Drywall Installation — Calgary

Soundproofing Drywall
That Actually Works

Most soundproofing approaches address one layer of the problem. Effective sound reduction requires mass (wall weight), decoupling (breaking the rigid vibration path through framing), and absorption (damping inside the cavity). Get all three right and you can drop transmission by 20–30 dB. Fix only one and you’ll still hear your neighbour’s TV through the wall.

Call 587-417-5252

STC-rated assemblies

Home offices, suites & media rooms

Written quote before work starts

Sound Travels Through Walls Three Different Ways

Mass is the first lever. Heavier walls transmit less sound. Standard 1/2” single-layer drywall in a basic stud wall gets an STC of roughly 32–34. Double-layering adds 5–6 STC points. QuietRock 510 uses a viscoelastic damping polymer between gypsum layers — single-layer QuietRock 510 achieves STC 52 in certain assemblies, comparable to double-layer standard board at a lower installed cost. Mass alone, however, doesn’t address how vibration moves through the structure.

Decoupling is the second lever. Sound vibrates the stud; the stud vibrates the drywall on the other side. Resilient channels (hat channels) and sound isolation clips mount the drywall on a floating layer that doesn’t make rigid contact with framing. This is the highest single-step improvement for impact noise — footsteps, mechanical vibration — where mass alone falls short. Resilient channels are the reason a room with one layer of standard board can outperform a room with two layers, if the framing connection is broken properly.

Absorption is the third lever. Rockwool (mineral wool) insulation in the stud cavity absorbs sound energy within the wall. It’s significantly denser than fibreglass batts and performs better in the 125–500 Hz range where voices and home mechanical systems concentrate. Combining all three — mass, decoupling, and absorption — is what separates an STC 35 wall from an STC 55 wall. Our crew designs the assembly to your STC target, not the cheapest product on the shelf.

Soundproofing drywall installation Calgary — resilient channels and double-layer assembly

Options

Soundproofing Solutions by Application and Budget

Every soundproofing job starts with a target STC and a realistic budget. Here are the main assembly options and where each one makes sense.

Solution	Typical STC Range	Best Application	Cost Level
Single-layer standard 1/2”	STC 32–34	No soundproofing — baseline only	Baseline
Double-layer standard 1/2”	STC 38–42	Moderate improvement, secondary suites	Low addition
Resilient channels + single layer	STC 43–48	Impact noise reduction, home offices	Medium
QuietRock 510 single layer	STC 48–54	High reduction without double-boarding	Medium-high
Full assembly: resilient clips + QuietRock + Rockwool	STC 55–62	Media rooms, serious acoustic isolation	Premium

Flanking Paths

What Soundproofing Can’t Fix Without a Complete Approach

A high-performance wall assembly can be undermined by three common flanking paths that bypass the wall entirely. These need to be addressed as part of the same scope — not as afterthoughts once the wall is done.

Electrical Boxes

Sound flanks through unsealed electrical boxes even in otherwise high-performance walls. Standard boxes create a direct air path through the assembly. Putty pads or acoustic box covers are required on both sides of a soundproofed wall. Skipping this step can reduce real-world STC performance by 5–10 points regardless of the board assembly used.

HVAC Ducts

Ductwork transmits sound between rooms through the air path inside the duct — essentially a speaking tube between spaces. Flexible duct connectors decouple the duct from the framing vibration. Duct lining reduces airborne transmission within the duct itself. If your HVAC serves both sides of a soundproofed wall, the duct path needs to be considered.

Floor and Ceiling Flanking

Sound travels through the structural floor and ceiling around the wall ends — a path completely separate from the wall assembly. True acoustic isolation for a media room or recording space requires treating the floor-wall-ceiling junction, not just the wall itself. For most residential applications, addressing the wall, boxes, and ducts produces the majority of the improvement.

Case Study — Brentwood, Calgary

Basement Secondary Suite Bedroom Acoustic Separation

A homeowner in Brentwood was converting their basement to a secondary suite. The bedroom needed meaningful separation from the mechanical room and from main floor living area above. Alberta Building Code’s STC 50 requirement for suite separations was the floor, not the target — the homeowner wanted real acoustic privacy, not just code compliance.

Our crew installed resilient channels and Rockwool on all shared walls and the ceiling between the bedroom and the floor above. QuietRock 510 was specified for the bedroom walls given the target STC and the space constraints. Putty pads were installed on all electrical boxes throughout the suite. The resulting assembly achieved approximately STC 54 on the bedroom walls — above both the code minimum and the homeowner’s practical expectation. The entire scope was installed in a single day.

680

Sq Ft

STC 54

Achieved

1 Day

Installation

FAQ

Soundproofing Drywall Questions

What’s the difference between QuietRock and two layers of standard drywall?

QuietRock uses a viscoelastic polymer damping layer bonded between gypsum layers. Single-layer QuietRock 510 reaches STC 52 in certain assemblies — comparable to double-layer standard board — at lower installed cost because you’re running one board pass instead of two. The labour saving is significant on large jobs. We include both options in quotes so you can compare total cost.

Does soundproofing drywall block all noise?

No — it reduces transmission, not eliminates it. Even an STC 60 wall allows some sound through. More importantly, any flanking path (unsealed electrical boxes, shared ductwork, the structural floor and ceiling) reduces real-world performance below the theoretical assembly rating. A high-performance wall in a space with unsealed boxes will perform worse than a modest assembly where all flanking paths are addressed.

Can you add soundproofing to existing walls?

Yes, with limitations. Resilient channels can be added to an existing wall by stripping the existing board and re-boarding over the channels. QuietRock can replace standard board on any re-board job. What you can’t add retroactively without full demolition is insulation inside the stud cavity and full decoupling at the stud connection. We assess existing walls and quote the options honestly, including what the realistic STC outcome will be.

How much does soundproofing add to the cost?

Double-layer boarding adds 30–50% over single-layer boarding cost — mostly labour, since you’re running every sheet twice. QuietRock or resilient channel assemblies typically come in at comparable total cost to double-boarding, with better real-world performance. We provide itemized written quotes for each option so you can make the decision with full cost information in front of you.

What STC rating do I need for a secondary suite in Calgary?

Alberta Building Code sets a minimum STC 50 for floor/ceiling assemblies between dwelling units. Wall assemblies between suites should target STC 50+ to meet the intent of the code even where a specific wall rating isn’t explicitly prescribed. We design the assembly to the target and quote the full scope — not just the wall, but boxes, ducts, and the ceiling assembly as a package.

Soundproofing DrywallThat Actually Works