Walls
Below you’ll find a compilation of wall soundproofing products. The list is arranged by the cost of the solution, from high to low.
Solution: QuietRock
Cost: Very Expensive
Summary: Basically a specially manufactured sheetrock that reduces noise transfer. A positive is that you can hang it just like traditional drywall which should make installation costs very similar to standard drywall. The disadvantage is that it weighs more and can cost 10 times more than traditional drywall. It is available in a variety of thicknesses from 1/2″ to 1 3/8″. The thicker versions have better sound insulation performance.
Solution: Acoustiblok
Cost: Expensive
Summary: Acoustiblok is a proprietary formulated viscoelastic polymer, which in layman’s terms is a thick sheet of rubbery material. It is pliable and a typical wall installation is to attach it directly to the studs before you put your regular sheetrock up. With a little experience, it is pretty easy to hang. The claimed sound dampening is similar to QuietRock. One nice thing about Acoustiblok is that it can be used on walls, ceilings, and floors, so you can buy in bulk and use it for many different soundproofing applications in your home.
Solution: Homasote Soundbarrier
Cost: Moderate
Summary: This one is a little tricky to price for walls, because the Soundbarrier material should be paired with a standard layer of drywall and stud glue. When you add it all up, it is still cheaper than QuietRock, but the noise reducing performance is not quiet as good. The noise reduction relies somewhat on decoupling the Soundbarrier from the drywall by screwing the drywall to the Soundbarrier NOT at the studs. So, when you install that plasma tv on the wall, if you screw through the drywall and Soundbarrier to get to the stud, you’ve just broken your decoupling and introduced sound penetration. So, walls might not be the best use for this stuff, but it works well on floors.
Solution: Mass Loaded Vinyl
Cost: Moderate
Summary: Priced about double green glue, but half of Acoustiblok, Mass Loaded Vinyl is a moderate cost soundproofing product. The product is often described as a loaded vinyl barrier with a foam backing. It could be confused with Acoustiblok, but the price difference should alert you to the differences. Many manufacturers of this product will make inflated claims as to the amount of soundproofing you’ll get. It certainly offers soundproofing, but not nearly as much as Acoustiblok or QuietRock. If you are on a tight construction budget this product can be a fit for your project. Typical application is to staple this material to Soundboard which is attached directly to the studs.
Solution: Noiseproofing Clips
Cost: Moderate
Summary: This product helps isolate your walls from the studs or frame which helps reduce the noise transfer (especially low frequency noise like subwoofers) between walls. Basically you are floating your wall a centimeter off your studs with the help of these clips. While the product isn’t very pricey, it will certainly involve more labor than simply hammering wallboard directly into your studs.
Solution: Walldamp
Cost: Moderate
Summary: A slightly different take on wall soundproofing, this product is applied to the studs and plates between your walls. It comes as a tape that you stick right on to the studs. The product helps keep your wallboard from passing noise on to the studs and ultimately through to the other side of your walls. This seems like a good product to use in combination with some of the other board-based solutions, but the added cost might be more than you want to spend.
Solution: Green Glue
Cost: Inexpensive
Summary: If you’ve already got your walls up before you notice a sound problem, and you want to try a pretty quick and inexpensive fix, this product is a great fit. Basically you are going to sandwich a new layer of drywall over your existing drywall and squirt some of this green goo in between the sandwiched layers of drywall. It doesn’t sound like much, but many people report positive results.
Not Recommended:
- Soundboard: Not very effective on its own. Priced nominally above regular drywall.
- Double Drywall: Minimal dampening for the money, use Green Glue or similar between the two layers for better results.