Genesis Acoustic Board - 12mm Thick

What is the purpose of Genesis acoustic board?

Genesis acoustic board is used for the soundproofing of structures such as drywalls, ceilings and timber floors. Over many years of fabricating lightweight building structures such as these we have consistently found Genesis boards to have superior sound isolation properties to other board types such as gypsum, chipboard, shutterply, OSB. MDF, Superwood etc.

Soundproofing has big benefits in the home & office

In the old days many people associated the word soundproofing with a recording studio. Now days we know that soundproofing will add value in many applications.

In the context of a home, B & B, hotel etc. a certain degree if privacy is necessary in order for us to feel comfortable. Here are a couple of examples:

• Toilet noises shouldn't be overheard in the room next door or passageway.
• Noise from the TV room shouldn't disturb those trying to sleep or study.
• If you work from home then you don't want to be disturbed in your study while trying to focus on work.
• The main bedroom needs to afford some privacy to the parents, for well, obvious reasons.

In offices soundproofing is important so that staff can be productive and focus on their work without being disturbed. A certain level of confidentiality is also necessary in order to conduct meetings. Types of rooms which require soundproofing:

• Boardrooms
• Video conference rooms
• Meeting rooms
• Training rooms
• Offices for the senior executives 

Does Genesis acoustic board cost more than

gypsum and timber composite boards?

Yes, it does but the old saying rings true “You get what you pay for”. I always feel that it’s better to plan & execute a soundproofing project properly than to try cut corners and then end up with regrets at the end because you are disappointed with the results. Having been in the soundproofing business for over 2 decades we’ve seen many people try to cut corners sometimes for very little financial savings only to end up with an unsatisfactory end result.

Remember to take into consideration who you’re speaking to when you get soundproofing advice. When you speak to the sales person at the general hardware or general contracting company of course they’re going to tell “Ja boet, don’t worry I’m sure it will be fine” but they also have no real world training or experience, as a working professional in soundproofing and acoustics.

At Genesis Acoustics we get up and do soundproofing every day, all day, every month of the year. You only have to check our Google reviews to see that we have many happy clients. I’ll end on this note, it’s always more expensive to redo a soundproofing project gone wrong than to do it right the first time.

Can I use Genesis acoustic boards alone

to soundproof a drywall/ceiling/floor?

No, a properly constructed soundproof drywall will never have a completely empty void in the middle of the drywall, above the ceiling or beneath the floor but let me explain.

A drywall construction consists of a frame, in South Africa we almost always use a metal stud which is the vertical uprights and track which is the horizontal framing top & bottom. The first lesson is this, the size of the void created by the framing is directly proportionate to the level of soundproofing that will be achieved - in other words a wider void is better than a narrow void.

The void should always be filled with a suitable acoustic insulation. I recommend the use of Genesis 60D acoustic insulation. The density id 60kg/m3. A typical low density insulation is only 9-11kg/m3, low density insulation like this simply does not have sufficient mass and offers completely insufficient resistance to sound to offer any real soundproofing.

The reason why is that you want to avoid a resonant void. Using a bonafide acoustic insulation inside the void diminishes the sound energy and therefore increases the sound transmission loss of the structure.

Genesis acoustic board is fixed with drywall screws to the stud and track. Be sure to leave a 3mm gap around the full perimeter of the drywall for an acoustic caulk as you want to avoid sound leaks which can spoil the effectiveness of the build.

Can’t I rather use plywood boards as a floor

instead of Genesis acoustic board?

Yes of course you can, as long as you’re not trying to soundproof the floor but the chances are you’re reading this article because you’re interested in soundproofing. What you can do is build a subfloor on top of your beams with 21mm thick shutterply or OSB board and then add a layer of Genesis acoustic boards on top of the subfloor. This is highly beneficial because you’re adding mass. Mass may not be your friend when you’re trying to get a six pack to impress the ladies but when it comes to soundproofing then mass is most certainly your friend.

I recommend the use of our 20mm thick Genesis acoustic boards for flooring purposes. If you use Genesis boards as the subfloor (without shutterply) then you need to space your beams at 400mm centres. The reason why Genesis acoustic boards perform better than plywood in terms of sound isolation has to do which structural resonance. Timber resonates easily which is why they build drums, violins, guitars, pianos, speaker boxes etc. out of timber. Genesis acoustic boards do not resonate easily, the benefit of which is good sound insulation.

What is the difference between plasterboard

and Genesis acoustic board?

There are many differences between the two types of board but the context here relates specifically to the ability of the two boards to attenuate sound. Simply put, we spend a lot of our time soundproofing drywalls made with gypsum boards - there a reason for this. However when we finish the soundproofing of the drywall with our Genesis boards our clients are always quick to remark what difference they can hear. Genesis acoustic boards work very well for the attenuation of sound. We often use Genesis acoustic boards together with our 3mm thick Flexible noise barrier for optimum results.

Can Genesis acoustic boards be used outside?

Yes, Genesis acoustic boards can be used outside but the boards themselves are not waterproof. Any exposed edges should sealed, the boards should be painted with a bonding liquid then plastered and finished with a good quality primer and exterior grade paint.

Do Genesis acoustic boards absorb sound?

No, Genesis acoustic boards do not absorb sound but sound absorption is not their intended purpose. We have many other products that are designed to control room sound reflections and absorb sound. Genesis boards are designed to be used as a part of a building structure such as walls, ceilings and floors for the attenuation/insulation/isolation of sound.

If you’re looking for sound absorption then I suggest products such as our:

• S3, S5 & S10 upholstered acoustic panels
• Tru-tone acoustic panels
• G-Zorb boards & tiles
• Feature Wall system
• Bass traps etc.

First you need to establish if the wall or ceiling needs soundproofing, once this decision has been made then you can also plan for the sound absorbing finishes.

Soundproofing and sound absorption are generally treated in a completely separate manner with different material and techniques although these should always compliment each other to achieve an ideal result. For example it’s possible to have a room with walls that are covered in foam but still have a problem with soundproofing. Likewise it’s possible to have a room with thick solid concrete walls and ceiling and have terrible room acoustics due to all the hard, resonant surfaces.