# soundproof hockey wall



## sf2000 (Jan 13, 2011)

I have a partially finished basement. My son wants to practise hockey (shooting) in a large room that has been drywalled. I want to cover one wall so that it doesn't get destroyed by hockey pucks. I would also like to dampen the sound of the hockey pucks. Any suggestions?


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

Tell him to go outside. There is nothing that will stop the noise or damage of a hockey puck.


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## sf2000 (Jan 13, 2011)

He does a lot of shooting outside, but it gets dark early in the winter.


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## gma2rjc (Nov 21, 2008)

Cover the walls with: 

plywood on the wall, covered by 2" extruded foam board with a space of 6"-10" between it and a heavy blanket or thick fabric hanging in front of it.

The blanket will kill the sound of the hockey pucks and not let them bounce back.

FWIW


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

sf2000 said:


> He does a lot of shooting outside, but it gets dark early in the winter.


Easy fix, flood lights. Cheaper than the above mentioned.


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

gma2rjc said:


> Cover the walls with:
> 
> plywood on the wall, covered by 2" extruded foam board with a space of 6"-10" between it and a heavy blanket or thick fabric hanging in front of it.
> 
> ...


1) would give too much deflection causing the pucks to fly off farther, and the foam board would be beat up very quickly. Not a very good solution for what the OP is looking for. Hockey Pucks can travel a good speed if the person hitting them has the strength. They have been known to kill people when hit into crowds by going stray.

If the OP is still wanting the kid to practice in the basement, they will just have to set some rules, and also getting the old bumbers & wallboards from a hockey rink when they switch them out, also is a way to keep damage to a minimum.


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## gma2rjc (Nov 21, 2008)

Thanks for explaining that Gregzoll. I saw someone do this in their basement with a baseball pitching machine. But it was probably set at a low speed as it was for boys between the ages of 8 and 12. Hockey pucks do act differently than baseballs when they're bouncing off of something.


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## michaelcherr (Nov 10, 2010)

For the damage: cover everything in plywood
For the sound: there will be no way to stop it, but if the pucks don't hit something hard there will be no noise.
Think about how much sound a puck hitting a net makes.- almost none.
Set up blankets as backstops so they aren't hitting the plywood, the set something elso soft in front as a target.
Blanket with a bulls eye, stuffed animals suspended from the ceiling and attached to the floor.
Make sure to mimick the angles and all the types of shot they will need to practice.


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## Jackofall1 (Dec 5, 2010)

Simple fix for both sound and damage, heavy netting, blanket, canvas tarp, hung short of the wall, will absord and the energy.


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## michaelcherr (Nov 10, 2010)

Just attach that tarp to the floor secure to keep pucks from sliding under and that does sound like a simple solution.


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## concretemasonry (Oct 10, 2006)

The space separation suggested by gma2rjc from the house walls is be real benefit from a sound and safety standpoint and similar situations are used in indoor major hockey college practice facilities because often off-ice has many benefits and a soft separated surface obviously does not cause any kind of a safety problems from from rebounds.

As soon as he can get outside, he can go out and bombard the outside boards to dodge the ricochets and try to return them he will be happier. Here 7 year-old boys and girls love to get out in the cold at night and play on the ice under the lights, but they also get to scrape the ice when done so it can be flooded nightly. They prefer that over indoor ice.

Dick


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## sf2000 (Jan 13, 2011)

My son gets a lot of practice on rinks (indoor and outdoor), but he needs repetition to go to the next level with his shooting. After coming home from a hockey practice at night and he is sweaty and it is cold outside, he wants to take shots but I want him to do it inside. The room is very long (35 feet), the width of the house, so rebounds are not danger.


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## concretemasonry (Oct 10, 2006)

His only problem will transferring his floor practice time to doing on the ice and on skates.

Does he scrape the outdoor ice? It a good "cool-down" thing that is more like free skating than hockey since they do not remove much and only prep the surface. We did not always have warm water, so it takes a little effort than with warm water.

The outdoor ice helps develop the leg muscles more than the indoor ice, but is not year-round. We have a lot of outdoor rinks (large concentrated areas with 16 on one lake and 27 on sports area) in addition to all the indoor areas ( about indoor 25 rinks in the metro area) that are booked from 6:00 AM until almost midnight daily.

Hockey is a great sport, but as good as when I was in school when any high schooler with a letter go a college scholarship. At one time 4 out of the 6 starters for a ranked Ivy league school that were freshmen from our rival. - Not as sure now since there is more "butcher hockey" in the pros and getting more common in colleges.

Dick


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