Adventures in Soundproofing

Well, we’ve moved into our new music teaching studios in Clintonville and the place is a gigantic echo chamber. Our old studio had wall-to-wall carpet, dry wall covered with thin wood paneling and a drop ceiling packed with insulation. It was like playing music inside a giant marshmallow. The new place, built in 1938, has plaster ceiling, plaster walls and faux wood flooring. It’s like playing music in a cave. We need to tame this wild beast!

Our first thought was to call an expert contractor to thoroughly soundproof our office suite. Of course this is a bit cost prohibitive to say the least. Fortunately, DIY soundproofing is a common practice. Our new guitar and piano teaching studios won’t really be soundproof, but a little sound diffusion goes a long way.

We’re starting with simple foam acoustic panels. They come in 12 inch squares with ridges, like a potato chip. We found a seller who ships them to us 48 at a time for pretty cheap. The first thing we want to do is put some on the ceiling, keeping in mind that these will have to come off some day. Our solution is to fix them 3×2 to a piece of cardboard using spray glue and attach the larger panels using command strips. Genius!

We made about 5 panels before we ran out of spray glue and so far things are looking pretty good. Off to the hardware store for more glue, then the real test, fixing them to the ceiling. We’ll let you know how it goes.

Cheers!

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