Odd wall question.

So let's say you have an older, 40's style wall with horizontal 1x6s. Some of these 1 x 6s have various dips and valleys where knots have fallen out. Big knots too. So some of the valleys look more like whales than, say, "o"s. That means that, in a few spots, you're lookin' at the back of the exterior shingles! If you were planning on beefing up these walls a 'la "Sharward" (where he at?), what would you choose for fill here? Drywall will be up, smack against it so........there's that. Rockwool? Pink insulation? Thanks.

Tumbleweeds? Crickets? Here? [blows dust off old rocking chair....pulls well-worn cowboy hat over eyes......takes nap....waits.]

Tumbleweeds? Crickets?

Well, I guess you COULD use tumbleweed and crickets to fill those holes, but I can't find any published data on the acoustic properties of "tumbleweed-and-cricket-glue"!!! :) Dunno. Maybe acoustic putty would do it? The kind you use around electrical boxes? Wood filler? Some kind of resin, maybe? For holes that big, I really can't say. I hope one of the building experts can help you. Maybe Brien would know a good way to do that. - Stuart -

Thanks, Stuart. Yeah...........I can't imagine I'm the first person to wonder about this. And I've done some pretty thorough searches here (or so I think). Well, I'm off to buy some silicone caulking for some exterior sealing. Those holes will have to wait.

What are 1 x 6's? Studs? Can you replace them?

What are 1 x 6's? Studs?

Kinda like old fence boards. Actually, these have a groove where they click with the one on top of it so they're a bit more sophisticated.

Can you replace them?

I suppose so but that would be more work and expense than I would think would solve the problem. I mean, there's gotta be an easier approach. Backer rod-snakes and lots o' silicone? Cutting out odd-shaped pieces of wood and then putting those in and edge-caulking them to death? Sounds like I've gone down a very odd road here. Strange.

Just ignore it - repair is not worth the costs involved when you can just cheaply add another layer of drywall inside of the wall cavity. Rod

Thanks, Rod. Another quick wall question........ So is it advised that I fill all cracks and crevices before the application of the drywall? Basically, the lines between the 1 x 6s, should those be "siliconed"? I think Knightly recommended that I fill all of those cracks even though they'll be covered by drywall. That was a couple of years ago now and perhaps the general consensus has changed? Just checking. Thanks again.

Just thinking out loud here, and hoping Rod will give it a thumbs up or thumbs down: Lately I've seen people here talking about using closed-cell spray foam to seal up the uneven bottom of subfloors with nails poking through, prior to adding their drywall "beef": I'm wondering if that might be an option for you on your wall? A thin layer would fill your holes, seal your gaps, and leave you with a decent surface on which to place your drywall. However, I'm still not 100% convinced that this is a good idea, as I'm vaguely concerned that it might be a third leaf? Is it OK to do that, Rod (both for subfloors and also for this wall), or is that a bad idea? - Stuart -

Soundman2020 wrote:

Just thinking out loud here, and hoping Rod will give it a thumbs up or thumbs down: Lately I've seen people here talking about using closed-cell spray foam to seal up the uneven bottom of subfloors with nails poking through, prior to adding their drywall "beef": I'm wondering if that might be an option for you on your wall? A thin layer would fill your holes, seal your gaps, and leave you with a decent surface on which to place your drywall. However, I'm still not 100% convinced that this is a good idea, as I'm vaguely concerned that it might be a third leaf? Is it OK to do that, Rod (both for subfloors and also for this wall), or is that a bad idea? - Stuart -

Stuart, Here's one for ya.....are Icynene (sp?) and "Great Stuff" essentially the same thing? And, as far as I can tell, they do nothing for any soundproofing purposes. Well, I read that here anyway. I'd love to hear differently, however. ("Great Stuff" being this stuff)

Doing some more research, checking old threads, and it seems the kind of "closed cell rigid insulation" that Rod prefers for this situation is something like plain old Styrofoam sheets, and not spray foam. At least, that's what it seems to be, from a couple of comments I saw on anther thread. That "Great Stuff" seems to be the typical polyurethane closed cell spray foam that I'm also curious about. I THINK it should work for your application, but I'm not sure. In any case, if Rod says that you can forget the holes and just beef over them, that's good enough for me: Rod knows his stuff. You'd still nee to caulk/seal everything well, of course. - stuart -