Soundproofing Ceiling Sounds

Soundproofing ceiling sounds is one of the most difficult things to accomplish in acoustical engineering.  In general, there are two types of sounds that can be a nuisance to you when you’d like peace and quiet.  Airborne sounds are those that travel through the air to reach your ears. Noises like a neighbors TV set, a dog barking, or the construction outside your apartment are all sounds that use air a medium for travel.  The second type of noise is called an impact sound.  Most commonly a footstep on the floor above your head, impact sounds could be anything from a chair dragging its legs to a headboard hitting the wall.  Impact sounds are a result of something vibrating the structure of your room.

Impact sounds are very common in multi-dwelling buildings such as condos and apartments.  Unfortunately there is no quick fix for impact sounds, and even if you have the right to remodel your ceiling using soundproof materials, they are still very difficult to isolate.  The reason is because of something called flanking sound.  For example, when you hear the busy footsteps of the neighbor above you, the sound is not just traveling through the ceiling.  It is actually traveling through the joists, going into the studs, and entering your room from the ceiling and the “flanking” walls.

If possible, it is much easier to treat impact sounds from the source such as requesting your neighbor to install carpet with thick padding, or rip out their floor and replace it with a mass loaded vinyl and impact isolating underlayment.  Sadly this is hardly ever a reality, so we must do the best we can with the materials we have.

Soundproofing Ceiling Steps

Soundproofing a ceiling is very similar to soundproofing a wall. The steps are almost identical, the idea being to isolate the drywall from the studs to create a sound barrier.  Often, the best option is to use a combination of resilient channel and green glue to float a sandwiched drywall sheet.  Isolation is even more important on the ceiling than it is when soundproofing walls.  Make sure to overlap the joints of your sheetrock, and only screw directly into the resilient channel.  Any misguided screws that enter your joists will transfer the sound wasting all of your time and money.

Suspending Ceiling Tile Soundproofing

If your home or business has suspending ceiling tiles instead of drywall covering the joists, it can be even more difficult to isolate unwanted noise.  The best option is to use a product like mass loaded vinyl, carefully cut and taped to create a heavy and dense sound barrier that will block the airborne noises.  Another major problem with suspending ceilings is sound traveling through air ducts and reverberating through the space.  Using an in line air duct baffle will help further your soundproofing ceiling efforts.