We went through something similar last summer when we redid our basement. I remember standing in the hardware store, staring at stacks of recycled denim insulation and thinking, "Am I seriously about to stuff jeans into my walls?" But honestly, it worked better than I'd expected. Like you said, it doesn't completely silence everything—we still hear footsteps upstairs and occasionally the neighbor's leaf blower—but the overall noise level dropped noticeably. Plus, I can appreciate the eco-friendly angle. It's nice knowing we're reusing materials instead of just adding to landfill waste. Glad to hear someone else had a similar experience...makes me feel less like a weirdo for having jeans in my walls, haha.
Denim insulation's decent, but from experience, rock wool does a better job with soundproofing. It's eco-friendly too, and honestly easier to handle. Denim's cool conceptually, but practically speaking...I'd go another route next time.
Totally agree on rock wool being superior for soundproofing. A few extra points from my experience:
- Rock wool has a higher density, which directly translates to better sound absorption, especially for lower frequencies (think bass or footsteps).
- Denim insulation tends to compress over time, reducing its effectiveness gradually.
- Installation-wise, rock wool panels are more rigid and hold their shape better, making them easier to fit snugly between studs without sagging.
Denim's definitely appealing from a sustainability angle, but practically, rock wool just checks more boxes for me.
Interesting points here, though I'd add a slightly different perspective from my own renovation. While rock wool definitely has the density advantage, I actually found denim insulation surprisingly effective when combined with resilient channels. Maybe it's the way it decouples the drywall from studs, but it really helped dampen footsteps and bass vibrations in our guest room ceiling. Sure, installation was trickier (denim sagging is real...), but it wasn't a dealbreaker for me. Just something to consider if sustainability matters more to you.
"Maybe it's the way it decouples the drywall from studs, but it really helped dampen footsteps and bass vibrations in our guest room ceiling."
Interesting you mention resilient channels—I had a similar experience renovating our historic townhouse. We went with rock wool insulation initially, and while it definitely cut down on airborne noise, footsteps from upstairs were still noticeable. Adding resilient channels later made a huge difference, especially with low-frequency sounds like heavy footsteps or furniture moving. Installation was a bit fiddly (old joists aren't exactly straight...), but worth the hassle in my book.
