Hi, I have a question for anyone who has framed a control room within a room (particularly a larger/medium one).
What is the best way to make it stable?
my dimensions:
20w x 15L x 8h to 11h slanted ceiling.
I am planning on framing the floor with 2"x4" studs and same with the walls, 16" on center (as per building code in the US).
The floor will be filled with sand and the walls will have double 1/2" and 5/8" gypsum.
A builder recommended adding supports to the actual ceiling, but this will compromise STC and that is an issue.
I want this to be done right!
-Taylor
Room within a room stability
Originally posted at johnlsayers.com, topic 18347.
Hi Talyor, and welcome to the forum! :)
You know, it always gets me how builders, who should know better, just don't think things through logically. Ask that builder what he attaches the roof of a house to, up above, when he builds one.... Does he screw some hooks into the sky? So if a house doesn't need support from above, then why would a room inside the house need support, if it is built the same way? :) I mean, there's no reason why YOU should know this, since you aren't a builder, but HE should have been able to figure it out! He builds houses for a living... If a house can stand up all by itself without needing support from above, then obviously if you build a smaller version of that house inside a bigger house, then it too can stand up all by itself with no support from above... So you just frame the walls, and the ceiling, exactly as you would for a flat-roofed house, with OSB on the studs and joists as your first layer, and that's it. It will stand up. Just like a house. :) (If you need more isolation, then add a layer of drywall directly over the OSB.)A builder recommended adding supports to the actual ceiling,
Why? What's the purpose of that? What are you going to build that on top of? There must be something there already, such as a concrete slab or something?I am planning on framing the floor with 2"x4" ... The floor will be filled with sand
Forget the 1/2" stuff: It's too thin, light, and flexible to give you good isolation. Also, why do you think you need 3 layers of drywall on your inner-leaf? What is your goal (in decibels) for isolation? - Stuart -the walls will have double 1/2" and 5/8" gypsum.
Hi! Thanks for the reply Stuart!
Today the builder actually told me just that, It needs to be built like a house. The initial idea was to save costs...
Yes, we are building on top of a concrete slab, however I figured OSB on the floor joists wold create a drum-head effect. What do you recommend?The floor will be filled with sand Why?
Sorry for the confusion, I meant one layer of 1/2" and one layer of 5/8". Would you recommend two layers of 5/8? My isolation goal is around 20dB. Leaking is not a problem, I just need to attenuate traffic noise. -TaylorAlso, why do you think you need 3 layers of drywall on your inner-leaf? What is your goal (in decibels) for isolation?
Hi! Thanks for the reply Stuart!
Today the builder actually told me just that, It needs to be built like a house. The initial idea was to save costs...
Yes, we are building on top of a concrete slab, however I figured OSB on the floor joists wold create a drum-head effect. What do you recommend?The floor will be filled with sand Why?
Sorry for the confusion, I meant one layer of 1/2" and one layer of 5/8". Would you recommend two layers of 5/8? My isolation goal is around 20dB. Leaking is not a problem, I just need to attenuate traffic noise. -TaylorAlso, why do you think you need 3 layers of drywall on your inner-leaf? What is your goal (in decibels) for isolation?
Just plain concrete! It's a great surface, acoustically, and anything you put on top means less height in the room. If you don't like the look of concrete, then lay laminate flooring (with the correct underlay), or ceramic tiles, or linoleum, or something like that. The idea is to keep the floor hard and reflective, then treat the ceiling accordingly. There are some very nice finishes available these days in laminate or ceramics. Excellent acoustically, easy to install, and take up very little height. Another option is to polish the concrete, and/or stain it. If you look around the forum, you'll find several builds where the floor has just been stained and looks spectacular.Yes, we are building on top of a concrete slab, however I figured OSB on the floor joists wold create a drum-head effect. What do you recommend?
Yes. For good isolation, two layers of 5/8" is ideal. 1/2" drywall, OSB or ply is not very useful: it's resonant characteristics are not as good as 5/8", so the general recommendation is to do everything with 5/8".Sorry for the confusion, I meant one layer of 1/2" and one layer of 5/8". Would you recommend two layers of 5/8?
:?: :shock: That's about one tenth of what a normal house wall gets you. Maybe you meant an additional 20, above what the walls are giving you already? An ordinary house wall will give you about 30 dB, give or take a few, and 50 dB is good for a studio, so I imagine you meant to say "20 dB more than what you have currently"?My isolation goal is around 20dB.
Can you be more specific as to what type of traffic noise, and how loud? It's one thing to isolate typical tire noise from cars driving past at a fixed speed, and another thing entirely to isolate engine noise from heavy trucks or buses climbing a hill. So it would help to understand your problems and goals better if you could provide more info on that, and also on any other types of noises that you need to keep out (eg, wind, rain, hail, thunder, aircraft flying over, radios, TVs, phones, people talking, etc.) - Stuart -I just need to attenuate traffic noise.
Yes, thats what I meant. I don't have a good dB meter at the moment so forgive me...Maybe you meant an additional 20, above what the walls are giving you already? An ordinary house wall will give you about 30 dB, give or take a few, and 50 dB is good for a studio, so I imagine you meant to say "20 dB more than what you have currently"?
Well the location is unfortunately right on a busy 4 lane main road, half a block from a stop light. At busy times the SPL could get to 80-90dB and at night 50dB or lower. I will purchase an SPL meter this week and give you more accurate measurements. We have decided today (as per your advice) we will ditch the subfloor and build directly on the concrete!Can you be more specific as to what type of traffic noise, and how loud?