Mike - Maybe it isn't used in the US, but MDF [multi density fibre] replaced chipboard etc that used to be used when constructing stud walls in houses; it's just a false wall, and not very sound proof. I once live in a flat where I could hear the bloke in the flat below washing up etc. He never had a girl back, I'd have heard! :], and they were new build flats, not a building conversion; I then bought a house that used breeze block for the party walls, and could hear the family next door cough and sneeze [they were always very unhealthy :]]
After that, I had learnt my lesson, and ever since, have taken a lot of notice of sound proofing when buying places. - Andy ----- Original Message ----- From: Mike Rusk To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, July 07, 2007 12:53 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Sound proofing in apartments Help this old dummy, what is MDF? Can't offer any info on sound proofing apartments as the only one I ever lived in was a converted farm house and I'm sure the neighbors downstairs heard us more than we heard them. I have lived in a couple condos, they were pretty sound proof, but couldn't tell you what they used to build them. ----- Original Message ----- From: Andy Collins To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, July 06, 2007 10:22 AM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Sound proofing in apartments Hi all - There's been some talk on this list recently about homes and house buying. I live in the UK, and in and around my town, new build and property conversions jobs are going on wherever possible. I've viewed some of these properties, and although the law requiring improved sound proofing is now more demanding, I find the use of MDF to create interior walls between even bedrooms, a complete no no! I wondered what kind of standard there is in the US, and if it varies from state to state etc, for sound proofing, and making as private as possible, apartment blocks; I guess I'm thinking of the larger cities where we tend to see lots of very high blocks. If anybody is living in these tower blocks over there, then I'd love to hear what they think about their construction. Here in the UK, sturdy well built properties ten to be those built before 1960, after that, new materials came in to play, and some of the solidness of the build got lost. Looking forward to any comments or observations. - Andy [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]