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Step 7Step 4: Secure the drywall to the top cleat
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1. Set the drywall panel in the track. This may be the most frustrating part, as the lightweight pipe insulation wants to move under it. Do the best you can before you clamp it. Make the bottom of the wall the same distance from the wall as at the middle cleat.
2. Clamp the drywall to the bottom cleat. See photo. The clamp makes everything so much easier. Since the panel is somewhat flexible, use the opportunity make final adjustments to the track. I found a drywall pry very helpful at this point.
3. Sound Check: Now is a good time to check your acoustical construction. Press your ear up to the drywall and scratch on the top cleat. Compare the volume of that sound to the sound of scratching on the studs behind. There should be a huge difference - scratching on the stud should sound very far away in another room. If the difference is not so great, backtrack to the previous steps and search for signs of short-circuiting, through a staple, nail, or a point where the drywall is actually touching the bottom cleat. Remember that the wall should should flex -- if it's not flexing, there may be a problem in that location. Once the sound check is satisfactory...
4. Double-check the top cleat: Make sure it's snug in the "trench" before you screw it in place. Check again that there are no signs of short-circuiting -- when you wiggle it around in there, it should never feel like you're hitting something.
5. Screw the drywall sheet into each top cleat. Again, for soundproofing reasons don't get carried away with screws. I used just three at each level. Since this is a blind maneuver, you'll find it helpful to pre-mark where you are going to drill, based on the level of the top cleat at the sides of the drywall panel.
6. Check again! Before you caulk it up, it's a good time to check to whole operation. Is the resonant frequency as you'd like it? Is it as sturdy as you require? Is anything too crooked for your tastes?
1. Set the drywall panel in the track. This may be the most frustrating part, as the lightweight pipe insulation wants to move under it. Do the best you can before you clamp it. Make the bottom of the wall the same distance from the wall as at the middle cleat.
2. Clamp the drywall to the bottom cleat. See photo. The clamp makes everything so much easier. Since the panel is somewhat flexible, use the opportunity make final adjustments to the track. I found a drywall pry very helpful at this point.
3. Sound Check: Now is a good time to check your acoustical construction. Press your ear up to the drywall and scratch on the top cleat. Compare the volume of that sound to the sound of scratching on the studs behind. There should be a huge difference - scratching on the stud should sound very far away in another room. If the difference is not so great, backtrack to the previous steps and search for signs of short-circuiting, through a staple, nail, or a point where the drywall is actually touching the bottom cleat. Remember that the wall should should flex -- if it's not flexing, there may be a problem in that location. Once the sound check is satisfactory...
4. Double-check the top cleat: Make sure it's snug in the "trench" before you screw it in place. Check again that there are no signs of short-circuiting -- when you wiggle it around in there, it should never feel like you're hitting something.
5. Screw the drywall sheet into each top cleat. Again, for soundproofing reasons don't get carried away with screws. I used just three at each level. Since this is a blind maneuver, you'll find it helpful to pre-mark where you are going to drill, based on the level of the top cleat at the sides of the drywall panel.
6. Check again! Before you caulk it up, it's a good time to check to whole operation. Is the resonant frequency as you'd like it? Is it as sturdy as you require? Is anything too crooked for your tastes?
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