Freshly fried feet, 3 months a year!
May 13, 2010 6:59 PM Subscribe
Roof-top balcony, concrete, with kids. Looking for DIY sound-proofing ways, that can handle Tokyo Japan climate...
We have a roof-top balcony (715cm X 384cm / 27m^2 or 23' X 12' 269 sqfeet) which is, like this, direct concrete slabs. The kids have various toys like Little Tikes car (hard plastic wheels), or golf balls etc. This translate to direct noise to the down stairs neighbour. I have been down there to check and it sure can get rowdy. Socially, it is not a problem, we set a curfew of 20:00 etc, and so on. But at the same time, it is pretty ugly concrete, which turn into a frying pan from June-September on the feet. Why not put down something that would also soundproof.
So, primary a noise reduction event. But it needs to handle Japans rainy season. Not sure it can be too permanent without involving the Housing Estate/Corporation Owner. Also presumably materials easy to find in Japan... I quite regularly have to clean the balcony (scrub off the green moss/algae, that grey clay/powder from the train line)
I've looked at kid's style/cork tiles - but we've had those before, a little rain, green stuff and it becomes like an ice-rink.
There is Pia-mats made for soundproofing, and the cow sure looks happy, but I suspect that is supposed to be under-something-else. Black/rubber probably don't work in Summer or rain, right? (Anyone know why its ぴあ? Seems to be a whole category and verb...)
Maybe wood panels, like wooddeckers which appear to have something rubbery under it. I suspect tiles with bigger gaps like that of nissin might make the sound from the wheels worse (and I don't know if it has rubber under, they all seem focused on showing the top).
Don't want to break the bank either, and probably something I can lift to clean to ensure we don't get gockis. (Although cockroaches can fly in this country)
(Previous soundproofing ask.me seemed primarily for indoors - this needs to handle some 'weather' - our wooden picnic table/bench lasted 3 years until the wood had rotted through).
We have a roof-top balcony (715cm X 384cm / 27m^2 or 23' X 12' 269 sqfeet) which is, like this, direct concrete slabs. The kids have various toys like Little Tikes car (hard plastic wheels), or golf balls etc. This translate to direct noise to the down stairs neighbour. I have been down there to check and it sure can get rowdy. Socially, it is not a problem, we set a curfew of 20:00 etc, and so on. But at the same time, it is pretty ugly concrete, which turn into a frying pan from June-September on the feet. Why not put down something that would also soundproof.
So, primary a noise reduction event. But it needs to handle Japans rainy season. Not sure it can be too permanent without involving the Housing Estate/Corporation Owner. Also presumably materials easy to find in Japan... I quite regularly have to clean the balcony (scrub off the green moss/algae, that grey clay/powder from the train line)
I've looked at kid's style/cork tiles - but we've had those before, a little rain, green stuff and it becomes like an ice-rink.
There is Pia-mats made for soundproofing, and the cow sure looks happy, but I suspect that is supposed to be under-something-else. Black/rubber probably don't work in Summer or rain, right? (Anyone know why its ぴあ? Seems to be a whole category and verb...)
Maybe wood panels, like wooddeckers which appear to have something rubbery under it. I suspect tiles with bigger gaps like that of nissin might make the sound from the wheels worse (and I don't know if it has rubber under, they all seem focused on showing the top).
Don't want to break the bank either, and probably something I can lift to clean to ensure we don't get gockis. (Although cockroaches can fly in this country)
(Previous soundproofing ask.me seemed primarily for indoors - this needs to handle some 'weather' - our wooden picnic table/bench lasted 3 years until the wood had rotted through).
Outdoor carpet has come a long way since the standard green "astro-turf" stuff... you can get a synthetic material carpet with a tight loop that your kids can still play on, but will absorb a lot of the banging sounds of hard plastic on concrete.
posted by kaudio at 8:35 PM on May 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by kaudio at 8:35 PM on May 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
Artificial grass looks pretty realistic and should help with the sound transmission. I've heard it can get hot in the summer though.
posted by electroboy at 6:27 AM on May 14, 2010
posted by electroboy at 6:27 AM on May 14, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
"absorbs sound for a quieter barn or patio."
posted by hortense at 7:13 PM on May 13, 2010 [1 favorite]