Fire & Soundproof Insulation is a stone wool insulation product for use in interior wall partitions and can be inserted between the joists in your basement ceiling, under the main floor of your house. They offer superior fire resistance and acoustical performance. One common brand we use is the SAFE’n’SOUND® by Rockwool. It’s generally available at most building centres and Rockwool claims that their product can withstand heat of more than 2000 degrees F before it melts. Most of our customers choose this product for its sound blocking properties.

Its sound absorption properties are strong for airborne noise, like someone talking or playing music or sound coming from a home theatre system. Made from stone, SAFE’n’SOUND® (https://www.rockwool.com/a/s/lifeisloud/) reduces sound transmission by trapping sound waves and vibrations in the thousands of tiny interconnected spaces created by its unique fibre structure. Sound absorption coefficient of a surface can assume values in the range from 0 (totally reflecting surfaces) to 1 (totally absorbing surfaces). This testing method is very complex but in summary the sound insulation batts reduce noise transfer by 80 – 90%. The batts are best for blocking out airborne noise.

They do not work so well at reducing the transfer of impact noise like someone dancing on a hardwood floor on the main floor of a house while someone else want quiet time in the basement. Resilient channel fastened perpendicular to the joists before drywall is installed can help with this. This being said, the sound batts are very adequate and suitable for most residential situations when finishing a basement.

Cost – a general rule of thumb to install the sound batts in an open ceiling between the joists of an unfinished basement is $2.00 per sq. ft. including both materials and labour. In relation to the total cost of finishing a basement, installing sound insulation represents between 2.5 – 3% of total costs.

For more information, please contact us at 705-444-2564 or email scott@mintcon.ca. To book a FREE design consultation and quote appointment.