Hello, I have been viewing this forum for quite a while and using posts to guide me through building my studio. I have Rods book and have also been using that as a guide. I have a question about acoustic ceiling tiles, the common ones you usually see in an office or school (white with little holes in it) and can buy at home depot or lowes. I am on a budget right now and have access to 100's of these tiles for free. My studio is all built in a garage building and am using a true seperate wall/ ceiling. Nothing is touching the existing walls or ceiling. What I am wondering about the tiles is- would attaching these tiles to the new walls and ceiling before I hang the drywall do me any good as far as sound proofing? My book says two layers of drywall makes a better STC rating than installing one on the existing wall and one on the new wall. So will these tiles help with stopping sound travel through that wall along with one layer of drywall, would it be any better than one layer of drywall?. I am not asking about acoustics at all here.
Thanks for your help
Nate
question about ceiling tiles
Originally posted at johnlsayers.com, topic 10074.
just use dry wall.
so you are saying that installing the tiles directly under the layer of drywall is going to do absolutly nothing at all for soundproofing right? I really cant afford more than one layer of dryall any time soon, thats why I am considering this.
Thanks
how would you install these under drywall any way?what size are they?
the tiles are 2'x4' standard ceiling tiles. I would nail them to the studs and cover all of the walls and ceiling completely. Then I would attach the drywall directly on top of that covering all of the walls and ceiling. I think the tiles are made out of that insulation material like 703, but they are only about 3/4" thick.
do it the other way round if your going to do it. that way if there are no real gains in isolation you can pull it down and add drywall when you got the money.
joey
Danate, I've been watching this for a bit and trying to figure out how to calculate any value - but at that time I thought you were talking about a mineral fiber ceiling tile - Now that you painted a clearer picture of what exactly the tiles are - I can answer without a doubt. The answers above are correct - the tile are useless for the purpose of sound isolation. I'm sorry that you can't afford more than 1 layer of sheetrock - perhaps you shouldsave your oney until you can afford to do this right. The best thing you could do with those tiles would be to strip the facing off of them and use the rigid fiberglass for room treatments (put them together back to back to build them out to 4 inches or so) - at least there you would have a little value. Rodthe tiles are 2'x4' standard ceiling tiles. I would nail them to the studs and cover all of the walls and ceiling completely. Then I would attach the drywall directly on top of that covering all of the walls and ceiling. I think the tiles are made out of that insulation material like 703, but they are only about 3/4" thick.
Thanks Rod and Joey!
I was looking at the tiles again today and it looks like some are the other type of material (mineral fiber i guess?) On the back and on the inside of the tiles it looks like an off white color like a mix between cardboard and particle board. They are the newer ones and seem to be more dense. Do you think these will also have no impact on soundproofing? Thanks again. I hope I don't seem annoying :roll:
Weigh a panel so we can view this from a density point of view - be exact within one ounce RodThanks Rod and Joey! I was looking at the tiles again today and it looks like some are the other type of material (mineral fiber i guess?) On the back and on the inside of the tiles it looks like an off white color like a mix between cardboard and particle board. They are the newer ones and seem to be more dense. Do you think these will also have no impact on soundproofing? Thanks again. I hope I don't seem annoying :roll:
Each 2x4' panel weighs 6.75 lbs
So that means that each panel weighs .84 psf - roughly 1/3 the weight of a 5/8" sheet of drywall (about 2.6 psf) - so I suppose that if you could find a way to install it - seal all of the joints - for 3 layers deep - and then install a sheet of drywall over it - that it would be equivilent to a little less than 2 sheets of 5/8 drywall. Of course you would have to be very carefull to satagger all of the joints - and you would have 2 extra caulks joints on the wall's perimiter - with backer rod, plus all the additional labor........... IMHO - not worth any of it - but at least you have a rough idea of what it would take to perform as compared to standard drywall.......... RodEach 2x4' panel weighs 6.75 lbs