Auralex floor systems

Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2005 11:04 am

Hi, I'm indecisive as of which floated floor system to install in my new tracking room.

I've seen the Auralex floor systems (u-boats, joists, mineral fiber, plywood, sheetblok, mdf etc.) but I'm concerned this type of floor would cause the 'drum effect'. Do you have any reviews or testimonials?

I don't know. Lately I've been confused... Wes Lachot states wooden floors may cause the drum effect, but if they're sand filled they wont. Rod Gervais says sand filled floor systems won't allow the neoprene to move freely..

Would you recommend using an Auralex floor system with 4" joists having 2" of Mineral Fiber and 2" of masonry sand sandwiched between the mineral fiber and the 3/4" plywood?

Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2005 12:30 pm

igloo,

Having built a few of these types of floors, I know where Wes and Rod are coming from with their "drum effect" comments. There are two key things to do that help minimize that effect when using something like U-Boats:

1. Insulate. Sand I have never tried. Seems messy. We have always used either Mineral Fiber, "pink" insulation, or blown-in cellulose.

But that alone makes not a "non-drum" floor.

2. You have to use more than one layer of material for the top. I like to use 3/4" plywood as the first layer. Then a layer of SheetBlok glued to the plywood. (SheetBlok Plus peels and sticks.) Then a layer of 3/4" MDF over that. Alternatively, 1/2" plywood could be used for the final layer.

The combination of both of the above seems to work the best in our applications for making sure the floor doesn't go "boom."

Hope this helps.

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