Noise complaints can be a common issue when your studio is sandwiched between other businesses. Designed for retail, strip malls are the biggest culprits. Noise, whether from music, large groups, or taps tend to carry into surrounding businesses. Neighbors begin to complain. So, how do you continue to run your studio effectively and keep a good standing relationship with your neighbors? The answer is most likely already in your studio.
After years of building dance studios, we discovered the “Marley” floor you dance on can be repurposed as a sound barrier. Composed of heavy PVC vinyl, “Marley” is the same material marketed and sold as a sound isolating product. “Marley” isolates sound by layering it between drywall sheets. “Marley” paired with drywall sheets of varying thicknesses (1/2” & 5/8”) vibrate at different frequencies, helping eliminate resonance. Sound travels through the tiniest of spaces, therefore sealing each layer air tight is of the utmost importance. See DIY instructions below.
In an ever growing environmentally conscious world, repurposing and recycling items has gained importance. Most studios when replacing “Marley” just throw away old material. There’s a chance you can get your hands on it for free, by calling a local studio. Trash becomes treasure. Otherwise, we have used “Marley” in stock at drastically reduced prices. Call us at 310-519-1314 if this is of interest to you.
DIY Instructions for Soundproofing with Marley
Soundproofing a wall is one of the easiest soundproofing projects out there. If you are willing to remove the existing drywall and start from scratch, your chances of getting great soundproofing increase exponentially.
To soundproof, you would remove your existing drywall to expose the studs behind the drywall. At this point you would add batts of insulation into the stud cavities. Two of the best soundproof insulations are Rockwool and UltraTouch cotton insulation. These insulation batts can be purchased from a local insulation or drywall supply warehouse. These will get you to a 50 STC rating (speech is not easily understood through a wall, and loud sounds are only faintly audible).
The next step would be to gather rolls of “Marley” dance flooring. The vinyl will be stapled or nailed directly to the wood studs using an industrial air drive stapler or nail gun. The vinyl will cover the entire wall much like a soundproof membrane. It is best to overlap the seams as you cover the entire wall surface of the studs with the vinyl. Once the vinyl is installed, you will want to caulk and tape the overlap as well as the perimeter of the vinyl membrane. Now that the vinyl is sealed it is time to install a new layer of 5/8” drywall. With the drywall installed you can tape the seams and texture it to suit your taste. That’s one of the best ways to soundproof any demising wall. If you wanna do something really good, you can repeat that whole process. Heavy Limp mass is what stops sound and to make it all airtight is also excellent.
If you’d like a more detailed explanation from Matt please contact us.
