This may be a topic for the Bilge, but we work on boats in the shop so I justified posting it here.

We have a newly built shop, 40' by 52', 15' high, fully insulated, sheetrock walls and OSB ceiling. The problem is echoing and reverberation of every sound. It's hard to even talk in there, the echo-effect is pretty annoying.

Is there any cheap way to cut down on this echo problem? Much cash has been spent building this shop so there is not a lot of available fundage for fancy soundproofing.

We have heard rumor of some sort of sound-deadening paint. Any substance to that rumor??

for what you need the sound absorbing paint will not work. I am assuming that the shop is empty? if there is nothing in there to absorb or block sound waves it will echo bad but when you put your boat and other stuff in there they will make it alot more quiet. The cheepest way to absord the sound would be to go to a cheep carpet store find a really cheep carpet and cut a big piece and hang it on the wall like a picture. carpet is usually around 12' wide, so maybe cut 8 pieces 12' x 12' and space them around the room, pick a decent color and it will give you some decoration too. If you want it to look better you can use base mounding or crown to trim around the carped and it will look more finished.

Ear plugs

Hmmmm, would look like the cabin in my boat!!

That is a suggestion I had not thought of. We'll take it under advisement.

Thanks.

what about that grey waffle foam like in recording studios...

maybe frame it and hand along the walls like pictures....or panels from the ceilings...

That would be Auralex. You can stick it to the walls, use the thicker stuff for corners and for the ceiling, you stick it to plywood sheets and then hang the sheets from the ceiling at an angle. Most of this stuff should pass the whole fire inspection thing as well.

get Julie makin' some of the right sounds in there you won't mind it so much.

Crank up a couple of blower motors?