John Sayers' Recording Studio Design Forum Archive

Hello,
After reading several posts.I've come to the conclusion I won't be using Soundstop for soundproofing my ceiling or walls.
Details:35'L x 23W x 8'H
16"h floor joist 15" off center no support poles.
Joist span 23' across.
Question:How do I find out if this ceiling will support 2 layers of 5/8
drywall?
Thanks for your time!
Peace,
Kevin
P.S I have photos but can't figure out how to post them

You didn't read the stickys!!!!!!!!! http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3393 third post down.

Posting pix - have them on your hard drive so you can browse to them - they need to be under 150k file size, jpg's work best. I typically take the 5 and 8 megapixel shots from my Nikon 8700, pull them into Paint, and use the Stretch and Skew option - find a percentage of reduction that will give around 750 pixels wide (divide 750 by your existing width, found under Image > Attributes - cancel this dialog, then Image > Stretch&Skew, enter the answer to your division above (like 35% for example), then re-save the pic under a different name so the original isn't lost.

When you click Image > Attributes again, it will show you pixel size AND file size - if this is UNDER 150 k, and UNDER 800 pixels wide...

In your post, after you've entered the normal stuff you click the Browse button below the box you enter your message in - then browse to the pic you want to post, click on the file name, and submit.

You can enter up to 6 pix at a time, but they will be displayed in REVERSE of the order you select them. After you've Browsed to the last pic you want to show, click "Add Attachment", then Browse again to the NEXT to last pic, click "Add Attachment", and work your way to the FIRST pic you want to see in your post. When you're done, click "Preview", it will show you what your post will look like. If that's good, click Submit and you're done.... Steve

I'm sorry Sonic. I'm a Musician not a carpenter.If that were the case I
wouldn't be here asking questions.Thanks for the link tho! its all pig latin
to me.I'm just trying to make a room to make music in.Kinda sorry I
asked.
Peace,
Kevin

Kevin, let's start over; I don't think Sonic intended his post quite as strong as you must have taken it, he was mainly trying to point you to a span calculator; but it's easy, after dealing with this sort of stuff as long as he has (at least 6 years working on his own studio) to forget what it's like to enter into a new subject and not know enough about it to even ask the right questions

We're not here to make people feel bad (although in extreme cases of laziness I've been known to get a bit gruff myself ) and I know how easy it is to be maybe a bit too sensitive or embarrassed by lack of knowledge, but stick with us - you won't be sorry in the long run.

Remember, we all started out knowing NOTHING so there's nothing to be defensive about - Before long, you'll be helping others with your newfound knowledge, as well as enjoying your new, quieter, better-sounding space...

Now, on to your question -

16"h floor joist 15" off center no support poles.
Joist span 23' across.
Question:How do I find out if this ceiling will support 2 layers of 5/8
drywall?

By this, do you mean your floor joists are 16" tall? Can I assume that these are then some sort of manufactured joist, like a TrusJoist or similar, where the bottom and top are larger solid wood and the center is blotchy-looking wood (called OSB) ?

If that's what you have, then a normal span table can't help you; instead, you would need to find the exact manufacturer info on those joists to see what they can support - there should be some sort of identifying marks on the joists themselves, telling what company made them, what the part number is, probably even the date they were made; you would then need to contact the manufacturer and ask what those joists, which are probably on 16" centers (this is a standard in the building industry - it's measured from center to center, or from leading edge to leading edge) can support.

This value would be stated in PSF, which stands for Pounds per Square Foot - there will be a Live load rating and a Dead load rating, typically expressed as 50/20, the Live load being first.

Dead load ratings INCLUDE the weight of the framing, so you would need to know how much your joist weigh per foot also; from that info, we can help you figure out what can be added safely.

Or, if you end up talking to the people who built your house, they may be able to tell you what your floor is rated at and how much you can add - 5/8" gypsum wallboard weighs about 2.5 pounds per square foot, so a double layer would add 5 PSF to your construction; standard house insulation (the fluffy fiberglass) will add just under another pound per square foot with R38 batts in place.

If my earlier post helped you figure out how to add pix, a shot or two of your situation will help the discussion along. If there's any markings on your joists, a close-up shot of that may make things easier as well.

Hang in there; everything you learn today is one more thing you didn't know yesterday... Steve

First off, Thanks Steve for your reply.I'm having trouble getting the pix
down to size.I'll post them as soon as I figure it out.The joists are premade 2x4 construction 16" tall.I'll take some shots as soon as I can.Thanks again for your time.I talked to the builder and he suggested no more than 2 layers of 1/2 inch DW.
Peace,
Kevin

Hey Steve,
What do you think? RC and then a layer of 5/8 dw on the ceiling and double
layer of 5/8 dw on the walls or 1/2 dw,RC then 1/2 dw on ceiling and same on walls.Thanks much for any help.
Peace,
Kevin

more

and more

more

Hope these help.

I'm sorry I came off as a dick It was about the forth time that day someone asked somthing that was answered in the stickies.

Sonic, no prob; I run into this constantly. It's easy to forget how confusing this can seem when you're just getting into it, I remind myself regularly or I'd probably scare off ALL the "noobs"

Kevin, I'm not sure what program you're using for pix but apparently it's using a higher quality setting for jpg's - my pix that size are typically 50-75 k, and yours are nearly 300 k (how the **** did you even get the site to accept those when the limit is supposedly 150K??!?

If you program has a "quality" slider, try setting it lower til a 750 pixel wide pic ends up with a file size around 80k -

One good reason for this, even tho the site apparently likes you better than me is time; I do quite a bit of this on a laptop with an "air card", at maybe 2x dialup speeds, and your pix cause this page to load in about 20 minutes

In fact, I'm gonna have to catch this one at home later on DSL... Steve

I'm using Iphoto and the width is 750 or 700 on some .Should I remove them and try to make them smaller?
Peace,
Kevin

sculli, i use iphoto as well and the problem is, as far as i can see there's no way to reduce the quality of the photos using an "export," which is how i usually handle the size reduction.

however if i remember to do this i usuall lighten the pix and resave at higher compression using photoshop.

the easiest thing to do is remember to change the setting in your camera to a lower quality, say 640x480, and use low quality. then you won't have to resize them or worry about compression as much.

hth

d