Mancave advice

[Raeno]

Hello to all

Im in the process of creating myself a mancave within my cellar. I have a question regarding reducing the sound travelling up to the room above.

My plan is to board out the ceiling with plasterboard, which will leave a considerable gap between the existing joists & the new ceiling. Will filling these voids with loft insulation reduce the sound that travels upstairs? If no, can anyone suggest an cost effective way of reducing the sound travelling to the room above. I dont want it soundproof, but I would like a space I can enjoy music at a resonable volume, without gettin told off from the Mrs upstairs

Many thanks for any who reply

 

[JohnD]

it will muffle it a bit, but you can get dense mineral wool batts from the builders merchant, thay are heavier and the extra density will muffle the sound more. Two layers of plasterboard will also deaden it more than a single layer.

pay special attention to gaps and cracks, as sound will travel through them.

 

[kjacko]

If in a cellar would it not be in your interests to use decent thermal and acoustic insulation anyway, so as to retain the heat in what one would expect to be a usually cold room?

What do the pro's think to the acoustic abilities of something like Kingspan?

I used Rockwool R45 in my en-suite cavity, but couldn't say how good it is really, nothing to compare it to.

 

[JohnD]

sound absorbtion is largely dependent on the mass of the materials. Kingspan is very light.

heat loss will mostly be into the floor and walls of the cellar, not the ceiling.

 

[Deluks]

Kingspan/celotex etc. isn't the best choice for soundproofing as it is rigid, and will transmit sound.
Whack a kingspan board with your hand, do the same to a rockwool batt, which makes the less noise?

 

[CharlieB1981]

i've used 75mm rockwool slabs in the cellar and downstairs ceilings with a single layer of 12.5mm gtec decimal board, not moved in properly yet so cant say what the ultimate end result is ( as still other holes in the ceiling elswhere).

out of interest, how damp is your cellar and are you doing anything to the walls? currently assessing options myself for waterproofing the walls.

 

[Raeno]

Thanks for all the replies people

My cellar is quite damp (walls). Ive recently bought a de-humidifier & put it to work down there, it pulls out 2ltrs in 24hrs. The floor slab is dry, with only the perimeter of the room being dark, which I presume is moisture.

Rockwool batts seem like a better choice for sound absorbtion, will it double as thermal insulation too? Or do I need both "normal" insulation plus the rockwool? Any one know of good (cheap!) sites or stockists for Rockwool?

Im planning on treating the floor slab with "cellarcote" prior to laying my floor.

http://www.sealocrete.com/product_260_16

Ive got the data sheet too but I cant see how to upload a PDF

Anyone ever used this or known of anyone that has?