What Is Decoupling?

What is Decoupling
December 06, 2019

When it comes to the science of soundproofing, decoupling is an important concept to know. Decoupling is the process of separating two parts of a wall for the purpose of inhibiting vibration transmission and blocking loud noises from traveling across the wall.

Noise occurs when sound waves hit a solid object, like a wall. This vibratory sound easily transfers between connected objects. If sound waves hit one side of a wall, they have no trouble traveling to the other side and creating unwanted noise.

How to Decouple a Wall

Ways to Decouple a Wall

Decoupling a wall helps reduce the amount of sound that travels across walls in your building. Most walls are constructed by connecting two pieces of drywall by a single stud. In these cases, any vibratory noise travels through the stud to the other side.

In a decoupled or staggered stud wall, each piece of drywall connects to the wall material with its own stud. The studs do not connect, so the vibratory noise does not have a conduit to travel through the wall. Instead, it travels through its own stud and stops at the interior wall material.

To improve the soundproofing properties of your construction, you want your walls to be decoupled. The three most popular options for decoupling a wall include:

  • Create a double stud wall: Build one single-stud wall, allow for a space and then put another single stud wall next to it. This is a highly effective method, as the air gap makes it nearly impossible for vibratory noise to pass between the walls.
  • Configure a staggered stud wall: Use a wider sill plate and stagger the studs so none of the studs touch both sides of the wall.
  • Use resilient clips and a hat channel: This method helps absorb any vibrations directed at the drywall.

To block both high-frequency and low-frequency sounds, we recommend adding mass to the wall to improve its sound dampening ability. Adding the right soundproofing insulation or other soundproofing materials to the interior will help protect you from noise.

Get Your Free Acoustic Analysis From Soundproof Cow

Whether you want to soundproof your home or a new construction, rely on the team at Soundproof Cow. We make it easy to shop for acoustic panels, acoustic decoupling materials, soundproofing foam and other solutions with complete confidence. That’s because we are committed to 100% customer satisfaction – if something isn’t right, we’ll fix it.

To get started, request a free acoustic analysis and we’ll send you a detailed report about your space with solutions tailored to your needs. Have a few more questions about wall decoupling? Feel free to contact us today!

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About Kellen Beaver

Soundproof Cow Representative Kellen

Kellen has been a member of the sales team for over a decade. Prior to delving into the soundproofing realm, he was a jack of all trades in the service industry, working both front and back of the house jobs to various degrees. This diversity in experience makes it easy to relate to the needs of a large customer base. He understands noisy environments as well as the importance of aesthetics in a space. Adding something that doesn’t fit the look can be intrusive, so knowing that acoustical needs must fit the interior design is something he’s become very well-versed in. Most of this planning comes from working with both the owner/operators as well as their design team and architects. He has been able to adapt his knowledge in the restaurant industry into projects involving schools, office buildings and large medical facilities when the situation calls for it.

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