reza@ihuxb.UUCP (07/05/83)
Is there an easy way of sound-insulating the interior walls of a house? My brother-in-law used fiber glass in his house. And then styrofoam comes to mind. But is there something more effective and/or cheaper? H. Reza Taheri ihuxb!reza IW 2C-136 x1040
leichter@yale-com.UUCP (Jerry Leichter) (07/10/83)
The easiest/cheapest way to soundproof is probably to put up heavy drapes of some sort. You can also go with commercially-available sound-proofing tiles. One important factor often overlooked: It is MUCH harder to keep sound OUT of the room that you want quiet than it is to keep it IN the room where it is being generated. Once the sound has made it to the walls, it can be transmitted by a large number of routes, some of which, like vibration of the supporting 2 by 4's in typical construction, are just about impossible to do anything about. There is just about nothing you can apply directly to the wall in the "quiet" room that will do much good. Drapes will help only because they will be away from the wall - creating a new "noisy room" between wall and drape. Do NOT use styrofoam!!!!! It is very flammable and gives of very toxic fumes even before it catches fire. You could easily make your home extremely deadly in case of a fire. (There may be some kind of styrofoam around that is specifically meant for construction use; I think I've seen it sold as (heat) insulation. It must be treated somehow to make it safe(r). But run-of-the-mill, cheap styrofoam, I repeat, would be DEADLY.) -- Jerry decvax!yale-comix!leichter leichter@yale