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Wall mounting on studs

Hi everyone,

I'm mounting my turntable on the wall, and the shelf system is designed to span over 3 studs (and uses all 3). Since my studs in the wall are currently not where I want them to be, I'm just going to open up the wall and install new studs so my shelf can be installed exactly where I want it to be. My question is, should I just add new studs running vertically from floor to ceiling, or can I add 2x4s horinzontally between the existing studs that are 16" apart? I'm not concerned about cost or difficulty - I just want to know from a performance point of view, what's best to minimize vibration to the shelf?

Thanks!

Pierre
galpi
theo's avatar
theo
2,681 posts
 
You don’t mention how far off the stud location is vs desired mounting location. And as Feldman brought up, is this an interior or exterior wall? An exterior wall will be much more solid as an interior wall can still transfer foot fall. Another consideration is whether outlet boxes are on the side of the stud that you would be adding the new stud, also will you have horizontal runs of Romex wiring to negotiate. 
If your current studs are only a few inches off from desired location, would you consider a horizontal brace fastened to the wall and then mount the shelf to it. You could cut the length to have equally balanced extensions on each end if possible finish to match and it would appear to be part of the original design. It would also help to know the make of the shelf so we could see the design.


bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,788 posts
 

To add mass and reduce vibrations in the wall:

1- After installing additional vertical and horizontal studs, pack the space between all the lumber with sound absorbing insulation material. People have their preferences, one being Roxul Safe ’n’ Sound.

2- Then put up the sheetrock, and for a giant leap in vibration reduction, add a second layer of differing thickness (for a different resonant frequency profile. 3/4" and 1/2" is a good combination), with---most importantly---ASC (Acoustic Sciences Corp.) Wall Damp material between the layers. WD is a 1/16" thick viscoelastic material designed to absorb mechanical vibrations, and it’s effect is HUGE!

I have visited a listening room (that of Audiogon member folkfreak, in his Portland Oregon home) constructed with the complete ASC system (which includes materials that greatly reduce the transmission of vibrations through the building structure), and the walls were like stone. For those interested in isolation, folkfreak had his Magico loudspeakers sitting on Townshend Audio Seismic Podiums, a great product. The rest of his system was an EAR-Yoshino table with two arms and cartridges, a DCS Vivaldi digital stack, an ARC Reference pre (model 10 or 40, I don’t recall), and VTL power amps. Very, very nice.

Details on ASC Wall Damp are available on the company’s website. Very affordably priced, and very effective. Also great for DIY shelves, the WD placed between two layers of stiff material. Stiff materials often ring (ever rapped a piece of unsupported marble? Rings like a bell!), and WD makes them almost completely silent. As with walls, use different thicknesses for each layer, and even completely different materials. Stiff and quiet, every woman’s dream date. ;-)

pgaulke60
299 posts
 
I always use a vertically placed 2x6 screwed in between suds.  Gives me a little more inches of play up & down.
elliottbnewcombjr
5,341 posts
 
Avoid opening wall? 

It is possible to surface mount a separate wood panel, behind your 'shelf system'.

wide enough to catch only 2 studs, and use many anchors to sheetrock or plaster for the extended end. Then you have limitless horizontal locations to mount anything to the wood panel. Choose wood thickness relative to weight.

Or, wider, catch 4 studs if heavy TT? full width? Depends on decor, ....

btw, brackets can go 'up' behind the shelf, rather than down, objects on shelf in front of them. and you can drill extra holes in the brackets with less final visibility.
builder3
758 posts
 
galpi, some of the advice you're getting here is a bit over the top. Open your wall in the area needed, and install some horizontal blocking between the studs in the necessary location. Use 2x6 KD lumber, which is dry. Screw it in place with some strong screws (not sheetrock screws). If you're concerned about transmitting vibration, use some construction adhesive between the existing studs and your new blocking.
Additionally, before you open the wall, you might want to consider what's in it. Walk around to the other side, think a bit. This is just generic advice. Barring that, cut a small hole initially, look inside, make sure you're not running into a waste line, or the back of your electrical panel, etc.
Good luck.
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