# Alternatives to Rigid FiberGlass/Rockwool



## busen19 (Apr 1, 2009)

Hey guys, I'm a noob here... I have some questions about DIY acoustic panels. Are there any good alternatives to Rigid Fiberglass , rock wool, etc...? It is super hard to find it in my area. I know I can get it online, but I'd like to shop local. All I've see is for tube traps that use sand, but I read that it's snake oil. Any thoughts?


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## busen19 (Apr 1, 2009)

I really thought someone would chime in :whistling:

I went ahead and made some anyways.. not sure if it is right or not, but it seemed to work ok. I took Owens Corning rolled insulation (unfaced), R-30 - double stacked it into a 48" x 24" x 4" frame, and compressed it with aluminum mesh. I put one behind each of my fronts. Do you guys think this is as good as using OC 703 or OC 705?

I also had a question about a corner bass trap. How much density is too much? I was thinking of using R-30 again, but going three high and stuffing it into a 6 " frame, floor to ceiling, 30 " wide --- is that too much?


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

I moved your post to the correct forum... that may be why you did not get any responses. The right people did not see the thread.


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## busen19 (Apr 1, 2009)

Thanks Sonnie. Anyone have any idea if this is as good as using rockwool or compressed fiberglass boards? I have googled to no end, and I cannot find the density of rolled insulation. I have also contacted Owens Corning without a response. Does anyone have any experience with this stuff?


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## hjones4841 (Jan 21, 2009)

The only thing I can add is that R30 worked wonders for decay time in my room, but I put up over 200 sq ft above a suspended ceiling. The answer is that it works, but it will take more of it.

bobgolds.com has comparative tests here:

http://www.bobgolds.com/AbsorptionCoefficients.htm

I don't see R30 on this site, which is 9 1/2" thick, but you can get a general idea by looking at R19 and the 12" stuff (R38?).


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## busen19 (Apr 1, 2009)

thanks for the reply. OC responded, R-30 (9.5 " thick) has a density of .502 pcf. I guess I am only about 1/2 as much as I need since rockwool is 2.5. Laying two of these would equal 1.004. Is that logical, just adding the densities?


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## hjones4841 (Jan 21, 2009)

busen19 said:


> Is that logical, just adding the densities?


I think that Bryan P has said that absorption is additive when stacking layers, so yes.


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## dgshtav (Nov 13, 2008)

The density you got from OC is uncompressed, i.e. you leave the roll at 9.5" thickness. If you stack it twice, your effective thickness is 19". Now compress 19" to 4" which is the thickness of your frame and you get a times 4 effective pcf. In other words compressing 2 layers of 9.5" thick OC to 4" results in a ~4 pcf material.


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## busen19 (Apr 1, 2009)

thanks for the reply, oc confirmed what you just posted, however I bought roxul rockboard 60 and made superchucks out of it, and afb for my panels. It was much easier than messing with the fluffy stuff 

Thanks for the reply...


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