# Soundproofing basement ceiling??



## Swedishchef (Dec 12, 2012)

Hey guys

My basement ceiling is currently not finished. A big issue is that sound transfers through the floor to the upstairs incredibly easy. It is impossible to have a phone conversation downstairs without hearing it upstairs. So imagine if I want to watch movies, sports, etc.

I plan on installing gyprock on the ceiling for an easy finish. What should I do to help block the sound? I am looking for the most affordable/simplistic installation. I know I could install Roxul safe and sound between the joists but I was wondering what other (if any) options are out there.

I know that drop ceilings can have accoustic tiles, etc. But gyprock will cost me about $400, a drop ceiling (nice one to please the Mrs) will cost me about 3K (I have about 850 sq ft to do).

Cheers

Andrew


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## semipro (Dec 12, 2012)

Just saw a related article at Greenbuildingadvisor. 
http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/qa-spotlight/how-keep-noise-down


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## Swedishchef (Dec 12, 2012)

Very interesting link...thanks for the information. Does anybody have stories of their particular setup?

Tks

A


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## SIERRADMAX (Dec 12, 2012)

Check out convoluted acoustical foam.


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## firefighterjake (Dec 12, 2012)

. . . just don't set off any indoor pyrotechnics.


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## SIERRADMAX (Dec 12, 2012)

firefighterjake said:


> . . . just don't set off any indoor pyrotechnics.


 
Yes, RI had a tragic nightclub fire that engulfed in seconds from an indoor pyrotechnic event. What was lined on the inside walls.... acoustical foam.


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## stee6043 (Dec 12, 2012)

I would tend to think standard fiberglass insulation between the joists along with your gyprock would provide significant sound deadening.  I doubt you'll find many chaper alternatives than standard insulation.  If you really want to go nuts put up a layer of insulation (cheapo R13), screw up some OSB and then do your gyprock.  But put some rubber washers between the gyprock and OSB.  I can hear the silence from here....


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## firefighterjake (Dec 12, 2012)

SIERRADMAX said:


> Yes, RI had a tragic nightclub fire that engulfed in seconds from an indoor pyrotechnic event. What was lined on the inside walls.... acoustical foam.


 
Seeing where you live I figured you would pick up what I was writing . . . very tragic fire for both those who died and for those who survived.


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## Swedishchef (Dec 12, 2012)

I think I will pass on the foam.

I have been reading lots about green glue...and using all kinds of nifty products. This website seems to give tons of information and products options depending on the budget.

http://www.soundproofingcompany.com/

A


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## RSNovi (Dec 12, 2012)

When I installed a drop ceiling, it really made it quiet in the basement.  The tiles I used were thicker ones which I liked the looks of, but also had a decent sound attenuation value.


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## ironpony (Dec 12, 2012)

you can not attach panels directly to the joists, there must be some sort of seperation I.E. drop ceiling suspended from wires.. anything attached to the joist will transmit sound upstairs. example building a soundproof wall comprises of 2 seperate 2x4 walls, studs staggered and insulation woven between the studs. same principle on the ceiling, can not have any direct contact. have built theater rooms and this is what works, insulating between the studs helps but as long as ther is contact to the joists, there will be noise. drop ceiling is one option and drywall grid is another


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## woodgeek (Dec 12, 2012)

If you go the FG batt route.....IIRC compressing a thicker batt into the space will improve performance (more mass/density).  I have found the price per sq ft for different thickness batts to be remarkably similar.


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## ironpony (Dec 12, 2012)

the other possibility is to drape fabric under the joists, this will also work depending on the look you are going for. in our theater room there are black and burgandy drapes on the walls and black fabric on the ceiling.


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## velvetfoot (Dec 12, 2012)

May I ask what kind of fabric on the ceiling, and how is it attached?


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## Swedishchef (Dec 12, 2012)

ironpony: what do you mean by drywall grid? Would you use sound isolation strips to hang the drywall? I had thought about using these with 2 sheets of drywall with greenglue in between....

A


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## ironpony (Dec 12, 2012)

very similar to ceiling tile grid but heavier wire and cross bars. you screw the drywall to it and it all hangs like a drop ceiling


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## ironpony (Dec 12, 2012)

it was a haeavier material we picked ouit at the fabric store. not really sure what to call it. we stapled it and let it drape between the floor joist I think every third joist was stapled


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## greg13 (Dec 12, 2012)

What you could try is a double sheetrock ceiling. Lay the first layer up between joists a few inches up and lay the second layer like a regular ceiling. This will create a dead air space with layers of sheetrock to help deaden the noise. It will take some cutting & fitting for the first layer but it should help.


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## Swedishchef (Dec 13, 2012)

Greg: Thanks for the idea but the problem is that I have I-beams for joists which make fitting near impossible. Especially since I want to install recessed lighting.

Ugh. This is getting complicated. LOL. I just want to be able to watch a movie and not bother anybody.

Andrew


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## nate379 (Dec 13, 2012)

Wear headphones?


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## firefighterjake (Dec 13, 2012)

nate379 said:


> Wear headphones?


 
That's what I do since my wife and I often work different schedules and I don't want to wake her. I have a half-way decent pair of wireless Sennheisers fed off my surround sound system that do a pretty decent job . . . I may not get quite as much of the earth shaking bass or full range of sound as the sound system, but the trade off is I can hear conversations in the TV show or movie quite well . . . and no irate, half-awake, half-asleep wife.


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## semipro (Dec 13, 2012)

What if you were to attach furring strips to the bottom of the i-joists with some sort of flexible isolators and then attach drywall to the furring?
You could also blow in cellulose insulation above the drywall.  Its relatively cheap and easy to do.


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## Swedishchef (Dec 13, 2012)

nate379 said:


> Wear headphones?


 Ha ha. I already do that. I should have said " I just want to be able to watch a movie, play XBOX360 with friends without headphones and not have my wife tell me to turn it down because the kids are sleeping". I think it is now worded better. lol

Smipro: I think that is what I will end up doing. I may just install 1/2 nch drywall with isolators and some fiberglass insulation between. Roxul is too rich for my blood. On top of that I may just install 1/4 inch drywall with green glue to the 1/2 inch piece in 2X2 squares and put strapping along the seams instead of taping. It would look like I have a 2X2 tile ceiling.

Jake: then again, I could just install drywall and get some nice earphones 

Decisions decisions.

A


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## semipro (Dec 13, 2012)

Swedishchef said:


> Ha ha. I already do that. I should have said " I just want to be able to watch a movie, play XBOX360 with friends without headphones and not have my wife tell me to turn it down because the kids are sleeping". I think it is now worded better. lol
> 
> Smipro: I think that is what I will end up doing. I may just install 1/2 nch drywall with isolators and some fiberglass insulation between. Roxul is too rich for my blood. On top of that I may just install 1/4 inch drywall with green glue to the 1/2 inch piece in 2X2 squares and put strapping along the seams instead of taping. It would look like I have a 2X2 tile ceiling.
> 
> ...


I suspect that the medium pack cellulose you could achieve with big box equipment would be a great sound damper, much better than fiberglass batts. Also, easier and less itchy to install.

I've thought about doing what you describe with the strapping along the seams so I can remove sections to access stuff.


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## RustyShackleford (Dec 13, 2012)

stee6043 said:


> I would tend to think standard fiberglass insulation between the joists along with your gyprock would provide significant sound deadening. I doubt you'll find many chaper alternatives than standard insulation. If you really want to go nuts put up a layer of insulation (cheapo R13), screw up some OSB and then do your gyprock. But put some rubber washers between the gyprock and OSB. I can hear the silence from here....


I'm surprised no one mentioned (or not surprised if I missed it) SoundStop board, made by Celotex.   It comes in 1/2" 4x8ft sheets that cost $10-15 each IIRC.     I put a layer of this underneath the drywall (on one side) in some critical partitions (between common areas and bedrooms) when I built my house; I also put fiberglass between the studs.   It works very well.

I see no reason you couldn't put this SoundStop underneath the flooring.  Batts between joists or studs doesn't work that well, because the wood provides a coupling between the surfaces on each side.  But it's cheap, but insufficient by itself I'd think.


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## ozzy73 (Dec 14, 2012)

We did approx 800 sqf and did not cost 3K. Are you doing the work yourself or is this from a contractor ?

We skipped the fancy accoustic tiles and it really isnt that bad for sound unless you are watching a movie loud with sorround sound and subwoofer .

A friend has done his basement the right way - ROXUL, resilient channel and drywall.


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## stephenmoore (Dec 16, 2012)

Having built a few recording studios where bang for the buck was very important, nothing will get you further than resillient channel and two layers of 5/8" drywall, firetaped after the first layer. Insulation of any kind will help with most transmission over 500hz(dial tone is 440). you coul,d always install the first layer and then see how much difference it makes before going on to the second. When you do don't forget to stagger the joints in your drywall. Good luck.


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## webbie (Dec 16, 2012)

It all depends on the budget and on exactly how much you want to cut down on the sound.

I wanted to be able to play guitar loud - we even had the whole band in there, and you can hardly hear it upstair. I did in the semi-pro way....

1. There was already FG insulation
2. I installed regular sound board on the bottom of the joists
3. I installed loaded vinyl (sand impregnated roll material) on the bottom of that.
4. I installed metal sheet tracks hanging on sound mount rubber clips
5. I installed 5/8 rock on the bottom of those.....

That works pretty damn well.

I bought the stuff from these guys:
http://soundproofing.org/

If all you care about is a TV and phone conversations, you can probably get by with much less. Mass and air spaces are the key - however you combine them! FG and two layers of rock will go a long way....


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## begreen (Dec 24, 2012)

Micore is a sound deadening material that is used inside of cubicle walls.


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## Swedishchef (Dec 24, 2012)

I think I will end up going 2 layers of drywall. It seems to be the cheapest and most efficient way to get it done. My budget is very limited...I also just purchased 14 recessed lights...$400

Thanks for all your advice guys..

Andrew


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## semipro (Dec 24, 2012)

Andrew,
Might the recessed lights provide a way for sound to get through your drywall barrier?


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## btuser (Dec 24, 2012)

stephenmoore said:


> Having built a few recording studios where bang for the buck was very important, nothing will get you further than resillient channel and two layers of 5/8" drywall, firetaped after the first layer. Insulation of any kind will help with most transmission over 500hz(dial tone is 440). you coul,d always install the first layer and then see how much difference it makes before going on to the second. When you do don't forget to stagger the joints in your drywall. Good luck.


 This is my recommendation as well.  I would use two layers of 5/8",  acoustical strapping either screwed correctly or with expensive isolsation clips (I know that's the wrong word for it) on the ceiling, caulk the edges and add a piece of crown/molding to hide the joint. Cheap, readily available and cheap.    MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT SCREW LENGHT!!  You're wasting your time if you end up screwing right into the joists, in fact the whole assembly needs to be isolated from structural members in order to keep from transfering the sound.  There's also a type of green caulking goo stuff you can buy that you apply between the two layers that's supposed to help, but I priced it for a smal wall partition and decided it was more expensive than an additonal layer of drywall.

Fiberglass isn't that great at stopping sound.  Better than nothing but nowhere near as effective as an additional layer of drywall (which ends up being cheaper).


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## Swedishchef (Dec 24, 2012)

Semipro: There will certainly be some sound transfer. I never thought of that AGH. Well, I can't take them back now (well, I could but my wife won't let me)....^$@!^. I didn't think of that..

Btuser: no clips. I won't be screwing into the joists though, I got 1 inch screws. I didnt get any green glue yet, that's next week.

Considering there's nothing there right now, I hope the drywall makes some kind of a difference.

OTherwise I am digging a hole in the floor in my basement and burrying myself in it when I want peace 

A


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