Interesting take on cork panels—I've been curious about them myself. Did you notice any difference in noise types, like voices vs. traffic sounds? Wondering if certain sounds get blocked better than others...
Cork panels are decent for muffling echoes and softening voices, but honestly, they're not great at blocking low-frequency sounds like traffic or bass-heavy music. I flipped a place near a busy street once and tried cork in the bedrooms—didn't notice much improvement with road noise. Ended up going with denser insulation materials instead. Cork's good for certain things, but if you're dealing with deeper sounds, you might need something heavier-duty.
"Ended up going with denser insulation materials instead."
Agreed. Cork's nice aesthetically and decent for echoes, but when I renovated my old place (built in 1920s, thin walls everywhere), cork didn't cut it for street noise or neighbors' music. Switched to mineral wool insulation plus thicker drywall—made a noticeable difference. It's not perfect, but definitely better than cork alone for deeper sounds like bass or traffic rumble.
"Switched to mineral wool insulation plus thicker drywall—made a noticeable difference."
Glad to hear someone else had success with mineral wool. I had a similar experience renovating a duplex a few years back. The tenants downstairs were musicians—nice folks, but their late-night jam sessions were driving the upstairs tenants nuts. Initially tried cork panels because they looked good and were easy to install, but honestly, they barely made a dent in the noise. Ended up biting the bullet and going with mineral wool insulation and double-layered drywall with green glue in between. It wasn't cheap, but the difference was night and day. You could still faintly hear the bass if you really listened for it, but overall it was a huge improvement. Definitely worth the extra effort and cost if you're dealing with serious noise issues.
Interesting to see cork panels mentioned—I almost went that route myself because they seemed simpler to handle. Glad I didn't now, based on your experience. I'm currently renovating a basement space into a home theater and noise reduction is my main concern. I've read a lot about mineral wool insulation, but the double-layer drywall with green glue caught my attention:
"Ended up biting the bullet and going with mineral wool insulation and double-layered drywall with green glue in between."
Did you find the green glue significantly improved performance compared to just doubling up drywall alone? I've seen mixed opinions online—some swear by it, others think it's overpriced hype. I'm trying to balance cost and effectiveness, so any insight from someone who's actually used it would be helpful before I commit.
