Acoustic Insulation

(Originally published July 8, 2008)

I've added 1 inch Linacoustic RC acoustic insulation to the screen wall as well as to the portin of the walls and ceiling that will be behind the screen and hidden from view by the curtains. This will improve the overall surround sound effect by reducing conflicting sound waves bouncing back from the same direction as the three front channel speakers.

The material is fairly easy to work with. It's semi-rigid and when unrolled stays pretty flat. It can be cut easily with a utility knife or a large pair of shears. I started out nailing it in place with long nails run through fender washers (painted black so they won't reflect light back through the screen) but about half way through I switched to glueing it in place with 3M #90 spray adhesive which was much more effective and easier. Linacoustic is usually used to line metal air ducts and adhesive is what is usually used to install it. Like any fiberglass insulation, it releases lots of little itchy fiberglass particles when you handle it.