Insulation is necessary in partitions to avoid resonance issues (basically a drum effect), but provides little isolation of airborne noise.įOAM STRIPS, NOISEPROOFING TAPE, OR SIMILAR ON STUDS Any chance of pre-damped soundproof drywall for ceilings working to isolate airborne noise in a ceiling would require the ceiling to be suspended from resilient sound clips or resilient channel, limitations similar to that of Green Glue Compound. The versions found at leading hardware stores are cheaper and easier to install, but do not perform exceptionally well. Some pre-damped drywall performs well, but is hugely expensive and difficult to install. Including sound board in a wall or ceiling is about as valuable as adding a layer of drywall. This means a standard single drywall layer ceiling would need four layers for even noticeable gains. If the drywall layers quadruple, then some decent gains can be reached. WHAT WILL NOT WORK In no particular orderĪn additional layer of drywall will do little for effective soundproofing. Sound tests of mass loaded vinyl in a resilient clip system show little to no gain. Mass loaded vinyl can also be used with Green Glue Compound if sandwiched between two layers of drywall. View the TotalMass MLV.Ĭombining decoupling with damping will increase performance significantly.
How the vinyl resonates differently (essentially no resonance) than the other materials in the wall is what creates the value of the vinyl. Contrary to popular belief, the mass of the vinyl is insignificant relative to the structure. This material will not help with isolation of low frequencies, but will help resolve typical resonance issues found in common construction materials. View Green Glue Compound tubes or Green Glue Compound pails.ĭepending on expectations, mass loaded vinyl alone may be enough for your project. While the gains in low frequency isolation will not be noticeable.
The gains in mid to high frequency ranges will be noticeable, but not significant. The high performance of Green Glue Compound in walls does not translate as well in soundproofing existing ceiling. Green Glue Compound on a fixed drywall ceiling will provide benefit only to airborne noise isolation. View Green Glue Compound tubes or Green Glue Compound pails. This is because damping compounds, like Green Glue Compound, are efficient when in resilient assemblies that allow the drywall to flex, thus allowing the Green Glue Compound to shear and work as intended.
While Green Glue Compound has limited value in a fixed drywall ceiling, on resilient clips or resilient channel, the addition of Green Glue Compound is significant. View the GenieClip® RST or HushFrame Raft. With this option, we strongly recommend removing existing drywall and attaching the GenieClips® RST directly to the joists for maximum performance. The most efficient way to decouple your ceiling in terms of installation and minimal head room loss is with the GenieClip® RST or HushFrame Raft. This is especially true when soundproofing your ceiling where most products have little to no effect. WHAT WILL WORK In order of highest to lowest performingĭecoupling will always provide superior isolation over all other methods or products.