Filling an existing wall with insulation

[Mitsu3000gt]

I live in a condo that uses metal studs in the walls, and I am having an issue with one of the interior walls that separates the second bedroom from the master bedroom. This is one of the few non-outside walls and it seems that either the studs were not properly secured to the drywall, or there is some sort of other thing in the wall that rattles. If i tap the wall repeatedly and get a bit of a vibration going through the drywall, the whole wall rattles quite loudly (it hardly takes anything, tapping with 1 finger does it). Normally this wouldn't be an issue because I don't go around banging on my walls haha, but my home theater is in this room. Occasionally, my sub will make the wall rattle and its super annoying - I am 99% sure it is the studs or similar rattling against the drywall.

So, I was thinking if I could fill the wall with expandable insulation I could solve my rattling problem and make the wall much more solid. Is something like This (http://www.tigerfoam.ca/slow_rise.php) what I need? Is it an easy DIY, or should I hire someone? Are there any cheaper alternatives?

Thanks in advance.

[Alterac]

Metal studs in a condo are generaly only there so they can hang the drywall on it, they are not load bearing, so they can move / rattle.

For the price of the kit, a company might be able to do it for you for a similar price.

What you might want to check out is the foam vs. blown in, etc.

But that product does look like a good solution, specially for handyman type people.

Let me know how it turns out when you do it yourself, and how much is left over / etc. I have a few walls I want to do.

[Alterac]

Quoted myself, like an idiot... I suck at the internet, ignore this post.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by Alterac
Metal studs in a condo are generaly only there so they can hang the drywall on it, they are not load bearing, so they can move / rattle.

For the price of the kit, a company might be able to do it for you for a similar price.

What you might want to check out is the foam vs. blown in, etc.

But that product does look like a good solution, specially for handyman type people.

Let me know how it turns out when you do it yourself, and how much is left over / etc. I have a few walls I want to do.

Thanks for the reply, I will let you know what I decide to do.

I have also e-mailed my condo company asking them if it is my responsibility to fix this or not, as I don't know if I technically "own" the walls, and it is particularily annoying. I am expecting it to be my expense though. Everything else is built extremely well, so I was surprised to see this wall built like a POS.

I don't think blown-in insulation would do much, because it would need to be able to hold everything in place - that is why I was looking at the expandable foam stuff. My goal is the completely stop anything from moving or vibrating against the drywall in the wall.

The wall is only 10ft long X 9ft high so I don't think I need much product at all. If I could just pay a contractor a few hundred $ to come fill it for me, that would likely be my preference.

[kolumbo69]

It sounds to me like they forgot to actually screw off the wall, another solution could be to try and find the studs and use some fine pitch drywall screws in a few spots and see if that helps.

It sucks though that you will have to repair it after wards

Worst case scenario is that they actually forgot to screw the bottom or tops of the studs in.

[AndyL]

Dealt with this myself once before...

I personally like the hilti stuff - but you want some kind of polyurethane expanding foam. A case did 2 of 3 walls in my old office.

Drill a little 5/16" hole near the top plate, use a squirt bottle to get 3-4 good squirts of water down into the cavity... Add a bottle of foam, move to the next void...

Polyurethane will expand and glue everything together...

[Kloubek]

No need to ask your condo board for permission - unless specifically stated in the bylaws. You own all the inside walls; just not the ones where the outdoors is on the other side.

[Alterac]

Would also be good idea to do this to every inside wall for added insulation and sound proofing.