Hi all…
My recent problems with my noisy neighbour upstairs have prompted me to look into sound-proofing the ceiling. However, I have no idea if it work without me soundproofing the entire apartment.
Anyone have soundproofed their ceiling before? Is it effective?
Thanks in advances!
Soundproofing against what? The sound of footsteps? Stereo noise? A loud TV?
If the problem is impact noise (jumping, footsteps), this is a hard thing to isolate from the bottom side.
The ‘traditional’ way of soundproofing a ceiling is to create isolation between the upper floor and the lower, usually by screwing the ceiling drywall to resilient channel. The other option is to put a second layer of drywall over the first, which helps but will not eliminate sound transmission.
The ultimate solution is to build a ‘room within a room’, but this is not something you want to tackle in a finished apartment.
To eliminate low frequency sounds, you only have two options - isolation, or mass. I have a home theater, and my soundproofing on the ceiling includes acoustic insulation in the joist spaces, then two layers of drywall screwed onto the joists - 1/2" over 5/8". For my purposes, that’s all I need, since the bedrooms are two floors away. It certainly doesn’t eliminate all base.
Another possibility in an apartment is that what you’re getting is noise being transferred through the ductwork, the gaps in the walls and under the baseboards, through windows, etc. But unless you own the apartment, there’s really not much you can do about this.
It’s against impact noises. Jumping, knocking, hammering…