Cheap Dynamat Substitute

[zoom]

After poking around the internet for a while I found a cheap solution to sound deadening - Asphault sheeting. This is your basic ice and water guard thats used in roofing. The price difference between this and something like Dynamat is astounding. Home Depot sells 140ft of the stuff for only $65! The only thing is that I havent tried it yet, so I'm wondering if anyone has used it in their cars and where exactly it should be applied. Let me know what you think.

[Dave_The_BMXER]

I've never actually been able to find that stuff. I have heard mixed reviews about it though when it heats up.

[Fobio]

I have used that stuff in my computer for sound deadening...you were able to find "samples" of this stuff sometimes for free in busienss card sizes...lol...I needed like 10 pieces for my PC...obviouslyy not feasible for the whole car, but a sheet of it sounds reasonable...

dynamat, however, should be easier to apply and work with inlarger sheets.

[fini]

throw carpet in there if it's cheaper.
dynamat is nothing more than a mass loaded material with some absorption qualities.
lay down a shaggy rug in your car and it will improve your acoustics! do it on the headliner too. haha..

[baymoe]

If you can, get a sample portion of it and have it sit inside the cabin on a hot day. Reason is, the asphalt material will make the interior smell. I would suggest to throw a bit more money and get the rubberized stuff. It's a one time process and extremely time consuming, so might as well do it right. Hey, if you're in the scarborough/markham area, i have roll of the asphalt stuff (B-Quiet). It might be ok to use in the trunk area or fenders to tame road noise.

[RECREATIONAL_ANXIETY]

Ooooohhhhhh, dynamat... I got a little worried for a second!

[stevenma188]

My buddy was talking about this company called Rattletrap (or something, cant remember exactly) that is similar to Dynamat (if not better), but costs less. Maybe you can look into that.

Not sure how cheap you are looking to go but these substitutes will be no match for things actually designed for sound dampening IMO.

[S.F.W.]

If you can, get a sample portion of it and have it sit inside the cabin on a hot day. Reason is, the asphalt material will make the interior smell. I would suggest to throw a bit more money and get the rubberized stuff. It's a one time process and extremely time consuming, so might as well do it right. Hey, if you're in the scarborough/markham area, i have roll of the asphalt stuff (B-Quiet). It might be ok to use in the trunk area or fenders to tame road noise.

I have used B-Quiet in my doors, and my trunk. Product works great, and no smell issues.

[michaelm]

I installed Fatmat. Thicker than dynamat. http://cgi.ebay.ca/25-sf-FatMat-RattleTrap-Sound-Deadener-Dynamat-Roller-/130400209447?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item1e5c754a27

Aired my car out for a day, and there was no smell ever since. Even on extremely hot days.
I bought the 25 sq ft and did my backseat and trunk. Did wonders to deaden the drone of my vibrant exhaust. Their shop is located in Oakville if you want to buy in person and save on shipping costs.

His Store:

DALFEN AUTO UPPLY
#6 407 Speers Road
Oakville, ON L6T 3T5
Ph. 905-849-4448
Fax 877-842-7550

[DarkKilla]

Hey thats a good deal $70 25 sq ft. anyone else use this stuff before?
I might go ahead and pick some up

[zoom]

So I did some more research and the sheeting is made by a company called Grace, which I could not find at home depot. Its also not $65 like I said in my original post, its $82 for 150sq ft. The exact name of the product is "Grace Basik."

Baymoe, Grace makes a product that is rubberized called Grace Ultra. The thing is that its $260 for 195 sq ft. Still a good price but considerably more expensive than the asphault type. Also its not nearly as heavy, which is a bad thing when trying to reduce vibrations. I hear the asphault stuff isn't supposed to smell after a few days anyways.

I'm also going to be installing some fibrous carpet underpadding under my carpets and in my doors. This stuff is said to make the biggest difference. For more info on this stuff do a google search for "sound deadening diy civic." The forum site should be your first link. The main poster to read is called Ocel*ris. Most of the stuff that im saying I learned from this forum so dont blast me for stealing ideas or any other BS - just trying to make our cars better.

Im hopefully going to be getting most of this stuff on Monday and installing by the end of the week. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

[zoom]

Sorry for the double post, but I would not get Fatmat. This is an asphault sheeting just like the Grace roofliner, the only thing being that its more expensive. As far as I know, Dynamat is also composed of asphault, but Dynamat ultra is not. Just my 0.02

[Hives]

keep saving and buy Dynamat. Its better to get it done right the first time. Don't settle for less!

[michaelm]

Sorry for the double post, but I would not get Fatmat. This is an asphault sheeting just like the Grace roofliner, the only thing being that its more expensive. As far as I know, Dynamat is also composed of asphault, but Dynamat ultra is not. Just my 0.02

meh, to each their own. I've had positive results with Fatmat and it has a lifetime warranty. I found it to be very thick. The vibrant exhaust for our mazda's are known to be loud and Fatmat quieted my catback down significantly- Quiet on the inside, loud on the outside lol.

http://www.fatmat.com/kits/rattletrap/trunk.html

[zoom]

I'm almost done installing the asphault sheeting but am still having trouble finding the "jute" carpet underpadding. Home depot only carries the purple foam underpad, which won't work for this application. I tried an automotive upholstery shop and the guy said he could get it but would charge $70 for 3sq yards. Is this a decent price or should I keep looking?

[billd80]

I got to say, I was a roofer for years and am quite familiar with ice guard. First off it's extremely flammable and almost impossible to put out once it does catch fire. Also I second that the smell will be there ling after install. Also the amount of adhesives on the back is pretty intense and made to "melt" during hot periods fusing it to your plywood roof sheathing. Not a good choice imoa.

[JayJay18]

I installed Fatmat. Thicker than dynamat. http://cgi.ebay.ca/25-sf-FatMat-RattleTrap-Sound-Deadener-Dynamat-Roller-/130400209447?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item1e5c754a27

Aired my car out for a day, and there was no smell ever since. Even on extremely hot days.
I bought the 25 sq ft and did my backseat and trunk. Did wonders to deaden the drone of my vibrant exhaust. Their shop is located in Oakville if you want to buy in person and save on shipping costs.

His Store:

DALFEN AUTO UPPLY
#6 407 Speers Road
Oakville, ON L6T 3T5
Ph. 905-849-4448
Fax 877-842-7550

+1 got this product aswell 200sqft so far and did the whole car head to toe. just need the doors left

[JayJay18]

Fat mat is exactly like dynamat just cheaper. All i noe is that i did the whole car and the only raindrops or road noise are from my windows, thats it. you dont need any extra foam or anything to put ontop.
Think about it, its just a car and anyways most of the time the radio is on and the noise outside the car is muffled by the music.
Dont waste your money on unnecessary stuff. FATMAT is just fine

[JayJay18]

keep saving and buy Dynamat. Its better to get it done right the first time. Don't settle for less!

Dynamat is made by the same guys that make FAT MAT and every other substitute. They just put there name on the front of it thats all.

[fini]

it always makes me laugh when people publish bullshi!t acoustic performance for their products....
go buy some pink insulation and make your own "dynamat"

[JayJay18]

it always makes me laugh when people publish bullshi!t acoustic performance for their products....
go buy some pink insulation and make your own "dynamat"

dont forget some nice caulking or urethane silicone to stick it down
downside to that is the insulation isnt very bendable lol

[boavista]

my Grandfather was a roofer.. so he had some of that roofing like material that seams like dynamat. I did my trunk and doors in my old car (96 Avenger ES) and Yes it does work, HOWEVER.. on very hot days the trunk did get extremely hot and it wouldnt unstick, HOWEVER the Tar or "sticky" part did in some spots ( like under the rear deck) would sort of run and basically it looked kinda like an oil leak under my back deck. For spots that are hidden such as doors, in the trunk under the carpet it would be fine. but any place that's exposed and you can see it, looks really bad. It did the job though.

I say if you can find it for really cheap( free in my case) go for it. If not spend a few bucks more and get the real stuff as you wont be faced with the "side effects".

[zoom]

Its been a while since I've been on this forum. About the roofing stuff I used, I can honestly say that there is no smell at all. The product sticks well to the metal of the car after many "relief cuts" are made. No matter what I did, I couldn't get it to stick to the top of the trunk area. With regards to pink insulation, I put some in my trunk behind the side panels. I also put the insulation in the doors but found that it gets very wet, so I decided to remove it and avoid any mouldy situations. I cant say the changes I've made make a huge difference, but certainly it amounts to something. Its definitely really fun taking apart your car and putting it back together - if you have the time. Have fun guys!

One side note: I can't help but think that I bought the wrong product. I chose to buy Grace Basik, which is the heaviest roof liner. I assumed it would have the highest noise dampening ability. It turns out that the reason it is the heaviest is that it has those little rocks on it like you'd find on shingles. This made it difficult to apply a second layer and also may have been the reason it didn't stick so easily to the metal.

[fini]

the "right" product isn't necessarily name brand stuff....
the problem with the roofing material is that it's obviously not able to withstand that heat and is not benign.
again. all dynamat is, as a product. is insulation sandwiched between to pieces of material -- depending on which product line you get.

so maybe cheaper substitutes out there. and DIY's that you can do at a fraction of the cost for the same end product. notice i said same end product. not same end result.