Roommate Blocker 1.0

Step 4 Add Drywall

From what I've gathered people think drywall is harder to use than it really is. All you need is some dry wall screws and a razor blade. This is a bi-layer wall, so both sides will be covered by dry wall. I used a smaller car to transport the dry wall, so I cut the pieces in half (4'x4'). Measure your wall and keep note of where your beams are... write it down.

Turn the drywall on its backside (paper backed side) and outline the wall based on your measurements. I placed a ruler on the surface of the drywall in order to cut a straight line. Take a straight edge and pass through your sketched lines a few times until you feel it cut through. Don't worry of you didn't fully cut through. Carefully lift up the drywall and bend the piece at the cut line, the drywall should break. Now, you can take your straight edge and cut through the cardboard backing. This stuff gets messy, wear a mask and cover the floor, or rent an industrial vacuum.

Once you've got your shapes you will want to mount the drywall onto the studs. With the drywall in place, find your studs and drill away. I used about 8 screws per 4x4 sheet.

Now that both sides are mounted, look for gaps, you can cover them later... but keep note of them.

**Use 1/2" drywall on each side to increase sound blocking. I used 1/4"

Comments

[skipernicus]

You can get even more sound reduction by putting a layer of masonite underneath the drywall. Masonite is super cheap, easy to work with and is great for blocking sound.

[altontoth]

A second layer of drywall, especially if the seams do not overlap, can assist in the sound deadening process greatly.