"My house is quieter after being insulated"


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Old 12-13-09, 10:05 PM
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"My house is quieter after being insulated"

"My house is quieter after being insulated"

I hear this said a lot, however, when asking about sound proofing they always say that insulation doesn't stop much if any sound at all.

So which is it?


The reason I ask is because the condo I live in is in an older building with no sound isolation between the upstairs and downstairs units.

I live on the second floor, I could literally hear a conversation being carried on between my downstairs neighbors.

The construction is typical house construction: 2X10 joists with gypsum lath and plaster underneath and a subfloor and hardwood on top. I also have new padding and carpet put on top of that.

If I knew it would stop some of the sound, my neighbors agreed to split the cost of cutting holes in their ceiling and blowing in that dense cellulose insulation.

But neither of us want to do it if it's not going to work.

Thoughts?
 
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Old 12-14-09, 12:48 AM
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Hi Vhz, I don't necessarily like links that sell products, but this one at least sums up many of the issues you have. Basically no easy solution, and I doubt the insulation between floors will be satisfactory. A dense pack of cellulose might be noticeable, but that's a lot for a little. I'll let you read:
Soundproofing Mass Loaded Vinyl Barrier, Super Soundproofing Co

Bud
 
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Old 12-14-09, 03:22 AM
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Thanks for the link, Bud.

Unfortunately those items aren't going to work because they would involve expensive major changes. The reason why blown in cellulose was considered is because I could patch the holes quickly and easily.

I'm still curious about the insulation issue. I could accept the fact that insulation doesn't help stop sound if it was consistant, but does why everyone who ever insulated the exterior walls of their house always says that it made it so much quieter? It's the standard response, "Oh I won't know how much the insulation helped with cost savings until next month, but I heard a huge difference the second I walked in the house, the road noise is almost gone and I can't hear the neighborhood kids anymore".

FWIW, I understand that I won't ever stop impact noise. I am just looking to limit the airborne sound, such as soft speaking, snoring, low television volume.
 
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Old 12-20-09, 04:20 PM
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BUMPO!!


I'm still dying to learn about this.

I forgot about this thread until a few minutes ago when I watched an episode of "Dirty Jobs" in which Mike Row was working with a cellulose insulation crew. They were straying the open wall cavities of a new house, there weren't even any windows or doors on the building, yet when they were halfway thru spraying the cellulose on the walls Mike said "I could hear that it's quieter already".
 
 

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