My husband heard you today on a radio program near Kelowna, British Columbia. He only heard the last part of your explanation of why pink insulation should not be used for soundproofing. We purchased insulation yesterday to be delivered on Friday for that purpose. Our family room is under the master bath, which has a tile floor. In addition the water pipes are very loud. We will be installing the family room ceiling next week. If you could tell us why pink insulation is a poor choice for soundproofing we would appreciate it. In addition, if you are aware of a better method of sound control, we would love to know about it.
Answer:
Sound doesn't travel as readily in air (insulation) as it does via solids so I prefer to add as much bulk as possible and material meant for the purpose of sound insulation. Sound proofing a wall or ceiling, I've found, is best done by creating a sandwich with lots of bulk. I apply 5/8" gypsum board (roughly taped, jointed and sanded) to the studs or joists and then 7/8" sound absorbing fibrous panel manufactured for the purpose. On top of that, I apply resilient channel and then another layer of 5/8" gypsum board. This time the gypsum board is properly taped jointed and sanded.
