On the Wire - Quest for a Quiet Room
Sound control can be highly technical and complicated, but thanks to Fine Homebuilding, it can be achieved if you have a basic understanding of acoustics, do a little bit of planning, and focus a whole lot of attention on the details. Fine Homebuilding gives a break-down of how to deal with the typical noisemakers that hide within the walls, from water lines and drainpipes to lumber joints, ductwork and electrical boxes. Once the noisemakers are put to rest, Fine Homebuilding provides details on how to finish off the walls to achieve utter silence.
It All Begins with Plumbing and HVAC Layout: Common walls between rooms typically have studs, supply lines, PVC vent pipes and drainpipes, standard electrical boxes and wiring, and HVAC ducts. All the great things needed to run a smooth house, but not a quiet one. Obviously, if you are building new, take the time to design a better layout system for typical trouble spots like common walls between kitchens and home offices, and bathrooms and bedrooms. But don’t fret if you are remodeling an older home, you can still achieve the silence. It all begins with an understanding of the noise.
Do You Hear That? The first step to stopping the noise is to understand the sound. When it comes to your house, the acoustical nightmares come from either airborne or structure-borne sounds. Airborne sound is created when a vibrating object causes surrounding air particles to vibrate. The resulting sound waves then travel outward in all directions like ripples in a pond. Structure-borne sound is transmitted through walls, ceilings, and floors in the form of vibrations. Typical sources are washers and dryers, bathroom exhaust fans, and footsteps. There are several options for reducing noise transmission between rooms. But because airborne sound often enters floors, walls, and ceilings and becomes structure-borne, a combination of both airborne and structure-borne solutions is usually the best course of action.
Sound Control is Only as Good as Its Weakest Link: Hoping that the sounds will go away once they are hidden under drywall is not the answer. Your best options are to replace or treat the source by using techniques such as absorption, blocking or breaking. Here’s how to deal with the most common problems:
Water Lines – The constant opening and closing of water lines can create such a musical ruckus. The best solution: Isolate water lines from the surrounding framing. Insert a vinyl pad between the plumbing and any solid blocking to which it’s attached. Areas that have multiple bends or connections should be covered with an absorptive material. Use caulk, spray foam, or flexible plastic flanges around pipes where they pass through holes in studs or joists.
- Drainpipes – PVC drain lines are much nosier than the heavyweight cast iron pipes used in older homes. Your solution: Isolate PVC drainpipes from any rigid framing or blocking to prevent transfer of structure-borne noise. This can be done by filling any holes through the framing with expanding foam. To block airborne noise caused by the flow of wastewater within the pipes, wrap them in a fiberglass-backed mat of dense vinyl, secure the mat with zip ties, and seal the overlap with seam tape.
- Lumber Joints and Defects – Defects that aren’t large enough to be of structural concern almost always are large enough to be of acoustical concern. Airborne sound needs only the slightest gap to travel easily from one room to another. Solution: Fill the joint between the top plate and the subfloor above, and the bottom plate and the subfloor below with a continuous bead of caulk. Also, make sure to caulk or foam any lumber with wany edges, knotholes, or large gaps.
- HVAC Ductwork – A run of ductwork is like an intercom system when it comes to sound movement. Solution: Isolate the ductwork with a sheet of fiberglass-insulated mass-loaded vinyl. A bead of spray foam around the edges ensures a tight seal. For extra sound dampening or for quieting ductwork in walls that are limited for space, consider a product designed to line the interior of ductwork, such as Silent-Mod duct silencers.
- Electrical Boxes – Because electrical boxes are hollow and full of holes, they are major culprits for transmitting airborne sound. Solution: To seal the box, fill all the routing holes with caulk; then wrap the fixture with mass-loaded vinyl, again sealing gaps in the vinyl with caulk. Holes drilled through the framing to run wires should be filled with spray foam. Any back-to-back electrical boxes should be moved so that they are separated by at least a couple of stud bays.
It’s What’s on the Outside That Matters Too: Drywall is the conventional choice for finishing residential homes, but it’s not designed to be a sound-controlling product. When used with other products and strategies like heavy vinyl, minimal number of screws, and sealed sheetrock gaps, it can be another feather in your utter silence cap!
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Ask Tom & Leslie - Tight Space for a Full Bath
This week’s question comes to us from Tom and Denise in Rumford, Rhode Island. They say,
“We are in the process of converting an existing lavatory to a full sized bathroom. We are limited on the amount of space to expand, but need enough room to accommodate a person using a walker. The contractor suggested installing a corner toilet. I've never heard of corner toilet. Any concerns I should have with a corner vs. a standard toilet?“
You should be very happy with your contractor. This person is staying on top of new innovations to the building market place. A corner toilet will free up space in the new bath allowing you to have more maneuverability in what can be a very crowded space. The Titan Triangle toilet (the brand you said your plumber recommended) was only just introduce by the manufacturer, Eljer, last October. They are made to comply with the American Disabilities Act and Council of American Building Officials/American National Standards Institute. Click here to learn about independent testing that was done on the toilet. Good luck and thanks for listening!
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- The toll-free studio hot line is 1-888-MONEY PIT. Find out when we broadcast in your area by checking out our website at www.moneypit.com. Each week we take dozens of calls, give great advice and offer callers a chance to win a terrific prize awarded to one random caller to every show.
- Call when it's convenient for you, 24 hours a day, same number: 1-888-MONEY PIT. A live person takes your call 24/7! So -- WHENEVER you have a home improvement question -- phone it in. Simply tell our phone screener your first name, and where you're calling from...and ask your question. We’ll get back to you with the answer – or even call you back during the show!
- Click here to email your question to us. We may read your email on the air and we also respond personally to many of the email questions we get.
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On the Air - iPod, uPod, We all Pod!
iPod? uPod? We can all Pod together! Important Announcement for Podcast listeners: As you may know, The Money Pit is available for download to your iPod or other mp3 player. If you are already a Podcast subscriber, you will need to re-subscribe to the feed to receive current shows. To do so, simply click here and follow the instructions.
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Dot Common Sense - Puzzle Piece Flooring
This flooring is just so cool we had to share it. If you like the look of hardwood, but are thinking of something a little bit different, this floor is for you. The new Puzzle Floor™ will surprise and amaze your friends. The solid hardwood flooring components are actually pre-finished, precision fit puzzle pieces. Two individual patterns interlock quickly and easily to create a floor that’s durable, easy to care for and fun. The pieces can be installed as a floating floor. The easy-to-assemble interlocking pieces is a perfect DIY project. Puzzle Floor™ fits great into kids’ rooms, game rooms, home theaters, and even in commercial spaces like toy shops, boutiques or offices. If you want a hardwood floor that’s one of a kind, you want a Puzzle Floor™. Visit www.puzzlefloor.com for color samples and information.
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Fun Fact - Tricked Out Trim
Many homeowners only think about exterior trim when it starts to crack, rot or peel. Now this troublesome trim can be replaced with architectural detail pieces which are now being made from high-density polyurethane. There are hundreds of styles and it is ultra-durable as well as low maintenance. Once you install it, you will never have to think about it again.
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Short Cuts - Can the Popcorn
We get lots of questions about textured or “popcorn” ceilings on the radio show. Removing them is easy. First, cover all furniture and flooring in the room you are going to work on. Get a small garden sprayer and fill it with clean water. Saturate the ceiling in manageable areas. Use a large metal spackle knife to scrape away the texture. It will come off very easily. Once done, prime the ceiling with a good quality latex primer and paint. Remember that high gloss paint shows off any and all imperfections, so use a low gloss finish.
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Copyright 2006 Squeaky Door Productions, Inc.
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