Lynn writes from Ringwood, New Jersey: "Looking for noise deflecting. My son plays the drums and I need to keep the noise in that room, not coming up thru the floor. Any suggestions??"

Answer: Ah, the ultimate challenge for residential acoustical systems. I have a friend whose son is a drummer and her advice is to enjoy the sound while your son still lives at home. You will miss it some day, she promises. Her son is grown and living on his own and her home is now way too quiet. Another helpful suggestion is to think of it as music instead of noise. That said, my suggestion for your consideration is a QuietZone® Quiet Retreats™ noise control solution from Owens Corning. Quiet Retreats is the name for a combination of QuietZone noise control products. Unfortunately, they are for new construction so they may not be practical in your situation. You can find information about all of their QuietZone noise control solutions on the company's Web site. The opening page shows a picture of the situation you describe - a drummer and a bookish sister.