New House and New Studio from scratch. Help!

Ditto everything Dan said. Plus, before you consider using the U-boats, see my post in the "Mason Industries' FSN Floating Floor Concrete Slab Test Data" thread... Especially the semi-hidden document that clarifies the lack of testing on U-boats. :? For the record, I'm not knocking all Auralex products... But I am knocking the U-boat product due to its lack of test data. I'm not against floating floors in general. I definitely debated the merits of one in my project for a very long time, as my project thread will surely attest. However, if you are under the impression that they are simple and easy, then if I may be frank, you have more studying ahead of you.

Well, concerning the weight, I've talked with my contractor and he spoke with our engineer, and it shouldn't be a problem. Fortunately when the truss system was put into place it was beefed up to support a fireplace feature that was then canceled after the fact. And the support truss continues to run directly under the studio. The weight on this side of the house is very minimal and there is a support column in the kitchen as well. I don't plan on placing any walls or ceiling support on the floating floor either. It will just be placed within the perimeters of the walls and built onto the existing floor. Granted there will be some heavier equipment in there, but no 300lb fronts or anything. Here's an inventory of what WILL be in there. Workstation Desk Computer and thin monitor (not the back breakers). EMX5000 20 channel mixer. VDrums 2 60lb Powered Monitors. Yamaha Keyboard A few guitars. One 112 combo amp. 16 space Rack Cabinet half full. One cabinet with misc cables, mics, books software etc.. So this will probably be the heaviest room on that side of the house. Still, the support underneath was expected to support several times this load. Ok, now that I am confused by outer leaf thickness, I obviously have more reading to do. And it looks like I've found quite a bit more to study. Thanks for the links to your link sharward. In that thread I found several more floating floor links. Wow, this is deep. Thanks again!

Ok, well I think I have a little better understanding of things now and feel a bit more prepared. I'm not going with U-Boats anymore. I've actually contacted a supplier of 60 Durometer 1/2 inch EPDM, who is willing to cut it into 2" by 2" squares for me. I'll receive the quote today. Also I've spoken directly with the guy who engineered our floor trusses and have a BIG reassurance on the weight factor. So much so that he has become interested in the project and is giving the thumbs up on double drywall and a double layered subflooring. It seems that the 8" by 16" engineered truss that runs dead center under my studio room is supported on each end by two 4x6" posts that run straight down through the basement to the poured foundation. Now I'm wondering just how much more I'll benefit from another layer of drywall and another layer of subfloor. I'm just concerned because my room is steadily shrinking and it's not that big to begin with. I don't think the song "30 days in the hole" was creatively written while in a solitary confinement chamber. And I'm afraid that's what I'm creating. Not much I can do about it now though. My next question is should I fill the floor with so much insulation that it is a little bit tight in there or should it be loose and fluffy, or actually leave a small air gap in the top of each chamber directly below the subflooring? Thanks everyone!

ToneMonkey wrote:

I'm not going with U-Boats anymore. I've actually contacted a supplier of 60 Durometer 1/2 inch EPDM, who is willing to cut it into 2" by 2" squares for me.

Take it from me, who ran with the EPDM recommendation from the get-go, purchased a chunk of it, and then paid several hundred dollars to have it compression tested at a machine shop: Don't use a product that hasn't been tested by an independent lab and has proven itself. Yes, that includes (or, should I say, excludes) EPDM. There may be some folks on this board who will disagree with me here. This is just my opinion. Stick with products that are proven and have the testing specs and documentation to prove it. For alternatives, check out Mason Industries and Kinetics Noise Control. They've got a lot of test results. I don't have time for untested products for my project -- especially something that can't be undone, like floating floor pucks. Do you? :? Just my opinion... :roll:

Thanks shar, I'll definitely look into those before I buy anything. Man this thing is moving so fast it's hard to keep up. The drywallers started yesterday and are quickly closing in on my room. Fortunately the R channel will be here tomorrow, and after meeting the drywall guys I'm happy to hear that they have done tons of soundproofing and channel installations. The guy seems really excited about the project too so he's agreed to put double drywall in the room and R channel on the walls of the adjacent rooms. Yes! This is starting to pan out. Now to figure out where to get my pucks, decide on a board height for my floor (2X4 or 2X6) and order some puddy packs. Thanks again!

Ok, I'm in the process of ordering the insulation for my walls and being that they are 2X4 studs with R Channel on both sides, I'm wondering what insulation specs I should look for. I did find this... http://www.bobgolds.com/AbsorptionCoefficients.htm But I'm not sure that the Owens Corning is available here and I am just wondering what thickness I should request. Do I want an air gap between the drywall on each side and just insulation in the middle or do I want it packed in there snug against the drywall front and back? Thanks!

RC almost NEVER needs to be on BOTH sides of a single frame; all it does is to isolate the drywall layers on ONE side of the frame from those on the OTHER - so RC on one side accomplishes that. Doing both sides may actually REDUCE your isolation at lower frequencies, not sure - but it will also double the cost. In-wall insulation - don't waste money on rigid board insulation for this, just do a complete fill with standard household fiberglass (paper goes closest to drywall so it doesn't act as a third leaf - yes, I'm serious) - if you want to spend more for a couple dB improvement, find some SAFB's or Roxul AFBs at 2.5 to 3 PCF. Basically, in-wall stuff isn't too critical as long as it helps damp the wallboard panels a little, and stays below about 3 PCF. Have your drywall guy check out the REFERENCE section on caulk and Insulation, I think that's where sound joints are covered. Basic rule of soundproofing - if it won't float, it won't stop sound (especially LOW frequency)... Steve