Coolroom panels for soundproofing?

pwsharp · Post by **pwsharp** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 5:12 pm

Any comments on the suitability of coolroom panels to soundproof a studio?

A local scrapyard has a large supply of used coolroom panels, about 7x1.2m by 75mm thick, in good condition. They're styrofoam with aluminium skins on both sides. I've been making plans for a studio in my garage and was wondering about these coolroom panels as a possible soundproofing material. Possible uses:

1. In place of gypsum sheeting (with or without between-the-stud insulation), both walls & ceiling.
2. In place of usual glass fibre insulation between the studs.
3. Looking at the Walls & Ceilings tab off the Construction link at the SAE site (The Recording Manual link on John's home page), the diagram of steel-stud walls gave me the idea that, perhaps, the 'U' shaped steel studs could be 'wrapped around' the end (or sides?) of the coolroom panels to create 'pre-fab' panels that could be bolted together. This could make for a form of portable studio that could be used by those who rent & want a removable studio in their garage...

All comments & ideas welcome!

Peter Sharp
Ballarat, Australia

knightfly · Post by **knightfly** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 9:59 pm

Peter, I hate it when I have to give bad news, but your "find" will have only marginal use at best as far as any kind of sound control, either from a sound PROOFing standpoint or as acoustic treatment. This type of panel is almost always made of CLOSED cell foam, which isn't useful as absorbent because the cells are closed, so can't absorb. It also doesn't do much for sound proofing, which requires mass.

About the only thing those panels might work for in a home-type studio would be (possibly, no guarantee) as baffles placed around an instrument at splayed angles - used that way, they might reduce flutter echo in an otherwise parallel-walled room... Steve