Owens Corning Help!

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ThaArtist

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Hey everyone,

Well I've been looking into purchasing some owens corning 703. I am in Milwaukee Wisconsin which is a fairly large city. I thought for sure someone would stock it, carry it, or be able to order it, but it seems I am wrong.

I looked on www.owenscorning.com and got a list of local suppliers and none carry this product and some were just confused as to waht I was talking about.

How did you get yours?
How was it sold? (box of 12? 2'x4'? 4'x8'?)
How much did it cost?

I'm trying to get ahold of this stuff and build my own panels but it seems I'm gonna have to go with Auralex since its that much easier to get ahold of. I can order Auralex from tons of places online...

Whats going on? Any information is helpful.

Or if anyone has any extra sheets they'd like to sell!
 
Everyone keeps telling me they only have DOW Fiberglass Insulation Sheets. Any info on that?
 
Ok I found a place on this message board, as many of you know...

http://www.spi-co.com

Sells Owens Corning 703 Nationwide and they WILL ship via mail carrier, so if there isn't one by you that you can pick it up you can simply call the closest place. :)

Here is what I was quoted from the Chicago branch.

2' x 4' x 1/2" sheets are sold $1.00 per square foot. Sold in boxes containing 64 square feet. Thats simply $64.00.

2' x 4' x 2" sheets are sold $1.23 per square foot. Sold in boxes containing 48 square feet. Thats $59.04

Looks like i found the place. Hope this helps someone.
 
Thanx for the link. I live in Madison and was told by a Menards employee that they carried it: WRONG! :mad:
 
Yeah I tried a lot of places around Milwaukee... I'm glad I found out about SPI... Now I just gotta figure out the best way to build these panels...
 
If you can't find the 703/705 stuff, consider Rockwool. It's cheaper and has very similar acoustic properties.
 
ThaArtist said:
I looked on www.owenscorning.com and got a list of local suppliers and none carry this product and some were just confused as to waht I was talking about.

i ran into this too, people that would have at least heard of it but just looked at me like i had a penis sticking out of my forehead.
 
Phyl said:
If you can't find the 703/705 stuff, consider Rockwool. It's cheaper and has very similar acoustic properties.

doesn't rockwool come in bags though?
 
Whether rockwool is cheaper or not depends on where you are. Most places it is. It's also available in 'boards' like 703 and 705 and densities from 2lbs through 8lbs.

Density for density it's pretty similar in performance. However, it's a PITA to work with IMO. I usually stick to 703 or acoustical cotton.
 
bpape said:
Whether rockwool is cheaper or not depends on where you are. Most places it is. It's also available in 'boards' like 703 and 705 and densities from 2lbs through 8lbs.

Density for density it's pretty similar in performance. However, it's a PITA to work with IMO. I usually stick to 703 or acoustical cotton.

What sort of problems have you had?

I used some 3 pcf in my walls and aside from it being slightly wider than my stud spacings it was okay to work with, less skin irritation that 703. Certainly less rigid than the 703 stuff however so I can see how it being limp might be a problem.

I've also got some 8 pcf stuff, it's pretty rigid; haven't decided what to do with it yet.
 
bpape said:
Density for density it's pretty similar in performance. However, it's a PITA to work with IMO. I usually stick to 703 or acoustical cotton.

I covered over 30 panels of 2'x4'x2" (8# density) rockwool (Fibrex was the brand I believe) and it was no easier or harder than the 20 or so panels of OC703 I covered.

The rigid fiberglass may be *slightly* more rigid than the rockwool... but I wouldn't hestiate to use either one. Especially if the rockwool is easier to obtain or is cheaper.
 
Absolutely. If you can get it and NOT get703, I'd agree to use it. I make panels and bass absorbers all the time for some of my local customers who don't want to DIY. I've used 703, 705, 3, 4, 8lb rocwool, and 1.5, 3, and 6lb acoustical cotton.

Like I said, I have no problems with the performance of rockwool vs. fiberglass (density being the same) for pretty much any application. The rockwool can do a fine job and can absolutely be cheaper in some places.

The issues I have with the rockwool is when you have to cut it. It seems to crumble and shed horribly at the drop of a hat which 703 is MUCH less likely to do and cotton won't do at all if cut properly. Not to mention the stink - but that's temporary.

The 8lb rockwool makes great bass absorbers BTW.
 
bpape said:
The issues I have with the rockwool is when you have to cut it. It seems to crumble and shed horribly at the drop of a hat which 703 is MUCH less likely to do and cotton won't do at all if cut properly. Not to mention the stink - but that's temporary.

The 8lb rockwool makes great bass absorbers BTW.

I had the same problems with cutting the 3 pcf stuff when I stuffed my walls. I used a box cutter but it still crumbled if I wasn't careful.

I've been thinking about using the 8 pcf stuff for my corner absorbers (straddling corners). What sort of bass absorbers did you build?

BTW, have you built any Helmholtz absorbers? I'm leaning towards more broadband treatment but am toying with the idea of building a helmholtz tuned to ~300Hz and putting it near the drum kit.
 
I've built sealed panel absorbers, 4-6" panels straddling the corners, and solid corners made by cutting the material into triangles with a 1.4x1.4x2' size and stacking them up (really nice bass control).

What you do in a live room is a different story. You don't want it really dead. I still like broadband (faced so bass only) but don't overdo it. If the room is large enough to support sealed panel absorbers, make them from several different densities of material and depths so you in effect, still get broadband in the bottom end but nothing in terms of mid/HF absorbtion.

The sealed panels will work (assuming they have at least 1" of some 3 or 6lb 703 or equivalent in them) over somewhere around 1.5 octaves. Don't try to tune anything below say 70Hz or so. Maybe center 3 different designs at 70, 150, and 250. Scatter the different types around the room to provide even absorbtion.

The real Helmholz designs only work over about an octave - if that - unless you make them very large and with variable depths/slot widths and spacings, etc. Even then, you won't get as much absorbtion per square foot as you will from broadband or from the sealed panel types.

Just my 2 cents.

Bryan
 
Great info, and certainly in line with the conventional wisdom I've read elsewhere.

Thanks man.
 
Rockwool cutting tip. Try a serrated steak knife- use a motion like a saw . Cuts super easy! ;)
 
Yeah, that does a decent job. But when you're cutting 20 panels into 8 pcs each and trying to get everything to cut nice straight lines, that's a PITA that takes a long time and you end up with edges that are far from straight. 703 and a sharp disposable long blade razor knife is quick work in comparison. All a matter of cost vs time I guess.

For me making lots of panels, saving $20 vs saving a couple of hours and worrying about what the finished product looks like is an easy choice. YMMV
 
I just made a bunch of bass traps with 8lb. Roxull/Rockwool/mineral wool. They work great and its not nearly as bad to work with as people say.
2'X2' diamonds on the parallel walls checkerboard pattern with empty squares in betweeen and large 2'X8' traps straddling the corners of the room.

I'm in Vegas work in Construction and none of my contacts here have the Owens Corning crap and wouldn't order in 200sqft. Mineral wool is usually a stock item for commercial suppliers because it's used as a fire protection.
 
As I said - it depends on where you are. Rockwool is a fine product and there is no problem with it's performance. If you're making a few, that's fine. If you're making a lot that require a lot of cutting like I do, it's a different story. All a matter of tradeoffs.
 
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