I am wondering about the level of noise reduction experienced by posters who have soundproofed windows, ceilings, walls and/or floors in their apartments. My limited understanding of soundproofing windows in an apartment is that generally you are not allowed to replace windows and instead can install a second "window" inside your apartment to block noise from the street. With respect to... [more]
I am wondering about the level of noise reduction experienced by posters who have soundproofed windows, ceilings, walls and/or floors in their apartments.
My limited understanding of soundproofing windows in an apartment is that generally you are not allowed to replace windows and instead can install a second "window" inside your apartment to block noise from the street.
With respect to soundproofing ceilings, is it worthwhile to soundproof the entire apartment or is it sufficient to soundproof only the ceilings in the bedroom(s)? Do you need to soundproof the ceilings in any closets and en-suite bathroom?
Has anyone soundproofed a wall that they share with a neighboring apartment? Would it be sufficient to put a built-in along a neighboring wall to block noise?
Any comments on soundproofing floors would be appreciated. I am not sure how much noise would travel up from an apartment below your own.
Thanks in advance for all comments and guidance.
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Response by 1OneWon
almost 16 years ago
Posts: 220
Member since: Mar 2008
I have soundproofed 2 walls:
1. Front door and wall next to hallway.
2. Wall sharing next door neighbor.
I had 2 layers of 5/8" drywall originally. I removed those and installed 2 layers of 5/8" QuietRock (525 model/ fire rated), with 3 tubes of Green Glue per sheet-rock. Plus, I also had the drywallers wrap the electrical boxes in "some sort of rubber cover for sound leaks). Plus, I also added some insulation that was missing in some spots.
Results - I don't hear my neighbors TV and stereo anymore. The hallway noise is reduced a lot but some still come from the door.
Ceilings? I didn't do that because it will take too much of my ceiling height and it still won't really help.
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Response by lobster
almost 16 years ago
Posts: 1147
Member since: May 2009
Thanks 1OneWon. The apartment that I'm interested in shares a bedroom wall with a neighbor's living room and when I've been in the apartment, I could hear music through the wall. Thanks for detailing your soundproofing process.
I have soundproofed 2 walls:
1. Front door and wall next to hallway.
2. Wall sharing next door neighbor.
I had 2 layers of 5/8" drywall originally. I removed those and installed 2 layers of 5/8" QuietRock (525 model/ fire rated), with 3 tubes of Green Glue per sheet-rock. Plus, I also had the drywallers wrap the electrical boxes in "some sort of rubber cover for sound leaks). Plus, I also added some insulation that was missing in some spots.
Results - I don't hear my neighbors TV and stereo anymore. The hallway noise is reduced a lot but some still come from the door.
Ceilings? I didn't do that because it will take too much of my ceiling height and it still won't really help.
Thanks 1OneWon. The apartment that I'm interested in shares a bedroom wall with a neighbor's living room and when I've been in the apartment, I could hear music through the wall. Thanks for detailing your soundproofing process.