As I stated in my previous thread I have a rec room that I'm using as a home theater. I want to sound proof it which means closing it off from the rest of the basement. It is surrounded on 3 sides by outside walls and the other side is open to stairs and a hallway. Along the open side there is a framed in steel I-beam that is around 6x15 inches in size. I'd like to incorporate this in my soundproof wall on that side of the theater. I have some questions

Do I need to soundproof around the beam or can I assume the beam will be pretty sound proof?

Can I just mount a staggered stud wall to the bottom of the beam for effective sound proofing?

Is the beam itself mostly soundproof or does it transmit sound readily?

I saw one member has mounted his staggered stud wall directly to his I beam and I'm wondering if he could advise how it worked out for him. I'd also aprreciate feedback from any experts out there.

Thank you kindly for reading my questions

A steel I-beam will readily transmit sound.

- Terry

You definitely don't want to attach a wall to that i-beam. I've heard that the i-beam is the most sound resonating thing in the house.

Here's what I did. Highly recommend it!

http://i333.photobucket.com/albums/m384/imscottr/DSC01711.jpg

Are those RSIC clips?

What do you do with the drywall and ceiling then? The ceiling will be just at or slightly above the top of the I beam. If I use RSIC clips to attach a staggered stud wall to the base of the beam then do I carry the drywall up the side of the beam? There is already a box of drywall built around the beam using pieces of 2x4 glued into the hollowed out part of the I and presumably some other pieces of wood across the bottom of the beam. What do I do to attach drywall to the side of the beam and still have soundproofing.

I think this is doable, but I need a little more information from those in the know.

I haven't got exact dimensions of the beam, but there is a 2x6 attached to the top of the beam and the beam is about 1.5-2 inches wider then that so I would guess somewhere between 7-8 inches in width. I could likely build a staggered stud wall with a 2x8 header and footer and then the drywall could run right up on either side of the beam.

Scott has it. Those are DC-04 clips

Hi again.

Was hoping somebody could help me on finishing off the wall. After I get to the stage in the picture above then what? I would like some help on how to cover the framing and I-beam in drywall to achieve good soundproofing.

As before, any help is greatly appreciated.

If you PM me your e-mail, we can send you some diagrams.