Do you hear every little conversation, every shuffle of furniture and stuff dropping on the floor above?
Kids upstairs watching their favourite cartoon show in the highest volume, driving you nuts??
And when you decide to hit the bed and to have an early start the next morning, you couldn’t even relax your mind and sleep due to the loud footsteps from an upstairs apartment, keeping you awake till midnight.
Annoying right!!!
Most of us could relate to this situation, especially when someone is living in an apartment just above us.
But don’t you worry, there are so many ways to stop sound from travelling through the ceiling at The Architecture Designs.
Ways to stop sound travelling through the ceiling.
source: soundproofcentral.com
There are many ways to soundproofing between floors, but before opting for any one solution, you should make a careful observation about the type of noise that is bothering you.
Airborne noise:
Here the sound waves move through the air until they meet the solid object like a wall or ceiling, but those solid objects cannot absorb the sound, so it passes through them. Human voices, music, tv sound, etc fall under it.
Structure borne noise:
Also known as impact noise, such type of noise occurs when there is direct contact of an object with the wall, ceiling, or floor-Footsteps, stuff dropping on the floor, etc.
After finding out the type of noise problem you are facing, you can certainly fix the problem with one of the following ways.
Add multiple layers of drywalls
source: pinterest.com
Layering the drywall can be the cheapest method for a sound barrier. You can use two layers of drywall, and that can be pretty good soundproofing. The added layer will not just reduce the noise but also gives a better look.
Adding a second layer also creates better insulation and fire resistance. Ensure that the thickness of the 2nd layer that you add is 5/8 inches and not ½ inches.
And layering drywall isn’t a tough task. It is a very convenient process, you can do it by yourself, with your friend who can assist you.
The screw or nails has to be long enough to fit in with the extra thickness of the 2nd drywall layer.
Wear safety gear and a dust mask while cutting the drywall.
Green glue noise proofing compound
source: exportersindia.com
Once you’ve decided to add a layer to your existing drywall, it is highly recommended to apply a green glue noise-proofing compound. It is a cost-effective soundproofing material that has a simple, quick, and effective application.
The green glue soundproofing compound is a viscoelastic damping compound that converts sound energy into a tiny amount of heat. When applied between two drywalls, it immensely reduces the amount of noise passing on through the ceiling. It segregates the noise traveling from one room to the other.
Make sure that you apply the compound in every sheet of the 2nd drywall on the entire surface before you install it.
Quiet rock
It is advanced sound-reducing drywall that eliminates the need of adding an extra layer. A single layer of quiet rock gives the same result as adding multiple layers of drywall. It saves you a few inches on walls that you don’t get if you add extra layers of drywall.
However, the quiet rock is more effective in reducing airborne noise than structure-borne noise.
It is a sound damping product that has viscoelastic material squeezed between two gypsum layers. Gypsum can block the soundwave, and viscoelastic material damps the sound wave vibration.
The installation is quite similar to that of regular drywall. It can be directly attached to the joist of the existing drywall by screwing through the existing gypsum layer and into the joist.
The drawback is its cost. Quiet rock is a bit expensive for those having a tight budget. But on the flip side, it will save you on labor costs. You wouldn’t have to bother applying any sort of green glue.
Resilient channel
source: pinterest.com
A resilient channel is a thin piece of metal that helps in reducing the sound from your ceiling to a great extent. The benefit of having a resilient channel is that it can eliminate structural borne noise at an affordable cost by using a thin metal design. It improves the sound insulation of drywall and the ceiling to a great extent.
It becomes easier to use the resilient channel when you have an unfinished ceiling, you can simply attach the channel directly to the stud to make a separation between the studs and the drywall.
And if you have a finished ceiling, you can just join the metal channel on the existing ceiling and then attach the 2nd layer of the drywall.
A resilient channel and an added layer of drywall make the room oppressively quiet.
You should be very careful while inserting the channel. Even a minor mistake can make the whole process completely useless. So you better let the professional do the job.
And yes, this is not something that you can do in the rented apartment, but you could certainly do it in the condo you own.
Acoustic insulation
source: auralexchange.com
Acoustic insulation is very effective in terms of creating a soundproof ceiling.
Rockwool mineral wall insulation is the next best thing to have for soundproofing. But It works best only when you have an unfinished ceiling.
The ceiling has a hollow cavity, and when people walk upstairs you can hear the tap, which echoes and reverberates, making the sound very loud.
Here all we need is to get the sound absorbed. And we all know that air is the best absorbent of sound. There are a lot of air pockets present in the rock wool, which absorb the soundwave blocking the noise.
Rockwool minerals should be squeezed between the joist but make sure that you don’t pack it too tight.
It gives excellent results when used along with resilient channels.
They are budget-friendly and also have water repellant property and fire-resistant property.
Floating ceiling joints
source: pinterest.com
Floating ceiling joints is an inexpensive alternative. It helps reduce impact noise and airborne noise. They are suitable for drywalls rather than Suspended walls because the ceiling should not be filled with ductwork to install floating ceiling joints.
Any pipes or ductwork will just get in the way.
The process includes installing a new joist between ceiling joists that already exist. You have to extend the new joist 2 inches from the original joist.
Now you can install the insulation material in between the joists in a not so tight manner.
Conclusion
These are a few ways to stop the noise coming from the ceiling. Some of them deal with air-borne noise whereas some of them deal with structure-borne noise. And some even deal with both the noises.
Just carefully examine the type of noise problem you are facing and then opt for any one of these solutions.
Most of the solutions provided are cost-efficient.
