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I need to sound proof my office. Can you recommend sound panels that will fit walls that are about 15 ' high? I need something rather attractive, too.Marjorie
Already Tried: The wall between my office and the next is not insulated. I can hear/and they can hear what happens in my office with doors closed. I moved my furniture away from the adjacent wall. There is an connecting door with hollow core. I put two pieces of 1" insulation and put a heavy armoure (sp) to hide the insulation.
Hello and welcome to Just Answer. I can recommend some nice looking panels that absorb sound which should help, but I'm not sure how much it will reduce since sound has many routes that it can take. The wall that divides the offices may not go all the way up to the roof deck. If you have acoustical ceiling tiles, you can lift one up next to the wall and see. If the wall does not go all the way up and is only a few inches higher than the ceiling, then a lot of noise is transferring over the wall. The wall would need to be extended up to the roof decking and sealed with acoustical sealant to stop the sound. Sound can also travel through ductwork....sound baffles can be installed in the ductwork to reduce this. Sound can travel through the cracks of doorways....installing weatherstripping can reduce the noise transfer. The panels I was referring about earlier are made by Tectum. Click here to see their website. If you need further help or clarification on this answer, please do not hesitate to reply to this post.
Thank you Brian. The office is in a historic building. There is a dropped acoustical ceiling with A/C vents... I don't know how I can cut out the noise transferring over the wall and thru the duct work. Can I purchase acoustical tiles that can block the sound?? I could replace all of the ceiling tiles and cover the walls with the Tectum...or I could move. I have been in this office for seven years. A photographer who specialized in babies has moved in next door.
There are ways to stop the noise. It will cost some money though and I'm not sure if you are renting or own the space, so that may have an affect on whether or not it is worth sinking the money into it. If the wall does not go up to the roof decking, a wall can be built on top of it to extend up to the bottom of the deck....this will stop a lot of the noise transfer. There are duct liners that can be installed in the ductwork to drastically reduce noise transfer. Additional layers of drywall can be installed on the wall.....more mass reduces noise transfer. Acoustical insulation can be installed in the wall, but this requires removing drywall and reinstalling. There are acoustical tiles that reduce sound more than others.....most of them absorb sound only from the room side, but you could get tiles that absorb from both sides. USG.com is a good source to research such tiles. And the Tectum panels will help, but you need to look at the major openings in the wall first. The dividing wall needs to be airtight....in a sense....to stop noise transfer.
I am renting. I offered to construct a wall with airspace and have acoustical insulation and this covered with the acoustical drywall. All at my expense and with the contractor of the owner's choice. He wouldn't hear of it. I would like to stay in this office for another five years.
I am renting. I offered to construct a wall with airspace betweent he existing wall and the new wall, including acoustical insulation, acoustical drywall and work completed by the contractor of the owner's choice. He wouldn't hear of it. He wants to put sound panels and believes this will suffice. thank you for your input about the acoustical ceiling and the duct work. I will bring this to his attention. Duct liners...I have never heard about this, however I am eager to look more into it. You have been very helpful.
Yeah, the owner is going to look for the cheapest way out. Unfortunately, I don't think sound panels alone will greatly reduce the noise. Well, good luck with it and I hope this helps you find the solution.
Experience: Licensed Architect- 16 years, L.E.E.D. AP