Soundproofing an Office Wall: A How-To Guide

[Math Is Hard]

The wall behind me in my office is about 10 feet across and about 12 feet high. The top part of it consists of a window panel that is about 10 feet across x 4 feet high. There doesn't seem to be any insulation in the wall and it doesn't block the sound very well (well, almost not at all) coming from the other side. The construction of the wall appears to be drywall over some kind of aluminum or light metal beams. I can't gauge the thickness, but my side wall is about three inches thick.

Anyway, the problem is that the guy who sits in the office on the other side is extremely noisy! He whistles constantly. I've asked him repeatedly (very nicely) to please keep it down but he's basically told me that his whistling is involuntary - so in other words - buzz off!

My question is - is there anything that can be done accoustically to remedy this situation? I was thinking about tacking up some of that egg-crate foam material like the stuff used in recording studios. Maybe that would help?

Thanks!
mih

 

[Ivan Seeking]

The Ear Plug Super Store
http://store.yahoo.com/earplugstore/index.html

 

[Math Is Hard]

I might have to try ear plugs - thanks, Ivan. I wonder if those noise cancelling headphones would do me any good? I have regular headphones right now and I turn my music up as loud as it will go and I can still hear him! I think maybe he doesn't hear well and doesn't know how loud he gets.

 

[Moonbear]

LOL! I think I have the same kind of wall in my office, except it seems someone forgot to fully frame all the windows, so sound comes right around the unframed edges (there are 3 windows, and each one has 3 out of 4 sides framed...makes you wonder what the guys installing them were drinking). My neighbor isn't noisy, but there is ZERO privacy, which is sometimes problematic when someone comes in and needs to talk about a private matter.

Actually, it was rather funny last week when my neighbor was out of town and two others were in her office to access some files, etc. (they were supposed to be there). Apparently they didn't realize the lack of soundproofing, so I got a good earful of gossip they thought they were sharing with each other in privacy.

Since I never hear anything from the office on the other side of me that has no windows, just walls, I think the windows are the culprit. Then again, our entire building seems to echo sound. From the third floor, I can hear every whisper of conversation going on in the first floor lobby. I guess we're not supposed to keep secrets.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

From what I'm told, the Bose brand noise cancellation headphones should work extremely well. Also, it is common to see business travelers [presumably frequent flyers] wearing these while flying.

 

[Evo]

I might have to try ear plugs - thanks, Ivan. I wonder if those noise cancelling headphones would do me any good? I have regular headphones right now and I turn my music up as loud as it will go and I can still hear him! I think maybe he doesn't hear well and doesn't know how loud he gets.

Do you have a human resources department? I would go to them and complain about this person's apparent unwillingness to stop an annoying habit that interferes with the performance of your job. Or talk to that guy's boss, and let him know that you have already spoken to him about it and he doesn't care, or have your boss talk to his boss. Someone in our office that whistled would soon find himself whistling in the unemployment line. There are most likely rules against people making excessive or disruptive noise where you work and I don't see whistling listed under the American's with Disabilities act.

 

[SOS2008]

My question is - is there anything that can be done accoustically to remedy this situation? I was thinking about tacking up some of that egg-crate foam material like the stuff used in recording studios. Maybe that would help.

I'd listen to Evo--a moderator through and through! Or...

1. I like the sound-proof material you mentioned--it could look cool. And then maybe you could get Karaoke equipment and make extra money on breaks doing recordings for the other idiots in the office who think they can sing (oh they're out there).

2. You could give the guy a bag of Mega War Heads candy (laced with something to make his lips blister--I'm sure someone in the chemistry area can help with this).

3. Hardly ever go into your office--that's what I do.

I'm glad I could help. Anything for a friend!

 

[Danger]

Hi there;
I'm sure that this isn't what you meant by "acoustically", but have you considered facing a couple of honkin' huge speakers against the wall and running a subsonic tone through them (maybe 3 or 4 Hz) at full volume? I'm not sure what it would do to the windows, but there's a reasonable chance that your neighbour would request a new office and not even know why. I'm no engineer, sound of otherwise, but I've been told that it's extremely uncomfortable. Just be sure to insulate your side of them.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I am trying very hard to keep from escalating this to an HR issue. There are university politics involved. I have been there 2 years. He has been there about 20 and is very well respected. I went to my supervisor about this before I even made my first request to him, and she said I should just email him and ask him to keep it down. It's gotten a little better after 5 or so of my requests. Initially it was loud music, poetry reciting (I know, odd - but it's something he likes to do), and whistling, but now it's only the whistling that's a problem. He's been reasonably agreeable about keeping his music down and keeps his poetry reciting to a lower volume. oh - he also seems to have some gastro-intestinal ailments and the noises from that frequently pervade my walls, but those aren't so bad - just gross - and sometimes funny.
My dept. director also noticed the noise recently, and he and I both thought we might be able to do something to insulate the wall. I would kinda like to give the egg-crate foam thing a try. He and I both love projects like this so maybe it's an option.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

How about just smacking him upside the head?

 

[Mk]

Of course you'd need a >500 Watt stereo to go along with it.

 

[Moonbear]

You could always just shout back every time he makes noise, "Shut the f*** up!"
Or, even better, embarrass him about the noises he doesn't intend for you to hear, like every time he makes one of those bodily noises, shout, "Excuse you!"

When he recites poetry or whistles, you could start reciting math problems or singing along.

He sounds like such a pleasant person.

Someone really just needs to move him to a more isolated office.

 

[SOS2008]

Wow, this is a little weirder than originally posted (though glad the noises are the only thing coming through the wall). Seriously, it is a reminder for me to be grateful I don't have these problems in my work environment--And I'm impressed with your good attitude!

 

[Evo]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I am trying very hard to keep from escalating this to an HR issue. There are university politics involved. I have been there 2 years. He has been there about 20 and is very well respected. I went to my supervisor about this before I even made my first request to him, and she said I should just email him and ask him to keep it down. It's gotten a little better after 5 or so of my requests. Initially it was loud music, poetry reciting (I know, odd - but it's something he likes to do), and whistling, but now it's only the whistling that's a problem.

Ok, so he's a bonifide whacko. Sorry, you've got a real problem.

I also like danger's idea. Bombard him with low frequency noise.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Record him and then play it back; endlessly.

 

[Danger]

Thanks, EVO; you have no idea how good that makes me feel. Just about everyone I know thinks that I'm positively psychotic and not too bright when I come up with stuff like that. Danger is actually what I'm called around town, not just here, and that's why.

 

[Math Is Hard]

heh. Maybe I need to hire Danger to do my dirty work. What's your going rate?

 

[Danger]

Hi, Math;
Pardon the familiarity of address; I'm lazy. If it's a good cause, I work at cost. If it isn't, I don't do it. Sort of like the A-Team, but without TV's scruples against hurting the bad guys. I prefer non-lethal approaches, but...

 

[gerben]

I do not think the egg-crate foam will work for something like this. It works in sound studios to prevent the echo from the hard concrete wall, but in your case with this thin wall, which I guess is not very massive (and with this ridiculous size, 3.6 meters high!), I think you would do best by making the wall more massive and less rigid... (something like rubber would probably be best)

 

[SOS2008]

I do not think the egg-crate foam will work for something like this. It works in sound studios to prevent the echo from the hard concrete wall, but in your case with this thin wall, which I guess is not very massive (and with this ridiculous size, 3.6 meters high!), I think you would do best by making the wall more massive and less rigid... (something like rubber would probably be best)

Gerben is right. Check this site on ways to insulate for sound: http://www.owenscorning.com/around/insulation/project/soundcontrol.asp (And if you're wondering why I would know about this...it's a good question.) And I don't know about you, but I have to hear and be able to talk on the phone etc., so never wear headsets--I could have a radio, but would need to keep the volume low.

 

[Math Is Hard]

well, dadgummit!
I was hoping I could find a sound absorption solution but I'm not sure I will now. I guess I could always invest in nose-plugs and leave a rotting dead deer in my office. (hmm.. must think of some way to justify dead deer as conducive to network stability and security..)That could be a viable counter-attack.

 

[Danger]

Or, how about a tiny tube through the wall hooked up to a tank of that gas that you use in a fart bag? Can't remember specifics, but I think it's based upon the same stuff they use to make natural gas and propane noticeable. I'm sure one of the chemistry dudes in here can tell you. Keep a trigger switch handy, and whenever his gut rumbles get your attention, dose him with about 20 or 30 times what he's expecting of himself. It should work even better when he has company.

 

[Math Is Hard]

heh heh!
ok, yo, yo, we need a fart-bag chemist in the house! I do know that limberger cheese emissions can be quite foul. Maybe that would do.

The other thing I was thinking is that I am a terrible singer, and he's an opera fan, so I could take to belting out off-key arias at random times. I could claim, like he did about his whistling, that it is involuntary!

 

[Danger]

Careful, I can see a possible avalanche effect there. What if that pisses off the occupant of the next office other side of you? Then s/he starts, and on down the line until you have a building full of bleating, roaring, cackling, shrieking, and otherwise singing in voices that sound like a rooster being raped by a cement mixer.

 

[Echo 6 Sierra]

he also seems to have some gastro-intestinal ailments and the noises from that frequently pervade my walls,

The best answer so far...

Record him and then play it back; endlessly.

Also, a friend of mine pranked me once by putting a tiny "electric cricket" atop one of my ceiling tiles...I thought I would go INSANE until one day I made up my mind that it was either the cricket or me! People seem to look at you differently when they find out you were a Former Marine and are stalking what appears to be, on there observation, nothing. I still haven't gotten him back. I'm not sure where you get things like that.

 

[Danger]

Just get an electronics-geek buddy to cobble one together. It's only a timed tone generator and piezo speaker, like the ring tone on one of those insidious matchbook-sized cell phones. I love the idea, as long as the sound level isn't high enough to be heard from Math's office and exacerbate the original problem.

 

[Artman]

Get yourself a microphone, amplifer and a digital delay. Set it up to capture his whistling, delay it, and a second later repeat exactly what he just whistled, only louder. It will drive him nuts.

 

[SOS2008]

Careful, I can see a possible avalanche effect there. What if that pisses off the occupant of the next office other side of you? Then s/he starts, and on down the line until you have a building full of bleating, roaring, cackling, shrieking, and otherwise singing in voices that sound like a rooster being raped by a cement mixer.

Holly cow--a Terret Syndrome Domino Theory!

Try one of those air cleaning devices (fan operated) or a fan that cools/heats--which ever improves your comfort the most. You'd be surprised how much these fans mask noise, and you might even have cleaner air (you may need this more than you know?).

Maybe Danger knows where to get one of those crickets--If so, I'd like one too. The rubber cockroaches and plastic spiders I've planted on people's desks are losing their effect...

 

[Moonbear]

Oh, if only I had known it would come in useful some day! Someone gave me one of those chirping cricket things in a box once; it was supposed to be for good luck. It was also supposed to only chirp when you opened the box, but it didn't. Drove me bonkers starting to chirp any time it wanted, so I threw it out. I have real crickets, but they seem pretty quiet when inside (they sneak in the garage door in the summer, so if crickets in the house are good luck, I'm going to be the luckiest person in the world). Well, darn, had I known planting a cricket up near his ceiling or something might keep him occupied, I'd have saved it for you.

I don't know which is worse, whistling, or when a previous office neighbor used to bring her kids in. She'd leave them in her office while she was in the lab (probably playing games on the computer or something)...you could tell when she was out of the office, because there was a continuous stream of typical sibling bickering interspersed with swearing. And as soon as she walked back in, they turned back into seemingly perfect angels. Fortunately that was just something that happened on school holidays, but I'm glad I have quieter neighbors now.

 

[russ_watters]

Thanks, EVO; you have no idea how good that makes me feel. Just about everyone I know thinks that I'm positively psychotic and not too bright when I come up with stuff like that. Danger is actually what I'm called around town, not just here, and that's why.

You are psychotic, but its ok. Trust me, I know - I'm an engineer too.

MIH, I have on thing to say: 1000 cubic feet of packing peanuts (in his office, not yours).

 

[Moonbear]

MIH, I have on thing to say: 1000 cubic feet of packing peanuts (in his office, not yours).

MIH, just let me know when I should start saving packing peanuts for you! That'll definitely muffle all the sounds in his office.

 

[Danger]

No argument with the diagnosis, Russ, but I'd better correct a misconception here. As I mentioned a few days back on another thread (some people might have thought that it was a joke, but it wasn't), I never finished high school. Certainly not on to Engineer School.

 

[russ_watters]

No argument with the diagnosis, Russ, but I'd better correct a misconception here. As I mentioned a few days back on another thread (some people might have thought that it was a joke, but it wasn't), I never finished high school. Certainly not on to Engineer School.

Sorry - I misread your earlier post. You definitely have the most important quality for an engineer though: crazy nerdyness.

 

[Dayle Record]

Spend $20 for insulating foam, in a pressurized can with a tip. Take a drill to work, with a bit, the size of the dispenser tip on the foam can. Make little holes in the wall and inject foam into the space between the joists. See if that will ease some of the sound, problems. Do it on the weekend, if necessary. Take a small ladder, I don't know how far the foam will spread before a new hole has to be made. Take a tube of spackle with you, to cover the holes. Paint if you have to. And, buy one of those little innocuous fountains, that make a constant, pleasant sound to create a background noise that you feel is your own.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Crickets? Amplifiers? Packing peanuts? You people are evil, devious and twisted. I so proud to know you I am a little choked up right now.

I think Dayle has come up with a very good and practical idea there with the wall-injections. I would just have to be careful not to drill all the way through to his office since I don't know the thickness of the wall.

 

[russ_watters]

I would just have to be careful not to drill all the way through to his office since I don't know the thickness of the wall.

Four inches for the interstitial space. Interior partition walls are rarely anything else. The drywall itself is around 1 inch. Just wrap some tape around the drill bit an inch up and it'll make sure you don't surge through and punch a hole in the far wall.

That's a lot of spray-in insulation, but it should do the job.

 

[Moonbear]

Four inches. Interior partition walls are rarely anything else. That's a lot of spray-in insulation, but it should do the job.

Well, since I can see through the windows in my office to know the depth of the wall, here it seems closer to 6 inches. (As an aside, having windows between offices seems to save on electricity for lighting...I don't realize until my neighbor leaves and turns off her lights that it has gotten dark enough to need to turn on my lights. ) But, either way, it's probably no more than 1/2" sheet rock on either side of the wall. Unless you hit a stud in the wall, you should feel the the sudden loss of any resistance while drilling to know you've gone deep enough.

But, yeah, it would be quite a lot of foam, and I still would suspect the windows are the culprit for lack of soundproofing, not the walls based on my experience of having one solid wall and one wall with windows separating me from the offices on either side and knowing I can hear everything in the one office with great clarity while the other one is fairly well insulated from me in terms of sound.

Edit: It sucks when Russ edits his posts AFTER I quote them.

 

[russ_watters]

Edit: It sucks when Russ edits his posts AFTER I quote them.

I'm never happy with my posts the first time I post them.

 

[Moonbear]

I'm never happy with my posts the first time I post them.

LOL! I might have been more eloquent about that too, had I not gotten a phone call right in the middle of typing that retort.

 

[Bladibla]

I think certain levels of violence is a good measure for stoppage of noise

 

[Artman]

Use this stuff.

Acoustical wall treatment

 

[Math Is Hard]

MIH, just let me know when I should start saving packing peanuts for you! That'll definitely muffle all the sounds in his office.

Moonbear, I was just thinking.. if you mail me those packing peanuts, what will you pack them in?

 

[Math Is Hard]

Use this stuff.

Acoustical wall treatment

Thanks, Artman! I just emailed them about pricing on those tiles.

 

[Artman]

Thanks, Artman! I just emailed them about pricing on those tiles.

They can probably give you application ideas too. Good luck.

 

[Danger]

Moonbear, I was just thinking.. if you mail me those packing peanuts, what will you pack them in?

Silly girl--crushed china, of course.

 

[Danger]

Sorry - I misread your earlier post. You definitely have the most important quality for an engineer though: crazy nerdyness.

Thank you too much, kind sir. I was actually shooting for evil deviousness, but close enough.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Silly girl--crushed china, of course.

*smacks forehead*
Of course!

My neighbor is singing today. I am working on him telepathically - imagining golf balls being lodged in his throat. Am having partial success.

 

[Danger]

Four inches for the interstitial space. Interior partition walls are rarely anything else. The drywall itself is around 1 inch. Just wrap some tape around the drill bit an inch up and it'll make sure you don't surge through and punch a hole in the far wall.

That's a lot of spray-in insulation, but it should do the job.

Why not forget the depth-marking tape and use a really looooonnngg bit? Keep going until you're through his vocal chords and chalk it up as an industrial accident.

 

[brewnog]

Here's my suggestion:

1. Put the kettle on. Remember to use fresh water.
2. Find out his fax number.
3. Write a simple, but poignant message in large letters (I favour Comic Sans 76pt) over several sheets of A4, and tape them together to make a long strip.
4. Put a teabag in a mug, and get the milk out of the fridge.
5. Start to fax him your message, but as the first page comes out of your fax machine, tape it to the last page so that your message is in a big loop.
6. Pour boiling water into the mug
7. Stir well, leave to mash, remove teabag, add milk to taste.
8. Enjoy your nice cup of tea, perhaps with a biscuit or two. Relax!
9. When you feel rejuvinated and relaxed, cut your fax loop and allow the transmission to end, safe in the knowledge that when someone annoys you, annoying them in return is a far better solution than diplomacy or violence.

 

[SOS2008]

Moonbear, I was just thinking.. if you mail me those packing peanuts, what will you pack them in?

Heh.

Use this stuff.Acoustical wall treatment

Make sure you get the silencer--not the amplifier acoustical surface (unless it's on HIS side of the wall).