soundproofing for urban people

The Knock Test REPOSTED FROM MY PREVIOUS BLOG: By knocking on a wall,  you get some idea of how well dampened it might be for certain types of noise...or not. I made a very short video demonstration in my own home to compare the audible differences between making an impact noise on normal, uninsulated gypsum drywall and two alternatives. The first example shows how it sounds to knock on a hollow piece of 1/2" gypsum board. This type of drywall is typical for mid-century American homes.  Then compare it to: 1) a second layer of sheetrock glued on top of the original drywall with Green Glue in between the two layers -- no demolition required. 2) a layer of QuietRock 525 that replaced the existing layer of gypsum -- demolition required. Original 1/2" drywall was removed and fiberglass insulation was added before screwing the new QuietRock into the wall studs. One layer only.  (NOTE from 2023: Now I know better, and I would have decoupled the drywall from the wall studs instead o

Notes on Noise: THIS PAGE IS FROM MY PREVIOUS BLOG (it was originally published in a different blog in 2009-2009): I live in a fairly dense urban area. So it's more common than not to have shared walls, ceilings, and floors with your neighbors. But most of the old construction in my city is made from wood: wood framing, hardwood floors, and hollow walls--and everything is nailed on top of the joists or directly onto the studs. The result? All your neighbor has to do is walk back and forth, talk, or open and close doors and drawers, and it ricochets through the building into your apartment. So, I've spent a lot of time trying to find affordable ways to alleviate the noise. This is easier to do if you have a lot of money, or if your neighbors are amenable...and I had little money and my neighbors were not. I'm going to share some resources and some things I've learned about the products on the market today (2009) that can help alleviate some of these noise problems. If yo

A lot of people I know have questions about how they can simply and affordably add some soundproofing to their apartments and homes, whether they're renters or owners. Because I live in an urban environment, and I've learned a lot through trial and error myself, I started blogging about it. But I realize that not everyone who reads my blog wants to read about soundproofing and noise issues every day, so I'm moving my soundproofing posts to this new blog. Feel free to share your stories and questions here about how, where, and why to soundproof or buy materials for soundproofing any part of your living quarters.