Second floor drum booth. Doable? Worth it?

Hello all. I frequented this site quite a long time ago when I attempted to sound isolate my townhouse basement. Lots of effort went into that project, I burnt out when I was 90% done and never really finished but learned a lot. Well, I’m back with a new townhouse and (perhaps?) less grand ambitions. We recently purchased an old (@1890) townhouse here in DC. I want to build an isolation booth. The basement will soon provide rental income so that location is out, leaving only a small (13’x9’) room on the second floor (above our first floor—not the rental unit) to hopefully construct the booth. The primary purpose of this booth will be to play my small drum kit. I’m not a basher but even restrained playing is still too loud for my family and I presume neighbors. My plan for the booth is modest—7’ x 5’ and 8’ in height exterior dimensions (my kit is small and I am nimble). I will certainly consult with a structural engineer prior to construction. However the wood floor is sitting on 2”x10” joists that span 13.5’ (the width of the house) and are 16” o.c. The walls and the ceiling would be “inside out”—2 layers of 5/8” drywall on the exterior of the booth, OC703 between the studs with a permeable fabric on the interior. Thinking now, the booth walls would be a good 4" away from the closest room wall. I guess that would be a single-leaf? To this point does this sound like a good start for decent isolation? Of course, I have not addressed the floor yet. So as for the floor—what I imagine to be the biggest concern—I just revisited the Rod Gervais book, which I purchased way back during my first project (on a concrete slab) to learn that a floating wood deck is not a viable option. What I envisioned prior to reading that section, were two layers of MDF (thickness to be determined) on a 2x4 deck floating on something. I also assumed I would fill the deck cavity with 703 too. Obviously, Rod’s passage on floating decks makes me question this (to say the least). Yes, impact noise is a consideration for the room below so according to the book it may not be entirely worthless. I do not however want the two layers of MDF to act as a sympathetic drumhead either. Rod also says that sand does have advantages in dampening a wood deck. Don’t know if sand would put me over the weight limit on my second floor but am wondering about a floating sand-filled wood deck? I should note that I planned on building the walls onto this floating deck. I am looking to get some input as to whether my initial plan would be effective for a small booth or as Rod’s book indicates would not. It is my unlikely hope that Rod’s note on floating floors only apply to larger rooms—like I said, unlikely. Once again, I am hoping to be able to play the drums at a moderate volume without disturbing my co-habitators or neighbors. I know that I have not addressed the door, ventilation, or electricity yet. Thanks, Matt

Welcome back, Matt! :)

I am looking to get some input as to whether my initial plan would be effective for a small booth or as Rod’s book indicates would not. It is my unlikely hope that Rod’s note on floating floors only apply to larger rooms—like I said, unlikely.

Rod is spot on here. Isolating anything on the second floor is a lot harder than on the ground floor, and floating a floor is a really tough proposition. I'm not sure if you have read this thread (below) before, but it explains the issues quite well. It's looking at things form the opposite perspective (why a floating floor is a bad idea on top of a slab), but most of the information is very valid for your situation: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=8173 That said, it all depends on one single number: "How much isolation do you need, in terms of decibels?". Once you answer that, then everything else will be clear. So I'd suggest that it should be your first priority to put a number on that. :) - Stuart -