How many square feet of sound deadener needed to cover interior with one layer?

[B00STDZ]

Hello,

I have been researching sound deadeners and have came upon a stump. I am ready to order some sound deadener but am not sure how many square feet of sound deadener is needed to cover the interior of a z completely(doors, hatch, floorboards, spare tire well, trunk area, transmission tunnel, ceiling...).

[B00STDZ]

I was thinking about ordering 80 sq. ft.. Is this an accurate guess?

[Challenger]

100 ft wil get most of the floor, doors and quarters. Id reccomend 130 ft.

[Derek]

I would get 2 rolls of this

http://www.raamaudio.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?p=pr

 

Derek

[B00STDZ]

Well here's what I found on the internet...

 

Now this is just a sample of sound deadening, and there is probably alot more to it. This is just a sample

 

A lot of people on here do sound deadening or want to do sound deadening, this thread is merely a guide of a few different products I've experienced through buying my own for my truck and sound deadening customers vehicles with different brands of sound deadening.

 

First off, everyone asks how much for their vehicle for specific spots. Here's a generic guide to go by:

 

Front doors

Rear doors

Headliner

Floor

Back wall

 

 

Notice that all the doors are rated per door. That is only including the inner door skin, double the number to do the outer door skin.

 

Now for some reviews:

 

 

 

Products:

Liquids

Second Skin Spectrum spray

This is a sprayable liquid deadener, you can put it into any paint gun and simply spray it on. If applied in equal thickness, spectrum will work better and be lighter than any comparable mat. All the liquid deadeners require little prep work to get to stick properly. A simple dusting is enough. Also, liquid deadeners are great to use for your fender wells. Doing the fender wells is a great way to reduce road noise. Both spectrum and sludge dry a very dark blue. For all the liquids, 1 gallon covers ~ 40 sq ft.

 

Drawbacks: As with out liquid deadeners, it has to dry. Depending on the weather and thickness applied, it can take up to 3 days to dry enough to put the interior back in. If applied in equal thickness of a mat deadener on a good hot day, it takes about 6 hours to dry enough to put the interior back in. It can take from 3-7 days to achieve full potential.

 

Second Skin Spectrum Sludge

This is comparable to mud in thickness and feel. This is great for people who dont have access to a spray gun for spectrum or people that dont have enough patience to put on multiple layers. You can put this stuff on as thick as you'd like. It takes about the same to dry as spectrum, but the thicker you lay it on the more time that needs to be allowed to dry. Sludge is NOT as good as spectrum, but the difference is not noticeable.

 

Second Skin Firewall

This is Second Skin's best liquid deadener. It is a little thicker than spectrum but not as thick as sludge. All the same qualities. It dries white.

 

eD's eDead

Buy light blue spray paint, works about the same.

 

Mat

Peel n Seal

This is a cheap popular deadening material that can be found at Home Depot or Lowe's. It is normally used as roofing material and is asphault based. If you do get this stuff, you MUST prep the area EXTREMELY well and heat up the mat right before it is applied. If the installation is damn near perfect, it'll fall off. This deadener WILL leave your car smelling for a while, especially if you do it in the summer. If you have really hot summers, you might have a reoccuring smell everytime this stuff gets really hot. If you live in really cold temperatures, asphault based deadeners tend to harden up and get brittle, leading to potential adhesion failure. Asphault is very cheap, this is why this and the next few products will be the cheapest products to buy.

 

Rockford Fosgate's Dead Skin

Buy Peel n Seal, same stuff, a lot cheaper.

 

eDead v1SE

A little better than Peel n Seal, same asphault based crap though. This stuff isn't as thin as Peel n Seal and sticks much better. It is a little more expensive than the Peel n Seal, but not by much. As with any asphault based mat, it will smell for a week or two after you put it in and if you have really hot summers you might have that reoccuring smell.

 

Dynamat

Again, a little better then the eDead stuff in both adhesion and application, but a lot less of the smell.

 

Fat Mat

Fat Mat is a combination asphault/butyl deadener. It is able to keep cost relatively low without having the drawbacks of cracking, melting, or smelling like asphault mats do. This stuff is actually pretty good, especially for its cost, but isn't all that thick.

 

Raammat BXT60

This stuff gets the nod from a lot of the regulars on this site. It is also an asphault/butyl based deadener. It is thicker than Fat Mat and seems to have much better deadening capabilities than what the difference in thickness would make you think. This stuff can be had for $150 for 95 sq ft if you look around, that price was from the recent group buy that was held here. Basically $1.60/sq ft. Great stuff.

 

Stinger's Roadkill

A more expensive, all butyl form of Raammat. Not worth the price difference.

 

Second Skin Damplifier

This is a full Butyl based deadener. It is a little thicker than Raammat and can be had for about $1.85/ft for 80 sq ft for just being a member of the forum on the website. They offer better deals on different forums every now and again.

 

Second Skin Damplifier Pro

This is the thickest deadener on the market, period. It is almost 40% thicker than Raammat BXT, plus it is all butyl based. It also one of the more expensive options. It is $2.80/ft for 80 sq ft for being a member of his forum.

 

Dynamat Extreme

Not as thick as second skin's damplifier pro and more expensive...

 

There are also a wide variety of specialty deadeners from Second Skin for blocking road noises and absorbing panel vibration. Cascade also makes some as well as Raammat has Ensolite. The only ones I have used are Second Skin's products, so I cannot tell you the difference between the brands. Once I have used all of Second Skin's specialty deadeners, I will post my results on here.

 

 

 

 

Other things worth mentioning:

Great Stuff: Gaps and Cracks

This stuff is an expandable foam that works great for putting in the crossmembers under the hood or even in the bed rail. It reduces both vibrations and road noise. It is not recommended to put this stuff in your headliner as it has the potential to bow out your roof, but under the hood is poses no threat. It will not disolve or melt from the heat and elements. Be careful when you put this stuff on though, IT EXPANDS. Apply a little at a time and be careful to not let it expand out and fall on the engine, its a pain in the ass to get off. Putting a tarp over the engine bay will solve all those problems though.

 

Tips and tricks

For liquid deadeners, I've found foam brushes work the best unless you're dealing with sludge. Then your hand works best or some other type of applier like one that would be used for bondo or the like.

 

For mat, as crazy as it sounds, tennis balls work great. Theyre small, easy to grab, and easy to put a lot of pressure on. For tight spots, I've found that wooden spoons with a flat edge are great. I have a metal panel popper that works great. In fact, if you look at my pictures, youll see very distinguished lines about 2" apart all over the mat. That is the mark from my panel popper. It is similar to middle one found in this picture

 

 

That panel popper and a wooden spoon is what I did my truck with. Tennis balls work great for places that are really uneven, like a trunk.

 

For prep work, use acetone and a rag. It works the best. Mineral spirits isn't as good as an idea because it leaves behind a bit of a residue. Alcohol is another one, but doens't work as well or fast as acetone. After cleaned and air dried, go over it with cheesecloth to get anything else left behind.

 

Airbubbles:

Everyone will get them, no matter how experienced you are. Ive done my whole truck in mat and when I was doing some today in the rear doors I got air bubbles. They're very simple to get rid of, simply take a raser and cut it right down the middle, then press the two sides back together one at a time.

 

Also, cut in small strips. If you have to keep pulling the deadener off and reapplying to get it in the right spot, you will start losing its adhesion capabilities.

 

 

 

My personal recommendations:

 

If I had to do my truck and did not have a huge amount of power behind my subs, I would use Second Skin's sludge for the entire vehicle. The only drawback, and I mean ONLY draw back is that it has to dry. Other than that, it gets in more spaces that mat can't, is cheaper, and works better.

 

If drying time was a concern, but money is:

Raammat BXT60. Its a relatively cheap and effective method of deadening.

 

If drying time was a concern, but money wasn't:

Second Skin Damplifier Pro. Best stuff on the market, but you'll pay for it.

 

 

 

NOTE: This is what I FOUND and is not me that wrote this.

And for people looking at this article wanting to access the manufactures websites...

 

Second Skin Audio

Raam Audio

Dynamat

Elemental Designs Audio (edead)

Fat Mat

Stinger Electronics

[Challenger]

If you do decide to put it on the ceiling, be sure to get the good stuff! You can use some of the less expensive deadening on the floors. You dont want the headliner coming off the ceiling...

[B00STDZ]

They say that you shouldnt have a problem as long as you properly clean and prep the surface before installing.

[Derek]

Here's some really good spray glue at a good price

http://www.glueplace.com/1081-spray-trim-adhe.html

[240hoke]

I just got done with some sound deadening on my 240z. I am using BrownBread. I used almost an entire roll in the front passenger compartment and front of the tire wells. You might get buy with 100 sq ft for the entire car, but I would guess a little more if you are doing the ceiling and doors and all.

[jazzsax]

Call me cheap but, I was at Home Depot and spotted what I think is roofing paper that is used for the 1st layer of a roofing job. A few days before I was looking at Dyanmat type material and the Home Depot product looked very similar. The roofing stuff comes in a 6" wide roll I think 25' long for about $20. The audio mat stuff can be very expensive. Anyway since my car was torn apart I put some of the home depot stuff in the doors and on the inner rear quarter panels. (basically places where it won't be visable). The car seems quieter, but as yet I haven't got it put together and on the road.

The one drawback to the HD stuff is that both sides are sticky so you should keep the plastic attached to it.

The guy at Home Depot said they were selling a lot of this stuff to guys who are using it "in the wheel wells". I would assume that they are lining their fenders with it instead of Dynamat.

Anyway so far so good.

[B00STDZ]

Call me cheap but, I was at Home Depot and spotted what I think is roofing paper that is used for the 1st layer of a roofing job. A few days before I was looking at Dyanmat type material and the Home Depot product looked very similar. The roofing stuff comes in a 6" wide roll I think 25' long for about $20. The audio mat stuff can be very expensive. Anyway since my car was torn apart I put some of the home depot stuff in the doors and on the inner rear quarter panels. (basically places where it won't be visable). The car seems quieter, but as yet I haven't got it put together and on the road.

The one drawback to the HD stuff is that both sides are sticky so you should keep the plastic attached to it.

The guy at Home Depot said they were selling a lot of this stuff to guys who are using it "in the wheel wells". I would assume that they are lining their fenders with it instead of Dynamat.

Anyway so far so good.

.

 

Peel n Seal

This is a cheap popular deadening material that can be found at Home Depot or Lowe's. It is normally used as roofing material and is asphault based. If you do get this stuff' date=' you MUST prep the area EXTREMELY well and heat up the mat right before it is applied. If the installation is damn near perfect, it'll fall off. This deadener WILL leave your car smelling for a while, especially if you do it in the summer. If you have really hot summers, you might have a reoccuring smell everytime this stuff gets really hot. If you live in really cold temperatures, asphault based deadeners tend to harden up and get brittle, leading to potential adhesion failure. Asphault is very cheap, this is why this and the next few products will be the cheapest products to buy.[/quote']

[B00STDZ]

Well, I just ordered 160 square feet of Second Skin's Damplifier Pro. Wow, is this stuff expensive or what... was over $600.00 with shipping.

 

I'll probably get around to installing it in 2-3 weeks and ill let you guys know how it turns out.

[sweetleaf]

I've used a bunch of different ones. I'd stay away from the asphalt stuff. My overall favorite is probably the Raammat. I use about 2 rolls to do a complete Z.

[Nismo280zEd]

Awesome thread, definatley learned alot reading this. My only complaint is there is absolutley NO sound dampening information on Raamat, Second Skin sites. I used to think brownbread was the best bang for your buck (bquiet also) but now it seems there are better. However I would really like some technical specs on the products ability to absorb/dampen sound. It's great to know what temp it holds till and what it weighs but what about what it's designed to do lol?

 

Anybody help me out here?

 

-Ed

[280z4me2]

I also have my entire car lined with the roofing peel and seel stuff from Lowes. I checked at audio places before buying and this stuff is identical material. The one I got wasnt double sided adhesive. It has the foil like the audio ones.

This stuff was $12.00 a roll and the car took 4 rolls. This stuff sticks like crazy! I assume adhesive is the make or break thing when it comes to sound dampening. I couldnt peel this stuff off after I put it on!!!

 

Also, temperature should never be an issure as this stuff is made for roofing repairs....

[ezzzzzzz]

For what it's worth... butyl is superior to asphalt in all ways. According to SecondSkin, you'll start seeing diminishing return on your investment after 60% coverage is acheived. I'm using Damplifier (80 sqft), Luxury Liner (36 sqft), Heat Wave Pro (18 sqft) and Rattle Pad (9 sqft). That should get much of the surface areas covered. I'm expecting a major reduction in interior noise based on other's experiences. If needed, I'll add their spray-on product later. Oh yeah, I don't plan on pulling my headliner yet. We'll see what the initial results is soon.

[B00STDZ]

Awesome thread, definatley learned alot reading this. My only complaint is there is absolutley NO sound dampening information on Raamat, Second Skin sites. I used to think brownbread was the best bang for your buck (bquiet also) but now it seems there are better. However I would really like some technical specs on the products ability to absorb/dampen sound. It's great to know what temp it holds till and what it weighs but what about what it's designed to do lol?

 

Anybody help me out here?

 

-Ed

With sound deadening it goes like this,

butyl is better than asphault,

thicker IS better (the reason why some people take a choice sound deadener and do TWO layers, you might ask, Why two layers? When you add that second layer it works with the first layer tripling its sound deadening properties)

BUT remember with thickness there is WEIGHT, The Damplifier pro is the thickest out on the market currently hands down. I ordered 160 sq ft. of this stuff, the box weighed in at 95 LBS.!!

Some of you racers out there try to reduce weight, remember, the more liners, deadeners, rattle pads you add the more weight you are adding to the ride.

My purpose of deadening my ride is for a sound system, I know that this being an over 30 year old car, they didnt have the technology they do nowadays with bass/amplifiers/4x50watt head units, so there is going to be alot of sound escaping or being drowned out by road noise. A sound deadener allows the freq. played within the car, to stay within the car.

 

Basically depending on if your going luxury car or race car you make the decision of what to use.

 

Race car- dont bother with this stuff!

Weekend Racer/Daily Driver- I would just get a sound deadener do a layer, you want a somewhat comfortable ride while keeping weight as low as possible(adds about 100 lbs with about 160 sg ft. of the heaviest/thickest stuff[damplifier pro])

Luxury car/Show car/Daily Driver- Buy as much of this stuff as possible! Fill every inch! Use two-three layers of a sound deadener, a heavy liner, a sludge deadener, firewall deadener, spray wheel wells with spray sound deadener.(This setup will add probably 300-400 lbs! But weight doesnt count in the name of luxury)

 

 

I explained the sound properties but any sound deadener will also provide as insulation(think of a drink cooler).

[ezzzzzzz]

I started my secondskin installation yesterday. The quality of these products is unmistakable once you have them in hand. I've covered most of the back end so far. The spare tire well has a double layer in the bottom. The wider flat area to the right of the spare tire well has an extra layer too. They seemed to produce the most noise when tapped. I covered 100% of these areas and much of the strut towers and the wheelwells (about 80% of dampifier and luxuryliner). The rear quarters were treated to about 70% (secondskin recommends 60% before returns are diminished). The biggest effect came when I laid down the luxuryliner material in the trunk area. That made a huge difference even in the ambient noise as I worked. I even applied some damplifier to the back of the plastic panels. Tonight I'll pull the seats out and start the install up front. The added weight will be in the 100 lb range. Somewhere I read that bandaids should also be included. I didn't notice any cuts until I started removing the adhesive on my fingers with acetone...holy crap...that burned! It looks like I was digging in a jar of razor blades.

[FricFrac]

Has anyone had any experience with the MSA sound damping product?

 

http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/350z07u/50-2680