FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ) STC RATINGS AND OTHER TESTS What is STC? “STC” is the acronym for Sound Transmission Class, a measure of transmission loss through partitions such as walls or floors/ceilings. The higher the STC number the better. What is IIC? “IIC” is the acronym for Impact Insulation Class. It measures how noise from "impact" sounds such as footsteps travel through floor/ceiling assemblies. Where did Quiet Solution do the acoustic testing and is the lab any good? NRC (National Research Council of Canada), the most advanced architectural acoustics test facility in the world. What is the STC of a typical (industry average) hollow interior door and a solid interior door? Hollow doors offer little sound isolation at about STC 15. Solid doors perform at STC 25-27. A quiet door should be at STC 40+. What is the range of STC values for typical (industry average) single-pane and dual-pane windows? Single-pane windows provide little sound protection at STC 20-27. Dual-pane windows generally produce STC 25-34. A quiet window should be at STC 40+. If I want to reduce the noise through a partition by 75% (to my ear), what STC increase is that? You need to add about 20 STC points to your existing partition (i.e., wall, window etc.) to “hear” a 75% reduction in noise. QUIET ROCK How long have QS construction products been around? Since 2003, with 10,000 successful installations in single-family, multi-family and commercial projects. How does QuietRock work? QuietRock and QuietWood products contain viscoelastic polymers in a constrained-layer-damped structure that efficiently convert acoustic energy to heat energy, which you can’t hear. What are the differences in installation between QuietRock and regular drywall? QuietRock is installed and finished just like regular drywall. Some models (such as 530 and 545) needs to be cut with any jigsaw, circular or rotary saw, other models (510 and 525) score and snap like regular drywall. Installation labor costs typically run the same as standard drywall with QuietRock 525, as it scores, snaps, and hangs just like regular drywall. QuietRock 525 and 530 also weigh about the same as standard drywall. Attach QuietRock panels directly to wood or metal studs, just like regular drywall. No channels or clips are used. NO SPECIAL TRAINING IS REQUIRED. Can’t I achieve strong sound reduction on a wall or ceiling by applying two layers of standard gypsum board? The advanced technology in QR530 provides a reduction equivalent to eight layers of gypsum in typical assemblies. How does QuietRock save money in condo party wall construction? Using QuietRock on one side of a single stud wall produces an STC 52, thus allowing the builder to reduce wall thickness from double-stud to single stud construction. In Canada, the building code stipulates an STC of 50 for party walls. By using Quiet Rock a rating of 52 can be achieved without building a double wall thereby saving money on labor and materials. Does QuietRock work with metal and wood studs? Yes, QuietRock works equally well on both metal and wood stud walls. How do I use QuietRock over a concrete wall? First “fur out” the wall with studs or furring strips. Then attach QuietRock to the strips/studs. Is QuietRock fire rated? QR525 and 530 meet Type X and is fire rated as 60 minute assemblies. In addition, some models are also UL listed in the US and Canada. How many years will this product last after I install it? Indefinitely. What size or sizes does QuietRock come in? Most models are available in 4 sizes: 4’x8’, 4’x9’, 4’x10’, and 4’x12’. How long does it take for QuietSeal to dry? How long does it take for Quiet Seal to dry? QuietSeal is formulated to stay moist (hence resilient) for decades. Effectively, it never dries. Other acoustical sealants become hard over time and can short-circuit a wall or ceiling How do I deal with large openings in my wall, for example a water supply box for my refrigerator’s icemaker or washing machine? In-wall speakers? Large electrical junction box? For smaller j-boxes, use QuietPutty. For large openings, create a box out of QuietRock to surround the offending noise sources inside the wall. What is the fire rating of your Floor/Ceiling Assembly? The assembly is rated at 1 hour. How heavy is the QuietHome Floor/Ceiling Assembly compared to standard assembly? The QuietHome assembly is approximately half the weight of conventional assemblies that use gypsum concrete. You show the QuietHome Floor/Ceiling Assembly with an 18” open web truss. What else can I use instead of a truss and how will it perform? The Floor/Ceiling Assembly works as well with I-Joists (TJI). QUIETROCK AND OTHER SOUNDPROOFING PRODUCTS How does QuietRock compare to soundboard or batts? A single layer of QuietRock adds 10 to 26 STC points to a single stud wall (depending on model of QR) versus 2-4 points for batts or sound barrier board. Can’t I achieve strong sound reduction on a wall or ceiling by applying two layers of standard gypsum board? The advanced technology in QuietRock 525 and 530 provides a reduction equivalent to 8 layers of gypsum in typical assemblies. What is the STC I will get from installing QuietRock as a retrofit over a single stud wall? Simply installing 530 on one side of a wall raises the STC rating to 53. Using the lower cost QR525 results in a rating of 49, and QR510 results in a 47. This is an economical solution for making noisy apartments, bedroom walls or home theaters quiet. What is the failure rate of resilient channels (RCs)? The field failure rate of resilient channels due to shorts, install issues and owner changes has been demonstrated to be 90 per cent in many projects. QuietRock eliminates the need for failure-prone RCs. If I have a wall at STC-34 and I add mass loaded vinyl to it that has an STC of 27, what will my final STC be? The myth is that you will have an STC 61 wall. The reality is your wall will be STC 40 to 43. STC ratings do NOT add up. This approach only added some mass to an existing wall assembly. While many claim this “limp” mass is somehow much better, the lab test results on FULL assemblies show otherwise. Mass loaded vinyl represents the most expensive method of adding a few STC points to a wall.
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