where you are but ceiling grids in manchester are very good..

you can get cheap tin stud and track from there,also plasterboard, might be worth checking out the pink fire rated plasterboards, there thicker..
 
Thank you so much for your info guys. It's really going to help me. I'm in Bristol by the way. I'm not going to bother with RS Channels now as I hear Green Glue is just as good if not better. RS Channels can short circuit pretty easily so I'd rather take a chance with the glue. Also cheaper.

cakewalkKaKed do you know where I can get pink fire rated plasterboards from?

Thanks again guys for the info.

Kevin
 
i just googled "drywall trade supplies bristol" and got 557 hits..

they should all have the pinkies,my local hardware shop sells them, i think off hand they are 19mm thick...

the stud and track is really easy to install,you just need a good level and some tinsnips (and a lengh of string)!!!
 
Cool thanks for that info. I have been looking online trying to find the 19mm boards. Hard to find. Most places seem to only go up to 12.5 Need to keep looking
 
shame were not nearer.. i would have got them at trade and delivered them to you.. but most builders merchants sells pinkies
 
try googling Travis Perkins for your rockwool (not the fluffy stuff) RW45 is the compressed stuff that is the UK equivilent of owens corning 703 everyone talks about.

ordinary decorators caulk is no worse that acoustic caulk like pandamonk suggested. Comes in about £2.75 for a long tube you put in a squeaze gun (another couple of quid)

19mm plasterboard...B&Q do 8'x4' sheets at £9.95, they also do 4'x2' sheets at £2.75, so if you don't mind more joins you can do it with smaller boards that are easier to work with. Also, if you do a double drywall you want to use two different thicknesses. If you use a 19mm of 4x2 sheets, then cover that ofsetting the seams with the 12.5mm stuff...see where I'm coming from? Double density wall for half the price and smaller easier to handle sheets.

I've just moved house and am now building my third home studio. This time in a large attic. I'll definately be going with the 4'x2' sheets from B&Q this time.

Got all the wiring in last week for lights and power. Joists are 6"x2" on the floor with 4" of "the fluffy stuff" between them that will compress down to 2", I'll have my 2" RW45 on top of that. I have rubber neoprane to put on top of the joists then I'm running 2x2 across the joists in the other direction and floating my floor on that...6" insulation with a 4" air gap.

The rubber between the joists is actualy old safefall rubber they started putting in swing parks and kids play areas years ago...has holes in for the grass to grow through, worked a treat in the last place and most of all it was free (don't ask!).

My walls will again be 2x2 inside out double drywall with the RW45 on the inside, single drywall to waist height then fabric covered to the ceiling.

Ceiling is same idea as walls but the other way around.

I have salvaged all the neoprane, RW45 and timber, lights, sockets & cabling from my last build in the old house. Couldn't save the plasterboard, nails rip through it like butter when you try seperating it from the joists so total cost should be about £70 for plasterboard, caulk and screws.

Happy building

Alex
 
Thanks for the info guys. cakewalkKaKed that is a shame we don't live closer. Thanks anyway. LemonTree I have been looking online at both B&Q and Wickes and I can't see the 19mm Boards anywhere on there site. Everything I find is just the standard 12.5 Maybe they just don't have it listed on their website but actually stock it in their larger stores or something. I was planning to get the 12.5 boards to go with the 19mm so thanks for double checking with me about that but what do you mean when you said "cover that offsetting the seams"? Sorry I got a little lost there. By the way your build sounds like it's going to be awesome!

Thanks again.
 
good post lemontree :).. "cover that offsetting the seams" = put your first boards up + seal the joints... then cover the joints with the next boards



---------------------------sealed joint---------------------------- 2 boards joining
------------------------------------------------------------------ next board covering joint
 
nice doors !!!! look at knockers on that !!!

me (cos im a tight wad) id split a cheap honeycombed door put a wooden brace or 2 in and fill it with rockwool.. space allowing id use 2 doors with some porch type entrance..
 
Think I'll do the same. Do you think you can give me instructions on how to do it your way?

It would mean a great deal to me.

Thanks
 
A quick note on doors..... I built my own for buttons

I bought some 4"x2" timber, and a couple of sheets of 8'x4' ¼" plywood, some 8x4 plasterboard and 4 2" right angle brackets.

I cut the 4x2 timber down to 3x2 on a table saw, 2 sides a top and bottom.

1.Use the angle brackets on the insides of the corners of your door frame on the 3" side of the wood

2 nail a sheet of ply over one side of the frame and flip the whole thing over

3. cut 2 sheets of plasterboard (this should be the 12.5mm stuff I should mention), green glue one sheet of plasterboard inside the frame and onto the plywood.

4. drop in some 2" RW45. If you cut the frame down to 3" you should have 12.5mm left to drop in your other sheet of cut plasterboard

5. green glue it and cover with the other sheet of plywood and nail it all around the frame.

6. stand back and admire your super new door :eek::D

Don't worry that it has no handles or latch mechanism...the handles that go right through the doors with a bar that works the latch need a big hole that you can never seal properly. Instead get a fixed screw on handle for the side that pulls, you don't need a handle to push a door open on the other side.

Get one of them little screw on sprung ball latches from B&Q for a couple of quid....buy a cheap small chisel with the change from your fiver to mortice out the recess in the door for the sprung ball mechanism to sit in and to take a bit out the frame for the same purpose when the door is closed.

Now a door is a door but it's the seal and the frame that make a door a good studio door. Best thing you can do is MAKE the doorframe to fit the door you just made, it's easy. This time use 6"x2"...think I used 5"x2 if I remember correctly cut from 6x2 on the table saw. Lay the door down and build a 4 sided frame around it using 2" thick for the top and sides and 1" for the bottom...yeah everyone forgets and trips over it but it lets you put a good seal all the way around the door. Don't use that sticky backed foam stuff on a roll for the seal. You want the good hollow circular rubber stuff........you're thinking that's gonna cost more than the door, right? Wrong....get up your local car scrap yard with a stanley knife and help yourself to some door seals...volvo ones are good if you can get them ;)
 
#2... make sure you square off your frame before you nail on the first sheet of ply and I should have mentioned to caulk or glue up the seams when you flip it over

Reading that all back, playground safety rubber and car door seals...no wonder everyone thinks us scottish are tight fisted bastages with our money lol
 
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Lemontree that sounds like a plan. The only problem is My little brain needs to work with pictures. I can understand what your saying but I'm sure if I actually tried to follow what you just said and start building it, I would screw up somewhere with disastrous results.
 
If I can find a decent solid core/fire door for a good price I might just do that and follow cakewalkKaKed instructions. I think making a whole door from scratch will be a bit too much for me. It's been hard enough trying to understand how to build the rest of the room.
 
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