Auralex Sheetblok-AF Sound Isolation Barrier Preview

Putting acoustic treatments in a room with the goal stopping transmission of sound to other spaces, or sound leaking into the room from the outside world, is typically a task that needs to be done in the construction phase. However, thanks to the new Sheetblok-AF from Auralex there is a solution that doesn't require you to tear down walls in order to achieve sound isolation.

Sheetblok is a dense, limp-mass vinyl material that is made to be rolled out and installed on a wall, ceiling, or floor to stop sound from being transmitted to other areas. Auralex currently offers Sheetblok and Sheetblok-Plus, but both solutions are designed to be installed before drywall is in place. The new Sheetblok-AF has an added PVC layer so it can be installed on a finished wall and then painted with Auralex’s proprietary base coat (available in 1 and 5 gallon pales). After it has the base coat, it can be painted with normal latex paint to whatever color you want. Attaching the Sheetblok-AF to the wall in the first place is accomplished with trowel applied vinyl tile adhesive.

Auralex claims that Sheetblok is 6dB more effective than solid lead at stopping the transmission of sound. And that is good to hear, because I was planning on encasing my next home theater in solid lead blocks, but now I don’t have to. Sheetblok is supposed to be used in a multi-layered construction so it can help decouple the wall from the rest of the structure, so using it in conjunction with other sound isolating wall materials is desired. It is also ideally installed along the entire length of a wall, ceiling, or floor. 

Conclusion

We always stress that room acoustics are extremely important to sound quality. We also stress that proper sound isolation is important to keeping the sanity of you and everyone in your home. If  you have a finished area and want to add isolation, Sheetblok-AF looks like a great solution. Just don’t forget about all of the little gaps in the wall that sound can leak through, oh, wait, Auralex has a solution for that too. 

For more information, visit: Auralex Acoustics

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.