# Sound board acoustic insulation...



## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

I saw this panel at Lowes...  Sound board Acoustic insulation 

Has anybody used this??? Would this work instead of using green glue??? I know this mean having a two/three layer on wall/ceiling (OSB+drywall+sound board or two drywall+sound board).

What do you think???


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

I've not used it. Hard to say what it will or won't do as they really don't say much about it. I'd guess it's another one of those products that will do great for most situations but not audio (bass specifically). It's certainly not the same thing or providing the same results as Green Glue.

Bryan


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## Ted White (May 4, 2009)

These sound board products are marketed under many different names. In general they are made from waste material from the lumber industry. 

They are light weight and a bit spongy, so the hope of some sound isolation benefit springs forth.

Let's look at the physics of what is available to us in out little soundproofing toolbox. There are 4 and only 4 elements of soundproofing:

#1 we have Decoupling. Having these sound boards on our studs doesn't reduce the surface area of contact, not does it establish the required decoupled mass-air(spring)-mass system we're looking for. So these sound boards do not decouple.

#2 we have Absorption. For absorption within a defined air cavity we want a medium density absorptive material. Sound boards are far too dense for the type of absorption we need so in effect, sound boards do not offer absorption.

#3 we have Mass. The low density of the sound boards certainly don't replace drywall as they are at best 1/2 the weight of proper 5/5" drywall. Sound boards do not offer significant mass.

#4 we have Damping. While the soundboards may be somewhat damped themselves, they do not significantly damp the drywall they are in contact with. Sound boards do not effectively damp what they are in contact with.

So the sound boards find themselves in an undefined category. They arguably do a little but not to the point where we would take up valuable resources to incorporate them.

Some other interesting facts:

Most sound board assemblies require that you install the drywall with screws that are anchored into the sound board, NOT the studs. The thought of my drywall being held in place by screwing to this somewhat dense cardboard isn't comforting. The product test scores plummet when the surface drywall is properly attached to the studs.

Even with the questionable attachment recommendation, the overall STC scores (STC 51 on steel studs) are several points below what you would see if you used the same thickness of damped drywall (STC 61 on steel)

Lastly and most importantly, the low frequencies that are not measured by STC (STC stops at 125 Hz) are much superior in a more massive and highly damped system. If OITC calculations were available (measuring down to 80Hz), the differences in the systems would be even more dramatic.

The products from these manufacturers are well known in the acoustics industry to not be forthcoming with the raw data associated with their Transmission Loss Tests (ASTM e-90). Generally is the raw data is retained, there's a reason.


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## mdrake (Jan 31, 2008)

I have used the sound board from lowes and it does cut down on outside noise considerably. I would have liked to use quite-rock but the cost was prohibitive. The lowes sound board did offer a good bang for the buck and keeps the neighbors happy. :bigsmile: 

Matt


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## Ted White (May 4, 2009)

That's great that your construction worked out for you. The tricky part is identifying which product or technique accounted for this. This is where third party acoustic data comes in handy. Comparing data allows us to better determine what products or techniques offer the greatest benefit.

Per my overly long post above, I would tend to feel that your satisfaction only partly came from the sound board, and as such I would not agree that the product is a good bang for the buck. Lab data indicates this is not a real performer.

Pre-damped drywall and soundboard attempt to do different things. One damps while the other (attempts to) decouple.


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## mdrake (Jan 31, 2008)

Ted White said:


> Per my overly long post above, I'm not at all seeing where the "good bang for the buck" is. Lab data indicates this is not a real performer.
> 
> Pre-damped drywall and soundboard attempt to do different things. One damps while the other (attempts to) decouple.


Well it was cheap and did the trick for me, so I figured I would share my personal experience with the product.
I am not an acoustics engineer and don't pretend to be but I was happy with the out come and the room measures well with REW. 

A test of different sound absorbing products would be really neat if someone with the skills is willing to do it. :T

Matt


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## Ted White (May 4, 2009)

That's why there is independent lab data. Lab testing takes out the variables, and compares A to B more effectively.


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

Thank you for the responses :T

So, we can say that:

1. soundboard may help a little in a case by case scenario.
2. soundboards don't perform as well as drywall to stop sound transmission.
3. If you have the $$$, is better to look at another options.
4. If you use it (for wherever reason), be sure to follow the instructions to apply it and get the best performance.

One question: Is there any difference between using this sound board and the ceiling acoustic tiles??? It seems that they use similar material....


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## Ted White (May 4, 2009)

salvasol said:


> 4. If you use it (for wherever reason), be sure to follow the instructions to apply it and get the best performance.


I might not be inclined to follow these instructions: 

​Most sound board assemblies require that you install the drywall with screws that are anchored into the sound board, NOT the studs. The thought of my drywall being held in place by screwing to this somewhat dense cardboard isn't comforting. The product test scores plummet when the surface drywall is properly attached to the studs.


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## lsiberian (Mar 24, 2009)

I'd think you can get better products for your buck. I'd just use green glue. I suppose there are other things you could use but in a wall I'd think green glue would be easy to use.


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## mdrake (Jan 31, 2008)

It looks like I did not do enough research before I used the sound board and it appears as though Green Glue is in fact the best solution. http://www.greengluecompany.com/greenGlue-vs-Soundboard.php Please disregard my previous advice to use the Lowes sound board. :T 

Matt


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## lsiberian (Mar 24, 2009)

mdrake said:


> It looks like I did not do enough research before I used the sound board and it appears as though Green Glue is in fact the best solution. http://www.greengluecompany.com/greenGlue-vs-Soundboard.php Please disregard my previous advice to use the Lowes sound board. :T
> 
> Matt


Well in all fairness that is evidence from the green glue company website. And even 10db is a huge reduction in sound. I don't think theirs anything wrong with the panels, but Green Glue is easier to use and proven effective. Though I would like to see a peel-n-seal comparison.


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## Dave928 (Jul 31, 2010)

new to the forum, so "hi" 

i did ask about these when i saw them at Lowes. 

i was in the millworks dept. getting a quote for a door to my theater room and asked about acoustic paneling. they showed me these sound boards. they had no data or spec sheets from the manufacturer (can't remember the name). the only info they had was from customers reporting back to them about their use. 

it seems that most people who buy it (at least from this Lowes), use it to apply to children's bedroom walls so that the kids can't hear what goes on in the parent's room. most reported back that it works.

they'd never heard from anyone who used it in a listening or theater room.

$10 a sheet didn't sound out of line, if i knew what they did...


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

That's just it. It's fine for helping keep outside noise out of a house (typical kids playing, cars driving past, etc. - or - minimizing dialog transfer between rooms. It's going to do little to nothing to stop anything remotely close to a subwoofer pounding away. 

Is it better to use a layer of this and a layer of drywall instead of just a layer of drywall? Sure. Is it worth an extra $10 x number of sheets? Not in my book. I'd rather have the extra mass of just another layer of drywall.

Bryan


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