Soundproofing a Ceiling

It's not cheap (i think like 15000 for a living room type area) but plenty of companies put in a drop ceiling with an intervening space which provides significant sound attenuation. It you have high ceilings it's no big deal. You will lose like 4 inches minimum.

if you plan on tearing down the existing ceiling, there is an insulation specifically meant to curb footfall noise and they sell it at prince lumber. You can also ask them about quiet rock and other alternatives such as sound clips.

on this site, genie clips are the only solutions for foot traffic noise (http://www.soundisolationstore.com/). nothing else will remove it. insulation removes voices, tv, etc. the beams need to be decoupled from the sheetrock ceiling.

I think the best approach is dropping the ceiling and adding sound clips with either two pieces of sheetrock with green glue in the middle or using quietrock. I don't think it will be in issue with 10 ft ceilings. I just hope its doesn't come out to $15k. Thanks for the tips!

Its called ultratouch - recycled denim. http://www.bondedlogic.com/

sounds clips are probably the best imo but if you're ceiling is not the high, you might want alternatives.

it all depends on how large the area you want to soundproof. i would put the quiet rock with green glue layer in living room and do the clips with quiet rock in the bedrooms. the material is expensive and putting up very heavy sheet rock on the ceiling is no fun.

I did the green glue sheets with iso clips on my ceilings, and I have to say I am disappointed! I was told it would be 75-80% reduction, but the depending on the individual walking upstairs, it seems more like a 20% reduction. I wish I could reverse my decision, but oh well.

The only fool-proof method of eradicating upstairs noise is to move to the top floor.

one thing to remember when putting the clips on is to ensure that they are attached to the beams. the existing sheetrock has to be removed. if that was not done, the clips are almost useless.

Does anyone have first hand experience sound proofing WALLS. My walls are plaster but I still get a low rumbling bass from my neighbor (presumably music, maybe TV). He's not doing anything crazy but it really bothers me. Any suggestions?

i used the egg crate foam from www.foambymail.com with 2X3 beams and regular sheetrock. my next door neighbors were apologizing for having a fight and i never heard a peep. nowadays i would take quiet rock and glue it to the plaster walls with green glue. this way you are not losing 4 inches but only 1.

@goldenb132000 - Rugs help with footfall, but they do not take care of the low end involved with footfall. Decoupling your ceiling below using resilient sound clips is the only way to improve your situation. Damping, extra mass, absorption (foam, insulation, etc.) will not help your sound issues. Materials for clips, channel, drywall would end up around $1.40 per square foot.

@tommy2tone - There is no insulation that will help with footfall isolation. The sound is transferring through the joists rather than between the joists. Having insulation is important because of the effect on resonance, but minimal to no benefit for the majority of sound from footfall.

@macintosh - Which clips did you use? Were they installed directly to the joists or over the existing drywall?

@Bernie123 - The low end you are dealing with is likely also transferring through your floors and/or ceiling. Treating the wall will most likely not help much. The better bet might be having your neighbor get his speakers off the floor so the vibrations aren't transferring directly into the framing.

Just to fix the above link since it has a ')' added to it which leads to a 404 error:

http://www.soundisolationstore.com

does dropping the ceiling and using quietrock replace the need for clips on the beams above you ? I have 9ft ceilings and can give up 6 inches easily. I already dropped one in the kitchen to put in recessed lighting but didnt think to use quietrock.

What method would you use to drop the ceiling? There are certainly other ways to isolate a ceiling without using clips. QuietRock would have little effect on a ceiling. You're much better off trying to get as much mass as possible. Use the money invested in QuietRock to add three layers of drywall to your ceiling.

Has anyone had a FIRST HAND success story with respect to sound proofing a ceiling to reduce footfall noise? I have not heard of a single unequivical success story.

Hi,
I see this is an old thread. In any case, if you have come to this page you are likely in the same boat as the rest of us. I own a 2 family home in Brooklyn NY and rent my second floor. To make a long story short I am looking to soundproof the apartments as I live on the first floor and basement with my family. For my 820 sqft ceiling, I have gotten a rough quote from a local soundproofing contractor for 16k for a SPC CEILING SOLUTION 3 (see http://www.soundproofingcompany.com/soundproofing-solutions/soundproof-a-ceiling/). He uses cellulose and the insulator. At this point, I am still searching for a competitive bid as it is always wise to get several quotes for a large job like this.

@smokon I'm in a similar situation, and am curious which company you ended up choosing for the job. Were you happy with the result? Thanks in advance for your advice.