You might have treated the walls, windows, and doors, but noise can still travel between floors through the ceiling and floor assembly. Footsteps, furniture movement, voices, television, and other sounds can all pass from one level to another.
The best approach depends on whether you are trying to reduce impact noise, such as footsteps from above, or airborne noise, such as voices and music. In many cases, combining several methods produces better results than relying on one material alone.
Table of Contents
Install Sound-Reducing Drywall
Adding a denser layer of drywall can help improve the sound isolation of a ceiling, particularly when it is combined with other measures such as insulation, damping compounds, or decoupling.
Specialty acoustic drywall products are generally heavier and denser than standard drywall, which can help reduce airborne sound transmission. However, drywall alone will not completely solve impact noise from footsteps or structural vibration.
If you are adding another drywall layer, sealing perimeter gaps and penetrations is also important because sound can travel through small openings.
Use Acoustic Tiles or Panels for Room Acoustics
Acoustic tiles and foam panels are useful when the problem is excessive echo or reverberation inside the room. They absorb reflected sound and can make a space feel quieter and more controlled.
They should not be confused with true sound-blocking materials, though. Acoustic foam does not add enough mass to stop significant noise from passing through a ceiling or floor assembly. For product options, see our guide to the best acoustic foam panels.
Soundproof ceiling tiles are very good at absorbing sound. They can be hung using a metal frame, attached using special clips, or pasted over the regular ceiling with industrial adhesive. Although they’re not very easy to put up, their designs are much better and aesthetic.
Decouple the Ceiling
One of the more effective ways to reduce sound transmission through a ceiling is to create some separation between the finished ceiling and the structure above it.
This can be done with systems such as resilient channels, isolation clips, or acoustic hangers. These components help reduce the direct path through which vibration travels from the floor or joists above into the ceiling below.
Decoupling systems usually require additional ceiling depth, so they are better suited to renovations where losing some headroom is acceptable.
Add Mass and Insulation
Adding mass to a ceiling can help reduce airborne sound transmission. An additional layer of drywall is a common option, especially when combined with insulation inside the ceiling cavity.
Fiberglass or mineral wool insulation between ceiling joists can help absorb sound inside the cavity, but insulation on its own should not be treated as complete soundproofing. It works best as one part of a layered system.
Acoustic foam panels
Acoustic foam panels are more effective at keeping the noise from going out through a wall than preventing noise from coming in through a wall.
These panels are primarily designed to absorb sound. If you want to use them effectively to block out sound, you will need to install them in the room that the noise is coming from.
If your neighbor is making noise, then these panels offer very little to you. If you plan to use these to block noise from coming in, then remember the wall can only be as effective at blocking out sound as its weakest point, meaning you will need to cover the wall entirely for any real benefits.
Imagine you’re using this method in your nursery. When your baby cries, the sound reflects off the flat hard surfaces in the room. This echo intensifies the sound, so it gets louder. Attaching foam panels to the walls (flat hard surfaces) prevents sound waves’ reflection, so the sound is reduced.
Acoustic foam can still be useful inside the room if you also want to reduce echo. For more on that, see our guide to the best acoustic foam panels.
Covering with Acoustic Floor Underlayment
These materials can be placed underneath the flooring (tiles/carpet) and made of various substances. The higher the price, the better the soundproofing. They are sold in adhesive rolls and can be cut into pieces and nailed into the ground.
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Use Mass Loaded Vinyl
Mass loaded vinyl (MLV) is a dense, flexible sound-control material that can be added to floor or ceiling assemblies where extra mass is needed.
MLV can help reduce airborne sound transmission when it is installed correctly as part of a larger soundproofing system. It is not a complete solution by itself, but it can be useful alongside insulation, added drywall, or decoupling.
If you are comparing products, see our guide to the best mass loaded vinyl options.
Mass Loaded Vinyl (MLV) applications
Mass is a critical component in sound control and works by simply stopping sound from vibrating through its structure. Mass Loaded Vinyl (MLV) is an effective material to use in lining soundproofing curtains or blankets.
At even just ½LB per sq ft, MLV can produce a 25 STC rating, which is 1/16” thickness. You can get up to 35 STC by using 2lb per sq ft and 1/4” thickness; however, this is slightly more difficult to work with.
Add Carpets, Rugs, and Floor Padding
For reducing impact noise from footsteps, carpets, dense rugs, carpet padding, and interlocking floor mats can be useful and relatively inexpensive.
Soft floor coverings help absorb some of the energy created by footsteps and furniture movement before it reaches the structure below. This makes them especially useful in apartments, bedrooms, home offices, and upper-floor rooms.
For a temporary solution, a dense rug with a suitable pad underneath can make a noticeable difference without permanently changing the floor.
Seal cracks and gaps around the frame
Air and sound may also leak through gaps around the frame, so sealing off this area is another “Must-do” step in the sound management process.
Caulking in a layer of Green-glue around the frame will effectively address this issue. A large caulking gun is needed, and applying to bead around the entire frame is recommended.
Once you have established an air-tight seal around the frame and there are no gaps around the frame itself, you can look at other areas to address.
Treat the Floor and Ceiling Together When Possible
If noise between floors is a serious problem, treating both sides of the assembly can be more effective than focusing on only the floor or only the ceiling.
For example, a floor above may use carpet, acoustic underlayment, or resilient materials to reduce impact noise, while the ceiling below may use insulation, additional drywall, and decoupling to reduce both impact and airborne sound transmission.
The exact combination depends on the construction of the building, the type of flooring, and whether the main problem is footsteps, voices, music, or a mixture of different noises.
Conclusion
Ceiling and floor soundproofing usually works best as a layered approach. Soft floor coverings can help with impact noise, while added mass, insulation, sealing, and decoupling can improve the performance of the ceiling assembly below.
If you are renting or only need a temporary improvement, rugs, padding, and other removable treatments may be the most practical place to start. For a permanent renovation, combining several compatible methods will usually give better results.
Good luck and happy soundproofing!
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