[OzyMark]

Hi guys,

Wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to how I would go about sound proofing my shed at home. I'm about to bring my haas vm3 home and need to keep it quiet so I don't annoy the neighbors.

I was going to start with some foam wall sheeting to quieten it and insulate it for air cOnditioning. Should I use anything else?

Thanks
Mark

[Geof]

The most effective way to sound proof an entire room/building is to use staggered double studs in the walls. The studs are placed close to each other, but not touching, with one staggered about 1/4" toward one side and the other 1/4" to the other side of the wall. The wall sheathing for inside is attached to the studs staggered toward the inside and similarly the outside sheathing to the ones staggered toward the outside. This way vibrations are not transmitted through the walls because the inside wall is not mechanically connected to the outside wall, except at the top and bottom plates.

The sound proofing can be enhanced by using acoustic dampening material on the inside walls to help keep the overall noise level lower inside the room. In addition putting damping material on the sheet metal of the machine can reduce the noise created by reverberation of these flat surfaces.

EDIT: Reread your post. Foam sheeting is not a good idea, rigid foam that is. Go down to your building supply store and rap a sheet with your knuckles, it rings like a drum. You can get fiber insulation batts that are supposed to help reduce sound transmission but putting these inside a double studded wall may not help as they will provide a path for transmission of vibration.

[Andre' B]

EDIT: Reread your post. Foam sheeting is not a good idea, rigid foam that is. Go down to your building supply store and rap a sheet with your knuckles, it rings like a drum. You can get fiber insulation batts that are supposed to help reduce sound transmission but putting these inside a double studded wall may not help as they will provide a path for transmission of vibration.

Yep.
As said on this page. "if it does not weigh much it will not stop much"
Soundproofing Materials

Some more reading.
How to soundproof a room

Note that one of the best materials to use is LEAD, very dense and it is not stiff enough to resonate at normal frequencies.
Unfortunately it is also very expensive.

[OzyMark]

Thanks for the info guys. It's very much appreciated. I'll have to go down the local hardware and see what they have. I might even be able to go to the builders auctions and see what they have. I could go all out but I want to save more coins as I want to also get a cnc lathe.

If only I was rich...............

Thanks again
Mark

[jharvey407]

Thanks for the info guys. It's very much appreciated. I'll have to go down the local hardware and see what they have. I might even be able to go to the builders auctions and see what they have. I could go all out but I want to save more coins as I want to also get a cnc lathe.

If only I was rich...............

Thanks again
Mark

Take a look at SounDown. It's a product that we use in the yachting industry, and it works very well.

I can't speak for the price, but I must assume it's expensive. Check out their web site at Soundown - TBackground.

Edit: Oops, I just noticed that you are in Australia, so SounDown may not be available.

[keebler303]

You could use the foam pyramids like they have in recording studios...

Matt

[RICHARD ZASTROW]

There are sound retarding paints out there as well. Some are heavy rubber loaded goo that is a mess to apply. Could be painted inside the inner and outer walls of Geof's wall system. You'd have to check the stuff to make sure it isn't a fire hazard.

Dick Z

[John Bennett]

The first question should be, is this a new construction or existing building? Alternating studs as described earlier is a good idea, bottom sill plate should have a bead of acoustic sealant (caulking) before putting on flooring, batting (fiberglass insulation) , and then screw a layer of drywall on the inside of the shed, over this drywall ,install another layer of drywall staggering the joints from the first layer. This last layer of drywall should be held to the first layer by dabs of drywall compound and temporarly held by a few screws untill dry (remove screws after drying) Tape joints. At the door make sure to add foam gaskets and possibly another door (if needed) in front. The ceiling has to be addressed in the same way and also the floor if practical (if not on the ground) Any air leak = path for sound, so seal as much as possible. Exterior can be covered with drywall again and covered with exterior surface shiething.

[XYZADave]

Depending on the amount of noise attenuation you would like or need, this topic can range from the ( just acceptable) to the (Monster Huge Industrial) end of things. I'll try to offer a few quick observations, which of course must be kept in perspective.
All of the previous posts provide excellent guidelines, with the exception of the foams and insulation, which are primarily used to control the "bounce" or "echo" off an exposed surface and offer little in the line of "noise deadening". Structure born sound: is usually addressed with vibration isolation, eg. floating concrete slabs and
vibration isolation pads under the machine. Air born sound: It is generally accepted that the denser the material the less noise it will transmit. thus the use of Sheet Lead lining the enclosures of large Hammer Mills etc. As has been mentioned a complete "air tight" enclosure is the ideal answer to add into the equation. I guess in the long run it mainly depends on what you need and what you can afford.
My 2 cents worth? Dave

[OzyMark]

Thanks again guys.
The question was asked as to the construction type. It's an existing shed. It's a 4bay tin shed. 12m x 11m deep. I want to block off 2 bays for my machinery. I think what I will do is build a second wall inside the existing construction but not attached to the existing. I will foam the outside for insulation due to the summer heat and then use cement sheeting for the inside. I was thinking I would then attach some sound deadening cloth or acoustic foam (which ever is better value) and then do some testing. I will however seal everything so that hopefully it will be air tight as it seems from everyone's comments that that is probably the most important.

I just hope that I don't have to sell one of my kidneys to pay for it.

Thanks again for all the tips, it has certainly helped clarify what I need to do. All the links were very useful also as I could see various materials and the accociated results.

Thanks
Mark

[aarggh]

Funnily enough I'm actually in the process of doing this with my shed right now. It's actually not that difficult or overly expensive depending on how you approach it. As others have said air gaps and vibration are the ones to watch out for.

As a bit of info on my particular approach, the way I've done mine is standard 90 x 35 pine framing, double plates top and bottom, and double studs every 4 feet at the sheet joins. Roof is zincalume with 50% overlap of very heavy duty sisalation. Outside walls are lined with the same sisalation also generously overlapped, then 7.5mm cement sheet nailed on. The inside is filled with R3.5 non-allergenic fibreglass batts, then 12.7mm mdf sheets are screwed (not nailed!) into the framing at one foot intervals. At every join for the framing, roofing beams and purlins, and MDF, I have used fairly substantial runs of the cheap $2 construction adhesive. Heaps of adhesive! This is not the complete solution obviously, but is part of the easiest way to help minimise noise transference. You can whack any part of the shed and all you'll hear is a dull thud, no vibration. So far the results are staggering, even without the roof insulation or inner lining done yet, amazing drops in temperature, and even though you'd think the echo from the wall mdf would be massive, it seems I have enough junk around that the sounds are completely deadened from outside. Down the track when I have everything in cupboards, there will be more echo as there will be large flat and hard surface areas, so I'll line the mdf with a thin but firm rubber surface.

Along with construction adhesive, expanding foam cans are your friend too! They are amazingly handy for filling arkward gaps and spaces.

Just remembered to add, another thing i'm doing that could prove very handy in your case, is i'm painting any moisture sensitive or exposed areas with brushable tar to seal and dampen vibrations. You would find this very handy to completely paint the inside of your shed before you line/insulate it as you can help bond vibration areas, and seal the gaps with it. It's a very cheap but effective method. And you don't have to be fussy at all about putting it on either, just slap it all over!

cheers,
Ian