My wife and I live in a town-home with a very large living room with high vaulted ceilings. The sound is a bit too lively and bright. We will soon be replacing the ceiling and are looking for some easy way to absorb the sound (my wife does not like popcorn ceilings, acoustic tiles, etc).

I noticed on the web http://www.hytechsales.com/prod150.html a paint product with embedded microspheres that claims to absorb sound 30% and improve acoustics...called acousti-coat. Does anyone know anything about it and whether it might help?

thanks

larry

I am very skeptical. "Noise reduction..................is reduced by 30%." First, that is nonsense. Second, with such a thin layer, it is doubtful that there is any significant effect below the HF range. It might be more encouraging if they had some real specs or test results.

you could try this http://www.quietcoat.com/html/products.html but there has to be a much easier and cheaper way to do it and meet the taste of your wife. It does work though not sure about it being applied to a walls. I belong to a car club that a few members have used it to help quite highly modified cars in the cabin for a nice ride.

you could try this http://www.quietcoat.com/html/products.html but there has to be a much easier and cheaper way to do it and meet the taste of your wife. It does work though not sure about it being applied to a walls. I belong to a car club that a few members have used it to help quite highly modified cars in the cabin for a nice ride.I believe that damps the ringing of metal panels and is designed for that purpose. It will have little effect on drywall or plaster.

I used this product when building my theater, along with several other "acoustic" materials. I was not able to experince a before and after with this product in my own room, but I was able to experience a before/after in a friends room after I suggested this product to him.

IMO, the product overall works but it works at reducing reverb 30%, not sound in general. My firends room was VERY live before applying this to his new layer of paint. Afterwards, the "ringing" of the room was less. However, he was using a dark paint color and the additive lighten the paint to the point he ended up having to repaint the entire room with two more layers of a lighter colored paint. After three layers of paint (all three layers having the additive) his room has no reverb at all. However, to my ears it has not effected the amount of sounds escaping the room or helped with overall acoustics.

After three layers of paint (all three layers having the additive) his room has no reverb at all. Would you please restate this or offer measurements? What you say is fairly impossible.

Ok, sorry I didn't get all techie... We did not take measurements before and after. I'm sure the room has reverb or an echo if you break it all down to numbers and science. All I am saying is that I experienced a noticeable difference to the room after he painted with the additive. To restate my thoughts on this product....

Before adding three layers of paint with the additive material, anyone having a normal conversation in his room would notice a echo or reverb of their voice no matter where they stood in the room. It was annoying. Now, with the paint additive, the echo heard from a normal conversation is gone (near as I can tell with my highly tuned ears*). Also, when someone claps in the room, you do not hear a ringing noise after the clap.

*my highly tuned ears are my god-given ears I use to determine what I think sounds good, what equipment to buy, and use to base my comparisons on. Results may vary. ;)

Ok, sorry I didn't get all techie... We did not take measurements before and after. I'm sure the room has reverb or an echo if you break it all down to numbers and science. All I am saying is that I experienced a noticeable difference to the room after he painted with the additive. Thanks for the restatement. :rolleyes:

I was skeptical, until I heard the paint contained "embedded microspheres". Just uttering the words "embedded microspheres" has been shown to reduce reverb 25%...