Hey out there. Well I'm planning on building my first studio and I'm looking at different materials for the walls. I was wondering if anybody had any input of the acoustics of beadboard vs drywall/sheetrock. I'm looking at putting it in most of the rooms and painting most of it. I'll probably have one small wood room and am thinking of staining it in that room. Let me know.
Thanks,
Mike

...when you say "acoustics", do you mean internal acoustic properties or transmissive? By itself, even 3/4" beadboard is much less massive than sheetrock per sq. ft. Then there's the 1/4" stuff that's normally applied over sheetrock. As well, even the 3/4" stuff is also available as a manmade sheetgood (mdf) that's more massive and less resonant than the wood product...although it's sold primed in most cases so it's only for a paint-finish application. Then again, there is or at least has been a 3/4" wood/plywood prouct as well. Traditional beadboard has been a T&G wood thing, blind nailed and applied either over sheetrock or properly spaced nailers. It's subject to a LOT of seasonal movement and of course any wood product will have poor fire resistive properties compared to sheetrock. As far as internal reflections (within the room)...neither sheetrock nor a wood product is absorptive, but sheetrock is much less resonant than wood alone. Beadboard and newer beadboard-looking products work really well visually and acoustically when applied over sheetrock.

-john

what John said..

keep in mind, other than asthetic qualities, there are almost no acoustic benefits to beadbaord, or even wood surfaces for that matter. The ridges are simply too small to affect anthing but the highest frequencies.