Hi all

I'm currently turning a spare bedroom into a music studio, and am currently working on the room acoustics....

Three of the room's walls are external, brick cavity. The fourth however is a hollow stud partition wall. I've been advised that I need to add mass to the wall (so that it is more like the other three walls) and the best way of doing that would be to add an extra layer of plasterboard.

Not knowing anything about such things, I wondered if anyone could help me out.....?

1. Is it an easy job for someone with basic DIY skills or would I need to get the pros in?

2. If the second option, what kind of price for materials and labour? The wall is 4m long and 2.2m high - but there is a door in the wall too....

3. Would the new plasterboard need to be attached to the studs only, or to the studs AND the existing plasterboard?

4. What is the thickest plasterboard I could use in this scenario? I've been advised to use X type... Is that an American thing or applicable here too?

5. As the room is upstairs, will I need to consider the additional structural load/weight? Is that likely to be an issue?

Any thoughts or help would be fantastic.

Cheers

Max

PS - hope this is the right forum.... Perhaps it can be moved if not?

!. - yes
2 - price depends where you are but if you did it yourself cost is about £20 - £30
3 - the new plasterboard will be screwed through the existing plasterboard to the studs - if the old plasterboard is put up portrait then I would put the new on landscape
4 - 125mm (unless there is thicker)
5 - cant say, never seen your house

_________________
Mike
http://rebuildingatimberbungalow.blogspot.com/
any advice welcome

I would use 15mm acoustic board which are about a tenner and you will need four of them.

Weight is not likely to be an issue.

Many thanks for the help guys.

One thing I did not make clear in the OP which I should add now. I am not aiming to improve the sound proofing of the room. My aim is to rememdy the acoustical behaviour within the room itself. The main relevant problem here is the reflection of the low frequecny sound waves. They reflect much differently off of brick than they do off plasterboard. Hence the need to add to the mass of the stud wall - to make the wall more like the brick walls so that the bass will reflect in a more similar fashion.

RE: the weight issue. Glad to hear it is unlikely to be an issue, but I really want to be confident about this. I like the missus, but I don't want to drop eight foot down into her lap whilst she's watching TV and I'm upstairs doing music. I reckon that could cause an argument that no amount of chocolate could remedy! If I posted a diagram or descritpion of room layouts would that be enough to say for sure? If not, how can I find out for sure? Or am I over worrying?

The existing boards are indeed portrait, so I'll look to go landscape for the new ones....

Cheers

Max

The boards would weigh 40kg each, so thats about 120 kgs added after you take out offcuts etc. My best mate weighs about that much and we don't worry when he comes round. We do lock the fridge though.

HAHA - I like it! And I guess I'll be distributing the weight over a large-ish area plus it will be screwed to joists which will take some of the weight? Perhaps you could try screwing your mate to some joists to help bear some of his load? Added benefit = he won't be able to get to the fridge so you save money on the lock.

Good news that weight is not an issue in that regard. The only other thing that concerned me a little was the integrity of the stud wall and the weight considerations there. Is there any possibility the added weight could do damage to the stud frames/joists?


Cheers for all

Max

Never had a problem with the weight of boards on studwork.