the effect of paint on a surface

[stereopathetic_banjo]

hi, first off- i'm in the process of remodelling a room off of my living room for the sole purpose of recording drums/ acoustic instruments. nothing huge, but i'm pretty excited to finally be taking steps in the direction i want, recording wise. anyways, i've sheeted the walls with 1/4" plywood (mahogany) and am about to go and get paint to make it look pretty... but, i keep wondering in the back of my mind how much brighter/ different it may sound after the coats of paint are applied. i really don't know either way, so i was wondering if anyone could tackle my inquiry. it may not make any true difference, and in that case, no prob- i'll paint away. but if painting does make it brighter due to filling in the pores of the wood, etc, then i may consider leaving it alone. also, bass traps will be applied after all is done, so it may all be a moot point. any advice would be great. thanks!
-travis

[Ethan Winer]

Travis,

> if painting does make it brighter due to filling in the pores of the wood <

I doubt paint will make any difference.

--Ethan

[John E. RokkeR]

why would you want to paint over such a beautiful wood? clear it, stain, it or wax it, but please, don't paint it!

[Ethan Winer]

John,

> why would you want to paint over such a beautiful wood? <

I was wondering that myself!

--Ethan

[stereopathetic_banjo]

well... slight change of plans(seems to be the gist when doing this remodeling thing). the walls around the drum area are going to be painted, whilst the rest of the room is going to be sheeted with 1/4" oak laminate ply- like cabinet grade stuff. i found some on sale, and it was just too beautiful... fit the vibe i was going for exactly. soooo, current plan is to paint drum area, and use a slight matte type laquer on the oak to preserve the look of the wood. and i agree if the mahogany was smooth and presentable, i'd rather it stay natural too, but it's floor underlayment grade stuff thats kinda fuzzy/rough on the surface, so that's why the paint- plus it'll give a nice contrast visualy to the wood tones of the oak...i'm starting to sound like HGTV... yikes. initially i was just curious of the effects of the paint, but it kinda seems a moot point in this case, so off i go. wish me luck! thanks again for your comments.
-travis

[I'm Painting Again]

I would think that filling in all those microscopic pores in the wood with paint and or stain would definitely change the sound..It would seem that way also from other people's testimony and different absobtion charts I've seen that list sealed/painted/raw materials that it it does make a difference..

anyone know about the specifics of that?

[TapeOpLarry]

Not to dismiss Ethan's comment, but I know in F. Alton Everest's book, "Acoustic Techniques for Home and Studio", he mentions paint on cinder block walls changing the reflections in a room.

[Ethan Winer]

Larry,

> paint on cinder block walls changing the reflections in a room. <

Sure, but cinder blocks have a lot of surface irregularities and many deep fissures that can absorb sound. The original question was about starting with smooth wood and adding paint over that. So let me change my comment from "won't make any difference" to "I can't imagine it would be a significant difference."

--Ethan

[Jeremy Garber]

Interesting topic. I just happen to make my living as a painter. I can hear a difference, but it isn't too major. I'm using sheet rock/dry wall as a reference though, not wood.

When I build my bigger studio room, I plan on setting some bookshelves into the walls to help absorb sound.

I'm waiting for someone to create a live room with velcro walls, so they can stick whatever surface they want on there.

[TapeOpLarry]

Bookshelves will make a sort of diffusor but not neccesarily a great absorber...

[Jeremy Garber]

Really? That's good to know. I figured with all the books it would suck the sound right up.

[I'm Painting Again]

Really? That's good to know. I figured with all the books it would suck the sound right up.

\

books are hard and reflective..they are dense and sound waves have to be really strong to move their molecules..'specially if they arte tightly packed..the absorbtion is the transfer of energy from the soundwave to the molecules of the "absorber"..the molecules get pushed around from the acoustic energy of the wave and that creates a bit of heat energy in the room and thats where some of the original sound energy ends up..

[Jeremy Garber]

Interesting. I've learned more on this forum than any other email list/forum I've been a part of before. Let alone the great friendliness shared here.

So, when you properly sound proof a room, you get to save a little money on your heating bill? I guess it would make your A/C run a little more then and balance it out. j/k

[Roman Sokal]

i remember reading ages ago (methinks in one of d.m. huber's texts) that untreated cinder blocks having among the best STC levels...