Serious Materials offers innovative products for soundproofing. They have QuietRock drywall in three flavors Relief QR-525 (STC 51-72), Serenity QR-530 (STC-52-74) and THX Certified Solitude QR-545 (STC 56-80). What are the advantages of QuietRock well it is easy to install, it absorbs sound and vibration, outperforms resilient channels and it can not be short circuited. When the Pratt School of Engineering did a study, they found that QuietRock outperformed mass for soundproofing. What's in the panel? Well each panel has a viscoelastic layer, this layer will convert vibration and energy to heat. This results in the reduction of noise and vibration.My friends decided to use QuietRock in their kids playroom. The result simply put, a substantial reduction of noise coming from the playroom. So yes it works. When I talked to the QuietRock people about reducing impact/footfall noise from above, they said it would reduce the noise but there would only be a slight reduction in impact / footfall noise BUMMER! However, you can read this blog entry for tips on reducing impact / footfall noise. Soundproofing your condo / apartment ceiling
The panels seem a little expensive, over a $100 for the entry level product. But what do you get with this price. Sound isolation without sacrificing space, easy installation. Install just like regular drywall. The traditional method would be to cover a wall with heavy MLV install RC channels over the vinyl, then screw your drywall panels into these channels. So the traditional method is labor intensive plus there is a greater chance that you might install the channels wrong and you also have to worry about short circuiting wall once it is installed.
If you would like to save a few bucks, you can use Green Glue to make your own viscoelastic panels. All you need 2 pieces of drywall and one tube of Green Glue. A tube runs about $15 bucks and 2 sheets of drywall is cheap.
UPDATE: Serious Materials has added some new panels to their line.
| 510 | Excellent value, lowest cost, lightest weight. | 1/2" | 47-69 | Not Rated |
| ES | Low cost, easy score and snap with EZ-SNAP technology. | 5/8" | 51-60 | 1 Hour Type X UL Classified |
| 525 | Optimized for wood stud construction. | 5/8" | 49-70 | 1 Hour, UL Classified |
| 527 | Optimized for steel stud construction. Can also be used with wood studs. | 5/8” | 48-65 | 1 Hour Type X UL Classified |
| 528 | Abuse-resistant. Mold-resistant. Paperless soundproof drywall, co-developed with Georgia-Pacific Gypsum. | 5/8” | 50-58 | 1 Hour, UL Classified |
| 530 | Shear rated, impact-resistant. | 5/8" | 52-74 | 1 Hour Type X UL Classified |
| 530RF | RF and acoustic panel all in one for SCIF applications. | 5/8" | 52-74 | 1 Hour Type X UL Classified |
| 545 | Highest performance. Superior sound isolation, even at 50 Hz. | 1-3/8" | 60-80 | 2 hours (estimated) |
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