soundproofing new shop -doors and windows.

[david minnery]

Hi All,
I am designing a small (350+sf) detached shop and need some advice. I have neighbors, so soundproofing is a primary concern.
The one area that that I could some help on is doors. I'm thinking of making carriage doors, similar to a Fine Woodworking project a while back. The design was to make a poplar mortise and tenon frame with rigid foam insulation and face both sides with plywood.

My concern is not the doors, but the gaps between the door frames, threshold and the doors themselves.

I'm also thinking a lot about windows. Any good ideas?

PS-The loudest tools are my dewalt planer and my cnc, which I run a lot.
Any ideas are much appreciated!

[Dale Murray]

Those tools create high frequency sound which is much easier to snuff out. I would start out with something simple like thick weather stripping. in all the air gaps. You can also use soft materials strategically placed around the shop to knock down sound; catch it before it reaches the doors.

[Sam Layton]

Hi David,

When I built my shop I had the same concerns as you, I did not want to disturb my neighbors. I think the doors and windows are the problem areas. I used 2x4 construction. Used R15 insulation in the walls, R30 in the ceiling. Then I used 1/2" sound board, then 5/8 drywall on the interior walls and ceiling. On the outside is stucco, with brick half way up. The windows are double pane. My door is fiberglass.

When I run my equipment, it is very quiet outside. You can hear it a little but not bad. In the house you can not hear it at all. My neighbors have never complained. I purchased the sound board at Lowes I think (4X8 sheets). It is not expensive, cheaper than dry wall as I remember.

Your door is the problem area. As Dale said, you need to really use good weather stripping. I really like the carriage doors. However, they will be harder to sound proof. Just make sure you do not have any gaps, use good thick weather stripping. Good double pane windows are the only way to go.

Good luck, Sam

[Mike Wilkins]

Other than insulating the walls and ceilings, and placing drywall on them, the best solution I have been using for years is not running any loud machinery after 9:00 PM. I have asked all my neighbors if my activities have been noticed by them, and all say no. But I still try to be respectful of them after dark. My daughter's Shih Tzu is another story. All the wandering rabbits and cats in the neighborhood are identified by this bundle of bark.

[Sam Layton]

Mike,

I agree with you. I try not to run anything loud much after dark.

[david minnery]

Thanks for responses, very helpful.
My plan for the walls is to make them 6" thick and stagger the 2x4s, so no single 2x4 is in contact with both an interior wall and outside wall. This seems like it would help a lot with sound transference. Then, I'll put in the sound proofing insulation available at HD.
I'll probably use the sound board on the floor.
I always keep my hours within a reasonable time frame - an important consideration.

Another concern is venting. I was thinking of installing roof vents and vents near the floor for intake. I saw some interesting baffle ideas on the web. Essentially, you build a box lined with sound absorbing foam and put a couple of baffles inside. This basically forces air/sound to zig zag through this box and hopefully reduce sound. Anyone try anything like this or another idea?
I may attach a standard bathroom fan to increase airflow.
Thanks for all the tips!

[Jamie Buxton]

..My plan for the walls is to make them 6" thick and stagger the 2x4s, so no single 2x4 is in contact with both an interior wall and outside wall. This seems like it would help a lot with sound transference. ...

You could do the same thing with doors and windows. At each doorway, there would be two doors -- an inner and an outer. The outer door would be attached to the outer 2x4's in the wall, and the inner door would be attached to the inner 2x4's. This should really cut down on the conduction transference. Using high-mass doors -- solid core -- will help reflect sound back into the shop rather than letting it go through the door.

[david minnery]

Hi Jamie,
My brother did that when he built a rehearsal room for his band. It was extremely effective, but they forgot to put any vents in the room. They could play for about 40 minutes before the room became like a sauna!
Still a good idea, I'll have to give it some thought.

[Jamie Buxton]

Hi Jamie,
My brother did that when he built a rehearsal room for his band. It was extremely effective, but they forgot to put any vents in the room. They could play for about 40 minutes before the room became like a sauna!
Still a good idea, I'll have to give it some thought.

A difference between a band and a woodshop is that the band makes big noise for long periods. My shop does something like that only rarely. More often, I'll do something for a few minutes with a big noise maker, and then there will be quite a few minutes when things are quieter. Maybe I'm setting up for the next big noise, or maybe I'm using a hand tool, or maybe I'm just thinking. Could you make a venting system that is easily opened and closed? For instance, a box fan with a sound-resistant door in front of it. The door is hooked to the fan's power, so opening the door turns on the fan, and closing the door turns off the fan. Heck, you might could interconnect the vent door with the dust collector, so that the vent closes any time the DC comes on. The DC should be running when the planer or the CNC is running, so that might do the trick. Well, you might need an over-ride for tools like a hand-held router.

[Stan Krupowies]

Wow, maybe I'm just an ignorant SOB but unless I was building this shop directly under my neighbors bedroom window and using machines at 5:00 AM and working until midnight I wouldn't be too concerned about it. I don't think the noise I make is loud enough or continuous enough to be a real annoyance. I have my shop in my basement and my wife has NEVER complained about the noise I make and I've done nothing for sound proofing between basement and main floor. The spiteful side of me would say that if my neighbors are that much of a PIA to begin with then I would purposely not worry about it!

[david minnery]

Thanks guys.
Actually, my shop is very loud. Mainly from my cnc which runs all day when I'm busy. This is a professional shop, so even though it's small there is always a machine running. Being a pro shop, I can't afford any problems and I want it done right from the start.
Also, my current shop is about 12' from my neighbor's house. Unfortunately, the are mentally ill and completely unpredictable.
I downloaded a decibel meter app for my phone to do some tests. With tools running, my shop was in the low 90s, outside it was about 30db lower.
I thought that was a pretty good drop, but it's still noticeable.
If I can keep my business on my property, instead of paying rent somewhere, it's money well spent.
I'm leaning towards double doors and windows at this point.
Thanks for all the feedback!

[Jamie Buxton]

Thanks guys.
Actually, my shop is very loud. Mainly from my cnc which runs all day when I'm busy. This is a professional shop, so even though it's small there is always a machine running. Being a pro shop, I can't afford any problems and I want it done right from the start.
Also, my current shop is about 12' from my neighbor's house. Unfortunately, the are mentally ill and completely unpredictable.
I downloaded a decibel meter app for my phone to do some tests. With tools running, my shop was in the low 90s, outside it was about 30db lower.
I thought that was a pretty good drop, but it's still noticeable.
If I can keep my business on my property, instead of paying rent somewhere, it's money well spent.
I'm leaning towards double doors and windows at this point.
Thanks for all the feedback!

Yeah, running a professional, full-time business in a neighborhood zoned for residential means that the neighbors can get help from the government to make you stop. That's the whole point of zoning laws -- keeping industrial or commercial uses away from residential use, and vice versa.

[david minnery]

I'm familiar with local code and ordinances, so I'm ok. I just need something a bit bigger and quieter!

[Doug Ladendorf]

David, consider putting Homasote on the doors. This will diffuse the sound and should reduce the sound levels both inside and out. It could be used on the ceiling as well depending on what you have. Home Depot sells it.

[david minnery]

Thanks Doug, I'll check it out.
I was even thinking of making some vertical panels with acoustical ceiling tiles.