Since I have to start somewhere in the beginning, I’ll introduce myself as Jim Keene; I’m the Quiet Guy. I’m with KEENE BUILDING PRODUCTS, a company I started in 2002 that produces sound control products, mostly for floor/ceiling assemblies and walls. There is a lot of information about noise on the web. Lots of it is absolutely on target and true. Some of it isn’t. Since I’ve started working in noise control (1996) a lot has changed. Today, contractors actually understand a lot about how noise is controlled. Today, contractors actually care if the products and systems are installed properly. I take those two assumptions today unless shown otherwise. We are all better off if we elect to leave those that don’t care to their own noise. The first step in the process is caring. Once care is present, there is a reason to do things right. We’ve tested a lot of the myths in the industry and found truth and we’ve tested some industry assumptions and found non-truths. Please use this blog as a means to ask questions whether about floors, walls, ceilings or exterior applications – if the answer doesn’t lie in a test I’ve conducted, we’ll attempt to find the person that has the right info.
What’s New!
KEENE has been involved in a bunch of testing recently. We’ve been researching the corrugated metal deck market for the last 12 months. Today, that floor is installed with a two layer gypsum concrete pour. First the flutes are filled then a mat is installed on the filled flutes. Finally in the application, another 1.0” of gypsum concrete is installed. We thought there might be a better way. The test results on this assembly were barely passing. In order to get high IIC numbers, the system required both a topically added sound mat and the sandwiched sound product. We found a means to control noise with topically added mats and with a single pour of gypsum concrete. Both of these save time, money, labor and materials. Both of these approaches provide results that are attractive to developers. If you would like more info or have any questions, post the information here and we’ll start something new.
Thanks for reading. Thanks for writing.
I’ll go quietly now. Please go quietly too!
Jim
The Quiet Guy