The MOST Effective Way to Soundproof any Room 

Great video to watch at 3 A.M.

Awesome detail. I need to do this in my townhome with my shared walls.

Jeff, You are knowledgeable and not afraid of hard work. I would guess it doesn't suck to be you. :)

Loads of Tips and Tricks! Thank you, Jeff!

Jeff, I have a constructive question for you. Why go through all that work to soundproof that room correctly. Only to put in a french door that probably negates all that work. Its solid wood and has next to zero soundproofing.

What are the cheapest ways to sound-proof windows? Is it necessary to pay for double-pane or triple-pane glass? Can plexiglass work for mass to save money if you’re not obsessed with window quality?

Get yourself a center scriber for woodworking, or make one. It’s essentially a piece of material (plastic, aluminum or wood) with a hole in the centre for your pencil lead and a peg on each end. You pivot it on the edge of the board you want to find the centre for so that the pegs pinch the board. Your hole is now centred on the board. Stick your lead in there and slide the scriber, giving you a perfect centre line.

Finished a room but paid a drywall crew to do the taping and mudding. I asked them if they sanded and they said no, pros don't need to sand. They did a fantastic job. They went on to explain to me that in the trade if you're seen sanding, you're not considered a pro. Takes longer. They also prefer the mesh tape over the paper tape. Found them on Angie's list, they had a 5 star review from over 100 customers. So, I dunno, seems legit to me and seen 1st hand it all done with no sanding. They used a quick set mud and a wet sponge at times to blend and feather.

My brick house from the 40s is sound proof by default. You can blast the surround sound to the max, go outside, and barely hear if anything. Great for me and my neighbors.

The crime scene has been tampered with! Now what? Haha great video very informative. Great work!🎉

what is the best alternative to the sonopan for people in the USA?

How wood you sound proof 2nd floor bedroom with noise coming from road, would you take off exterior vinyl siding and install a board of some sort and re-hang the siding or tackle from the interior?

9:00 Great tip. Really opened my eyes

Jeff is the real life Red Green (iykyk) except instead of using duct tape to fix everything, he uses an Olfa knife.

I usually start my holes in hardwood with an awl or centerpunch, as if I was drilling metal.

Good info. However, that was a costly project to install uninsulated pocket doors, or did I miss something?

hey jeff, can you make a video on sanding floors PLEASE!!!

Wool is 70kg/m^3 vs fibreglass which is 40kg/m^3. If mass is important in sound insulation wool has more of it.

Thanks

Interesting video and overall project, but I'm afraid the final test doesn't tell much about how soundproof that home theater room really is for its purpose. Soundproofing a room to be able to listen to a small portable stereo without hearing it too much from the room above it is easy. Preventing the transmission of the large amount of bass frequencies that serious home theater subwoofers can produce when watching a blockbuster movie at theater sound level is another story, and I'd be very surprised if it'd work really well enough in these conditions. Also, another big problem that I can see is that, unless you add a ton of acoustic treatment later on (which doesn't seem to be the case judging by the video's thumbnail and the already smallish finished room), the finished room is going to sound terrible like it is, very resonant and agressive (as you can hear when he speaks in it, only much worse when playing at theater level), as it only has hard reflective surfaces (painted drywall on the walls and ceiling).

Hey Jeff, in your earlier videos you added double 5/8" drywall with green glue. If this a more effective method, with sonopan and A single 5/8" sheet of drywall? Im looking to do my entire badement ceiling, ends up being around 1900sqft of drywall, thanks!

I think I’m going to try boxing around pot lights with ProRox SL 960 Rockwool board (1 inch), since I already have some. I don’t want to go in double strapping or even strapping in this portion of my shop since I’m dealing with an eight foot ceilings. Above this is an enclosed mezzanine that will be office/back up living quarters. I want real pot lights so I can use very good 95 CRI bulbs with great R9 ratings…can’t find that in the little puck lights. Other than a few runs of 4-6 inch ducts, the rest of I joist will get 8.5 inches of Rockwool with couple of inches of air gap (required for under subfloor hydronic anyway, but I think it will help with sound proofing). I am not looking for perfection here. It’s a shop…just taking the edge away from a planner or grinder running straight down below or below and to the open bay side.

Great Job n well done. Thank you very much.

Despite my silly profile name, I'm a physicist and have been an acoustic researcher/consultant since 1996, guest lecturer to 3rd year University architecture students for 6 years, court-approved subject matter expert, state government authorised auditor and my business consults to architects on acoustic design. There are many things right about Jeff's build here but one major problem: the Sonopan. These products have decent noise reduction coefficient (NRC to reduce reverberant build-up within the space) but generally poor sound transmission loss (STL, for use as a mass barrier). Sonopan is 224kg/m^3 compared to 615kg/m^3 for fire rated gyprock (Aussie for "drywall"). EDIT: The sono product here has the same STC rating as a sheet of 13mm drywall. In this build, more MASS (weight, not density) will have been achieved had the Sonopan been additional drywall sheeting. I would advise retaining the existing drywall as a base to build upon, but admit it is satisfying watching my go-to DIY advisor smash a hammer through a wall. Adding battens, insulation infill and a final layer of drywall would not have been acoustically inferior to Jeff's far more complicated and, might I say, expensive build. Modern downlights that do not compromise acoustic integrity are readily available. As the lady sang ... "It's all about that bass, no treble". To silence noisy insects just close a thin glass window, but to silence a subwoofer you need bricks (with alternatives beyond the scope of a YT comment that nobody will read!). The high NRC of the Sonopan is negated by covering it with drywall, making the Sonopan just expensive additional cavity insulation (Jeff was spot-on with his early comments about cost/benefit of cavity insulation). OK, it's more than "just" additional insulation since is IS a bit of extra mass and also a partial mechanical decoupler/damper for the drywall. In reverse (drywall then Sonopan facing the interior of the space) the combined STC is the same (same mass either way) but the exposed Sonopan would reduce the internal reverberant field by about 3-4 dB at the wall/ceiling surfaces, thereby effectively increasing the system STL by this amount as perceived in adjoining rooms. It would also improve the acoustics of the space. "Boomy" hard rooms are fantastic for Yo-yo Ma and his cello, not so great for anything else. (Aside: classic old churches are really "echoey". This has a benefit. Who wants to sing hymns in an outside congregation when you're lousy and the person next to you is a good singer? Solution: reverb! Washed out reverb increases total volume, masks adjoining voices (and yours), encourages shy singers (aka most people) to sing, makes them happier and the offering plate gets fuller when it is passed around. Of all the tall stories one could make up, this isn't one.) Would the Sonopan look bad exposed to the room? Probably (aka, I don't care), but as I told the architecture students, acousticians are largely blind and architects are largely deaf! I have a job tomorrow in which pink noise will be played through a loudspeaker and measured in the source room and adjoining rooms with my spectrum analysers so I can certify the acoustic performance across the standard third-octave frequency range 50Hz - 5kHz in a new high-rise apartment development. It would be interesting to test Jeff's space then rip off the Sonopan and drywall, reverse them and re-test. Yeah, like that's gonna happen :) EDIT: Wet wipes are $2. "Baby wipes" are $4. Same with acoustic products. You throw in the word "acoustic" and you can double your price. For example, a group from my professional association had a major manufacturer in Australia change the advertising for their "acoustic" plasterboard since it had an identical STL spectrum to their cheaper, 3mm thicker standard product. After my first 5 years studying the test data sheets from suppliers of acoustic products I have essentially never recommended an acoustic product for over 15 years unless a client (or their starry-eyed architect!) really wanted it, since in 99% of cases the desired result can be achieved with standard construction materials and possibly a few novel installation methods. I could go on and on as though I'm in an echo chamber ... which by the way can be fixed by having the Sonopan facing into the space rather than sheeting over it ... but I think that'll do for now. PS. I really like that sliding cavity door (I'm currently converting a wall diving two flats in my recently purchased 100-year-old timber house to turn it back into a rambling home and Jeff's door is awesome!) but if I were reviewing it for an architect for inclusion in a noise-rated wall ... totally different story!

Great videos . I am building a Home Theater in my basement three walls of that area or exterior walls, cement block and one wall opens up into the rest of the basement. Do I need to soundproof the cement sided walls as well appreciate your input. Great work on the videos.

Dj in need of Sound Proof Sound Proof Sound Proof in a 150 year old converted attic . 🎉

How warm is this room going to be compared to the rest of the house!? By sealing all the air gaps, I would think it’s going to be 50º (that’s really warm in Celsius, right???) in there! (I may come back to delete this if it’s covered later in the video.)

You can also put squares of foam along the corners of the finished room to catch the sound and prevent reverberation.

Thanks for mentioning the dry wall feed gun tool. 27:00 I was wondering about that. Was wondering what you thought about it versus price.

Great job. Learned a ton and 1/2

Very informative. Great job

you are incredibly amazing !

Mass loaded vinyl and channels no longer needed? Is it the same quality of sound proofing with these materials?

Sound proof with echo ?

Can I use r-30 instead of r-20 for soundproofing? Found an amazing deal on r30 left over from a construction project

Is this a re-load? I feel like I've watched this before.

I'll gladly repeat this until it sinks in: The primary function of fluffy insulation is to help dampen resonances within the wall cavity. There's no reasonable amount of fluff that you can stuff into a wall cavity that will contribute a meaningful amount of mass to the assembly. That's the job of the drywall or other solid wall panel.

Just wondering if you need to strap the joists with 1x3 before putting up the sonopan. Could you put the Sonopan up (screwed into the joists) then strap it with the 2x3's?

Hey Jeff, I’m sound proofing my bdsm dungeon but I don’t want to lose out on valuable height, could I do this but with 1x3s on the ceiling instead?

Interesting

This is not gonna cut it. i need more soundproofing for the hostage I have in the basement.

Does this work for keeping you from hearing noisy neighbors?

What's the best primer to hide drywall seams? Whenever I make fixes using drywall compound I always feel like I can still see the drywall seams through the paint.

Is the green board more effective than resilient channel?

NOOOOOOO! Not another Sonopan project! Jeff, you're killing us down here in the "lower 50". Great video, though, regardless.

I did an attic conversion and have so far framed up the floor and walls… with that, there is no insulation from the lower level which is the ceiling to the floor of the conversion… I am wanting to make a studio but have gotten stuck on soundproofing… I have only seen to double drywall and green glue… I’m just wondering should I spray foam the whole room combined with fiberglass insulation insulation board and double the drywall? Or which combination would work best? Thanks I’m advance

Hi Jeff what do u recomand for floor airborn noise sound proofing since i coud not find any video in your channel that u talk about thx

Put a rubber floor mat and top it with a heavy carpet, Hang ultra-thick blanket to the walls and door, Add a heavy furniture like a sofa, and if you can install couple panels to the ceiling. No one will hear you making out. *Have an emergency panic button just in case😂

How do you install hardboard on a vinylsiding double wide home . The siding is cracking off after 20 yrs.

I’m doing plywood flooring in an attic conversion so how do I soundproof from below

I have never seen so much grunting since I saw the movie Caligula.

Question for my own project would powder nailing that subfloor system down work ok or do you know of problems it would cause

Just for the record, "soundproof" is largely a misnomer. In residential and light commercial construction there is essentially NO WAY to eliminate all sound transmission at all frequencies. Completely-isolated, double-wall assemblies can do a pretty good job but even they begin to fail at higher SPLs and lower frequencies, especially if adjoining spaces share a floor system or foundation. There is *always* a compromise and the best you can hope for on any budget is "good enough". This is physics, not pessimism.

Hello love your Videos I learnd a lot thank you, if you have the chance would this work for building a Recording studio or would you go about it differently?

Awesome video thanks

All the serial killers will appreciate this 🤣🤣

36:04 The "sound quality" in the room will change when you put up drywall. Sonopan is not an acoustical treatment. At least not if it gets covered by a wall panel. Let's not confuse sound transmission loss and room acoustics. Jeff, your heart is in the right place but you're using imprecise language and confusing your concepts.

If I remove dry wall on a particular wall to see what's behind it... trying to find wood to hang my framed artwork on...many of them. Stud finder not too helpful because seems not many studs/boards??? Wall is not an outside wall... bathroom hardware is on bathroom outside wall .. shouldn't be on wall backside - that I am wanting to expose. Hope this makes sense. Thx. RU-vid waynesville NC 🇺🇸 veteran

Did you release this video already?

By installing the drywall on the studs, on top of the sonopan ... does this not create the "triple leaf" effect? which apparently is not good for sound transfer reduction ?

2nd issue regarding 150 year old attic remodel is keeping loft cool in summer and warm in the winter. Send me an answer music man .

I did this 😂 Ruined my drywall...the plastic sweated through so had to rip up the wall and start over...

I declare this video "Tickety boo"

Still no Sonopan in the USA. ☹️ Anyone know a similar alternative? Somebody down here must be making a knock off.

Im wanting to build a guitar room under the house,.

Exelente trabajo!!

Why not create a green bored door. 53:19 and let the green bored stuff the floor.

Sonpan layer in the material sandwich as an acoustic break, Is the bottom of the door running in a channel to cover the gap? Door sweep on a pocket door? Could use a 10" knife if tape isn't an option. Keep a rag handy to prevent build up. Work clean. Slow is fast.

What about SonopanX ????

Anyone have a link to the plastic tape thing to wrap around the electrical box? I had never seen it before and would be nice to use in my basement.

All that work and not to use RC1 channel to decouple is a shame. Also, running duct work (steel no less) into the room so you have a sound tube to the rest of the house was a big missed opportunity. He should have made a torturous path duct with Ducboard to reduce noice transmission to the rest of the house.

Why not use rock wall

cool

We talked a lot about screws

You guys CAN NOT tell me he doesn’t sound like Matt Walsh!

great video but why does the editor make jarring cuts after every 1-2 words lol

💙

The sound is coming from the window don't you think

This is hardly soundproofing. You need mechanical decoupling for any sort of real results. It does not matter how much insulation or sonopan you put up, if you have the drywall coupled to the studs/rafters/joists then it's going to transmit damn near everthing below 150hz like you had no insulation at all. You've just maybe killed off a few db of high frequencies with this method. Subwoofer will go straight though and might even be louder than before. How do i know? I've spent 2 years trying to soundproof a house next to a busy road, and no amount of drywall, insulation, or green glue has helped like decoupling clips or a separate decoupled wall. Structural transmission is the largest hurdle to sound reduction. Don't waste your time or money unless you are implementing decoupling, especially if you're already down at the studs

forbidden fruit roll up

My ass ciao. Can't wait no mo'.

This guy puts in so much effort to soundproof the walls and seal all the gaps… and then just hangs a wooden door… with no seal at all… lmao

Craftsman not DEWALT?!!!

Shave off the grey, keep the stache you will thank me

best sound proof i ever had was saw dust

The beginning tho 😅

This new sim sucks. The downloads are so slow to load up. Geeeeeeez my grammar sucks too. Too exhausted maybe. My brain cells just workin' 10% maybe LOL.

Fanduel: What's the plus/minus for serial killers/rapists this video has helped? LMAO... My guess is out of 66k views. About 50 people have some insidious reasons they watched this.

if you r house neeeds soundproofing your house is just a little too small firef lame flame were the business hundred million diollars

13:04 thats what she said 😅 👈