Anyone used Auralex U-boats?

[knightfly]

Kevin, from what little I fully understand about elastomers, one thing you don't want to do is run them continuous in this case - part of what makes them work for isolation, is being able to "squish", or deform. The larger the square surface area being compressed, the less compressible they are, and the less the "give" -

If you use a "puck" made from 3/8 thick material with a Durometer hardness of 60 and the puck has 1-1/2" of surface contact (as in, 1" wide strip with a piece of 2x lumber resting on it) then, if you've calculated total weight so each of those pieces is compressed by 15%, it will deform to 85% of 3/8", or about 0.319" - adding thickness to the same "footprint" and the same weight would add to the amount of deflection (I think) if the same amount of loading would cause the same PER CENT of deflection; I really need to find more time to study this phenom in depth, so please don't quote me on this.

Elastomers, in order to "work" as they do, can NOT be constrained in the directions they are not being compressed; so for a floor, you can not "box in" the elastomer sideways; it has to be allowed to "squish" or it will act much harder. This is why the continuous sheet isn't a good idea - it will act the same as if you put a box around the rubber, except at the very edges.

If you think you want more depth, simply contact cement two layers together - this part I'm sure of.

For the main part of your floor, I would cut your 3" wide 3/8" thick stuff into 1-1/2" strips and contact cement two layers for each puck, making them 3/4" thick - this will keep them wide enough to not want to "fall over", from any side loading during construction - then, for under the wall area of the floor, just put them closer together.

Don't forget to calculate total weight of the walls, spread over their length; and if you're also building a second ceiling that will bear on those walls, that total weight will also need to be averaged into the weight per puck along the perimeter.

BTW, "contrite" means apologetic or sorry, "trite" means over-used and boring - and neither should apply here. The goal of this site is edification,and the absence of expensive and time-consuming mistakes that can be accomplished by learning BEFOREHAND how to, and NOT to, do things.

To this end, you should NEVER stop asking questions until YOU are satisfied with your understanding. Only YOU know when that is, so ask until you fully understand. If that takes more time than usual, it's more than likely MY FAULT for being a crappy teacher, so don't give up until you get what you need... Steve

[ktb1025]

Hi Steve,

Thanks for your considerate reply, and more so your patience with my questions.

Since I don't necessarily need the depth, is it still ok to use single 1" strips of3/8" without stacking them? My floors are very nicely rendered and if the weight compresses the neoprene to within the anticipated thickness, there would be less caulking necessary along the 2x4's in between the strips. Having my 2x4's 3/4" off the ground makes me a bit uneasy. Besides, I've seen others post about anchoring their footers into the concrete using lag bolts, neoprene washers, etc... Is anchoring these footers to the floor something I necessarily need to do? Or is the entire framework of the floor a sufficient base to prevent lateral movement of the walls and ceiling?

[knightfly]

Kevin, I'm not clear as to why you want to SEAL around your floated floor - is there a drawing up already of what you're doing? Steve

[AVare]

Hi Steve,

Thanks for your considerate reply, and more so your patience with my questions.

Since I don't necessarily need the depth, is it still ok to use single 1" strips of3/8" without stacking them? My floors are very nicely rendered and if the weight compresses the neoprene to within the anticipated thickness, there would be less caulking necessary along the 2x4's in between the strips. Having my 2x4's 3/4" off the ground makes me a bit uneasy. Besides, I've seen others post about anchoring their footers into the concrete using lag bolts, neoprene washers, etc... Is anchoring these footers to the floor something I necessarily need to do? Or is the entire framework of the floor a sufficient base to prevent lateral movement of the walls and ceiling?

DO THE CALCUALTIONS to determine what your load is and what size of material you need to achieve the desired DEFLECTION. Then work on how to achieve that.

Andre

[ktb1025]

Kevin, I'm not clear as to why you want to SEAL around your floated floor - is there a drawing up already of what you're doing? Steve

No drawings, but plenty of photos... I'll post links to the ones on my site.

Am I not to seal the perimeter of the floor? Or is the caulking to be done after the walls are up? I thought it would be necessary to caulk along the perimeter of the 2x4's on the floor.

[knightfly]

That's why I wanted drawings - there are several ways to do floated floors/walls/ceilings, so there isn't always a need to seal along the frame between the floor and the supports.

I'm a person who won't even consider building anything without a drawing first, because I don't like nasty little surprises - that's why I asked about drawings... Steve

[ktb1025]

I have no drawings, but I do have photos of a prototype I built last month in the adjacent warehouse to mine. My landlord was kind enough to let me have the space for 30 days until I moved in to the bigger, 3600 sq ft space that I'm about to build out as soon as I get my plans approved.

Here are links to some photos of the old room I built and subsequently disassembled. I know it seems like alot of work to build and then take apart, but that gives me a better, firsthand feel for the process.


http://www.thetalentfarm.com/studio_photos/oldroom1.jpg

http://www.thetalentfarm.com/studio_pho ... meter1.jpg

http://www.thetalentfarm.com/studio_photos/windows2.jpg

If it's ok with you, I'll start a seperate thread and post plans and pics of the new space and what I'm up against.

Geez Steve 5:00am? (last post) I can't even find my coffe cup at 5:00am, let alone type legibly.

[gdgross]

I used 'em to build a 6x10 platform. It was actually out of necessity: I would have rather just left the floor as it was (and keep the headroom, and not have to worry about resonance and 15% compresson and such), but there was a bunch of drain pipes, etc. sticking up out of the concrete, and I wanted to leave them there in case I ever sell the house and someone wants to put the bathroom back in.

I've actually got about 10 left over; if anyone wants them, email me at gdgross[AT]gmail[DOT]com.

[knightfly]

"Geez Steve 5:00am? (last post)" - I'm West coast; it was 2 AM and I'd not been to bed yet - nuthin' new...

I "borrowed" one of Aaron's drawings to illustrate why it's not always necessary (or even good) to seal where you're talking about... Steve