Redoing ceiling in my basement studio. Need advice

Hi all. This is my first post, though I've been reading thru the threads for a while now. I have a 2 room studio in the basement of my house that I built 4 years ago, not really knowing what I was doing. Regrets are a'plenty. (':oops:')But I can't redo it from scratch, so I'm just trying to improve on the what I've got. So... here it is: Live room is approx. 15 1/2'x 16x 7 1/2(ceiling). Control room is 10'x9'x7 1/2, with the window into the live room on the 10' wall. The LIVE room is my focus. I'd like to do the best I can to soundproof the ceiling and walls to lessen the sound transmission to upstairs. Also, the AC/Heater unit is directly on the other side of one wall, and the ducts pass thru the room. I get some noise from that. CEILING: I've been reading and it sounds like the best bet would be 703 in the joists, and then covering with 1 or 2 layers of drywall. But what is the best spot for the 703 to sit (i.e. how high up? pressed against upstairs floor?) And if I use 2 sheets of drywall, what, if anything, should go between each sheet? The walls are all 2x4 studs with 1 sheet of drywall on either side, stuffed with fluffy yellow insulation. The doors are hollow, single panel (in other words, flimsy).There are 4 doors (i know, big NO NO (':roll:')One of these doors is on the wall b/w the live room and the AC/Heater unit. Another one which goes up the stairwell, where a lot of noise flows upstairs. I need to proof the doors as best I can. I'm thinking either composite, or drywall? Or replacing with a Solid Core door? And of course weather sealing the gaps. And should I add another sheet of drywall to the side of the wall where the AC unit is? The ducts aren't really accessible, as I boxed them in with paneling. Is there a way to box them in more, atop the paneling? I know some you are laughing by now.... So I think that's enough info, but I can provide more if necessary. Any advice would be SO APPRECIATED. [/i]

As far as the ceiling...you can use 703 or mineral wool (3PCF) and fill the cavity between the joists. And since you have a low ceiling and probably limited budget, hang RC1 on the joists and then 2 layers of 5/8" drywall on the RC1, being careful to not short out the scres into the joists. The RC will act similar to a spring to absorb some of the vibrations.

Thanks a lot Aaron. that sounds like a good bet. What is your opinion on normal fluffy fiberglass instead of 703? and what is 3PCF And.. is RC all the same? I found a local place that carries 1/2" RC, but that's all they could tell me....

DeepGroove wrote:

what is 3PCF

3 pounds per cubic foot.

703 is 3 PCF, typical household fiberglass insulation is around .8 PCF; for inside a wall or ceiling, 703 is a waste of money. the "fluffy stuff" when compressed slightly into the cavity, will get you within a dB or two for about half the money, maybe even less. Check out the REFERENCE section for more; the first 2-3 links especially... Steve

Knightfly and sharward, thank you! Ok: Give me your thoughts on this, if you will: the joists are 10" deep, so if i buy fluffy stuff that is 10" thick that should be nice and snug. The next step: I've looked in to the RSIC/hat channel system, as well as the RC. I'm wondering how this alternative would compare-- Currently, there are wooden crossbeams (5/8" thick) spread horizontally across the joists, roughly every 12" O.C. I realize that this won't be as effective as the RSIC/hat channel setup, but would it or would it not give me SOME improvement, over attaching drywall directly to the joists? it will give me 5/8" of airspace, correct? thanks again fellas!

The wood furring strips will offer you no tangible benefit. Even one carelessly installed screw in the actual resilient systems you mentioned can cause the system to fail via the shorted-out screw as a flanking path.

Sharward. I've been seeing that in other threads. What does "shorting out" the screws mean? How could I screw the RC up(with me that is much to possible). ALSO, I just remembered that I'll have a water pipe to deal with, just a copper 1" pipe . It goes directly across the ceiling. It has been noisy in the past, but I just make sure no water is running while we're tracking. But, how could I box it in, and isolate the sound? Oh, and the ceiling is 84" high. I don't know where I got 7 1/2'. That's why I really don't have much headroom to play with. BTW, I wish I had found this forum 4 years ago!

DeepGroove wrote:

What does "shorting out" the screws mean? How could I screw the RC up(with me that is much to possible).

If you drive a screw through the RC and into the stud or joist to which it is attached, you've fused a connection between the leaf and the structural member, and since the structural member is attached to the opposing leaf, you have fused the leaves together via the screw. Don't underestimate the severity of that mistake. Two cans and a string pulled tightly will demonstrate the power of a flanking path.

ALSO, I just remembered that I'll have a water pipe to deal with, just a copper 1" pipe . It goes directly across the ceiling. It has been noisy in the past, but I just make sure no water is running while we're tracking. But, how could I box it in, and isolate the sound?

I would think that just stuffing the cavity containing the pipe with insulation would do the trick. Does it "crackle"? If so, it may be expanding or contracting and rubbing at the penetrations.

Oh, and the ceiling is 84" high. I don't know where I got 7 1/2'. That's why I really don't have much headroom to play with.

You need to check with your city's building department to determine what your legal options are. Your headroom is so limited that you may not be able to do anything with your ceiling. (Really.) They may have a handout on finishing basements. If you contact them (and I hope that you do), please report back on what they say or what you get from them. There are several basement studio projects in various planning phases here that would benefit from the information you report. --Keith :mrgreen:

Sharward. I'll look into the height allowance in my area. However, I know I've seen basements around here with lower ceilings, not to say that it's legal though! So for the pipe, I should box it in with drywall and fill with insulation? sounds easy enough. Would the same apply to my HVAC that runs through the room? As far as keeping the vent's sound from entering the room, and vica-versa?

bump

Your project sounds pretty interesting. I'll be following this post/thread(?). Will you be posting any pics soon? Thanx Stan

do you have a possibility of any future flood risks in the basement?

I will be posting pics for sure! I've actually decided to expand the studio into the rest of the basement now, so I'm in the cleaning/sketching process. Will post all the info in either this or another thread! S2. Never had a moisture issue in the basement (knock on wood). We're on a hill, so everyone else gets the water!

DG, when you post pix be sure to include the HVAC ducting you're asking about; also some good detail shots of the water pipe, and any other potential problems - with more info, we can probably help you figure out a workable plan... Steve

Will do Steve! I've actually since decided to expand my studio into the other half of the basement. So... the live room will be a bigger room (approx 16x20) and the control room will bein the current live room (16x15). Given this, I may not worry about sound proofing the current live room ceiling, as I will really need to focus on proofing the new live room. The good news is that the future live room will be from scratch, so i won't have to work around any previous mistakes :D I will be creating a sketchup of the entire basement in it's current state, and one with my ideas. I'll post it for you guys asap. Other than the pipes and HVAC, what else should i include?

any more news on this project?