Dear all,
This is my second post here and I have to thanks once again for those who contribute to this massive database. :D
Now let's get to my problem, I am going to build a band rehearsal studio and there is a problem concerning the ceiling.
As you can see from the picture
There are some protruding beams across the room (very irritating...).
They are solid concrete and the ceiling is also concrete.
The above picture is a schematic diagram of the room (not in scale!)
The problem is that when we try to design a decoupled ceiling, shown in the below diagram
the ceiling is too low (~7.5 ft) and it is deemed undesirable to us (both acoustically and the "feeling" of having a low ceiling).
So we are trying to find other ways to decouple the ceiling in order to insulate the sound, and we have thought of another way:
What do you think of it?
And would there be any simpler and better solution than the aforementioned one?
If we forget about insulating the beam (as it is a thick solid concrete mass), just doing sound insulation (wood stud on ceiling - sound proof clip - hat channel - gypsum board) on the top ceiling - would it be a big problem?
(My intuition tell me that it would be a problem since without decoupling, this concrete mass would be a major flanking path which would cause leakage of sound..), but can anyone give me a solid answer for this?
Thanks in advance :wink:
Ceiling insulation problem: protruding concrete beam
Originally posted at johnlsayers.com, topic 18198.
You could use resilient channel directly across the bottom of the concrete beams, with the drywall hung from those. That would only take a couple of inches off the height, and still give you good isolation. RC is only about 1/2" thick, plus 2 layers of 5/8" takes up just 1-3/4". Your final ceiling height could be around 7' 10-1/4". Your other option is to build the ceiling "inside out". Since you will very likely need absorption on the entire ceiling anyway, you would not actually lose much by doing it that way. In that case, your drywall surface could be at 7' 10-1/2" (if you leave a 1/4" gap above).And would there be any simpler and better solution than the aforementioned one?
Your intuition is right! Yes, if you don't decouple the drywall from the concrete, then any vibration in the concrete structure itself will be transmitted into your room (and vice-versa). There might not be a lot of transmission the other way: from sounds inside your room going out, but there still could be some transmission, and in any event the amount of structure-borne sound in the concrete is unknown: you'd find out how bad it is AFTER you get the ceiling up, and it would be too late by then! :) - Stuart -If we forget about insulating the beam (as it is a thick solid concrete mass), just doing sound insulation (wood stud on ceiling - sound proof clip - hat channel - gypsum board) on the top ceiling - would it be a big problem?
Thanks Stuart for the quick reply. :mrgreen:
I was wondering if I use resilient channel directly on the concrete surface, then I would not have the space to stuff the airspace with fiberglass (or mineral wool). Would it be a big concern?
That would only be where the actual concrete beams are, which seem to be very thick. In the gaps between the beams, there is plenty of space for the insulation. The small area where the beams are is probably not going to be an issue. - Stuart -I was wondering if I use resilient channel directly on the concrete surface, then I would not have the space to stuff the airspace with fiberglass (or mineral wool). Would it be a big concern?