Build a music studio in an apartment building

Step 5 Soundproofing case study: floor

The proper way to do this would have been to tear out the existing floor and the underlayment, then to use Uboat neoprene floaters such as these to float 2 by 4s on the beams. Then if I'd layered 3/8" plywood, greenglue, quietrock, followed by more greenglue and another layer of 3/8" plywood, finishing it all up with cork I would have had a superb floor. Oh well. To save money I used these simple neoprene pucks I bought from Canal Rubber on Canal Street in Manhattan, and improvised a system to float a new floor above the existing one.

I screwed the pucks into the floor through the center, laid strips of 3/4" plywood over them and screwed the plywood into the corners of the puck, being very careful NOT to go all the way through to the floor. I was also careful not to let them touch the walls. The contractors who were helping me build this were very disturbed by the wobbly construction, and kept trying to use long screws through the neoprene to tighten the plywood onto the floor below. I got tired of explaining and arguing, so instead I'd just go in at night and replace all their screws... After the floor was built it had a nice springy feel, but it was (and still is) perfectly secure and safe.

To avoid the dreaded triple leaf effect I wanted to lay recycled rubber (shredded car tires) I'd bought on Craigslist between these strips. Unfortunately the coop board got wind of my plans and forbade me from using this material, even though my architect sister assured me it was legal. Such is life. I used sand instead, and now I have 4 barrels of shredded rubber sitting in the basement. If anybody can pick them up from Brooklyn, these would be perfect for building a platform under a drum set!

I used the rest of my Greenglue on the strips, built a plywood floor and finished it with cork -- I'll discuss that choice on step 8.