Soundproof Existing Walls & Ceilings

Topics Covered in this Article:

Read the article below if you find that you do not have the privacy or silence that you require in your you are in a condo, office building, hotel room or your own home.

For best soundproofing results you should consider removing your existing wall or ceiling and start the sound control process from your studs as detailed in our How to Soundproof article.

However if you prefer to keep your walls and ceilings in place and are content with a solid upgrade (about 6-9 STC points) then we have outlined the proper steps below.

(For more information on understanding how sound travels, see our Soundproofing Basics article).

STEP 1: CHECK FOR INSULATION

For proper soundproofing you need to have some kind of absorption, usually that is accomplished by having insulation in your walls. To check if your wall or ceiling has any insulation in it, drill a quarter size hole in your wall and look in.

If there is no insulation you may want to consider pumping cellulose or loose fill fiberglass into your walls. You can usually rent the machine and DIY or have an insulation contractor do it. The process involves drilling holes in every bay and sticking a tube in and then pumping the bay full with either cellulose or fiberglass; there is no need to plug the holes as you will be covering the wall with another layer of drywall.

If there is even a little bit of insulation in the walls then do not bother blowing in the cellulose as it will get caught up in the old insulation and will not fill the wall properly.

Tip: Do not try to use any self expanding foams as these are expensive and not as effective as cheaper cellulose and fiberglass. In addition they will most of the time not fill your bays properly.

STEP 2: ADD ADDITIONAL DRYWALL AND GREEN GLUE DAMPING COMPOUND

The next and most important step is to install another layer of drywall over your existing wall and ceiling. Our first choice is always to use 5/8 inch thick drywall, if that is not possible than 1/2 inch is fine.

Before installing, apply Green Glue Noiseproofing Compound onto the back of the new layer and then screw over the existing wall or ceiling as you would any standard drywall.

Applying Green Glue Soundproofing Compound to Drywall             Applying an Additional Layer of Drywall with Green Glue

How Much Do I Need? It is recommended to use 2 tubes of Green Glue on every 4 x 8 sheet. For more details see our Green Glue FAQ page, or Green Glue Installation Guide.

Now, depending on the noise type and noise level present, you may either finish your wall or ceiling at this point as described in the next paragraph, or you can proceed to install a additional layer of drywall with Green Glue over the 2nd layer (leaving you with 3 layers of drywall and 2 layers of Green Glue).

One of our suggestions here at Trademark Soundproofing is to have you install one layer of drywall with Green Glue and then wait about 10 days; if you are satisfied with the results go ahead and finish off the wall. If not then proceed to install the 2nd layer.

Soundwaves passing through ceilings

Important: When using this technique to soundproof a wall, keep in mind that if there is an open attic space above the 2 walls the sound will jump the wall and enter through the ceilings, see figure to the left. Even in places where there is no open attic space, sound can go over the walls through the air space above the wall that is created by the ceiling joists. This is especially true if the ceiling joists run over the wall from room to room.

The best solution for this is to install a 2nd layer of drywall with Green Glue on the ceiling in at least one of the rooms (preferably the same room that had the wall treated) in addition to treating the wall. This is a must if you have an open attic or crawl space.

Offices and Strip Malls: Usually have drop ceilings and the walls end at the drop ceiling with empty air space above the wall to the roof. This is a major cause of sound issues between spaces and treating the wall without treating the ceiling will not get the desired results. The proper way to soundproof these spaces is by building up the wall all the way to the roof line and treating the entire wall as mentioned above (Caulk all penetrations between spaces and top of the wall with Acoustical caulk).

If that is not possible building a drywall ceiling and treating it as mentioned above will work well.

When that is not an option either than you need to treat the ceiling with ceiling sound barrier tiles that are placed over each individual drop ceiling tile.



STEP 3: SEALING THE PERIMETER

Applying Green Glue Soundproofing Compound to DrywallOnce you are done hanging your walls and/or ceilings, caulk the perimeter (the outer edge on all 4 sides) with a quality Acoustical Caulk. Be sure to fill the gaps fully, as a complete seal, with no air spaces.

 

STC Box Seal for Soundproofing Outlet BoxesYou can then spackle, tape and paint the wall as you would to finish a standard new wall. Seal all outlets in the wall with our specialty Outlet Seal.

The above described sound control technique has been used successfully by thousands of our clients, including hotels, office buildings and private home owners. You can do it yourself or hire a reputable drywall contractor in your area. There is no need for your contractor to have any prior experience in installing Green Glue. We will be happy to send you any materials you need and discuss any installation issues with you or your contractor.

[Keep in mind that this sound control technique is very good at controlling airborne sounds and some impact sound. However if your main concern is heavy footsteps or dragging of furniture then you will need to remove your ceiling and use one of our Resilient Sound Clips to create a floating ceiling system. Continue with installing insulation, hat channels, two layers of drywall with Green Glue as described in our How To Soundproof Article].

Click here to return to our Sound Control Homepage.

Copyright 2009 Trademark Soundproofing (Revised 2015). All rights reserved.

 

Customers Questions and Answers

1) Bill: I'm about to move into an attached house (row house). I'm not sure if sound proofing will work in this situation. There is a cinder block and brick common wall between the houses. The current sheetrock is on 1" furring strips attached to the sheetrock. I can sometimes hear music or conversation at a very low level coming through. I am not sure if it is coming up from the basement where there are some gaps in the wall that need fixing or over the ceiling. It sounds like through the wall. If I retrofit, then will the sound go away? Or is at so low a level now that it would be impossible to reduce it further? Is green glue, acoustical caulk and regular sheetrock enough or should I use Quiet Rock. thanks

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Hi Bill, The GG is a very good performer on low frequency sounds, as in the ones that you are hearing. Being that you do not have insulation in the wall, performance is not at it's maximum. Standard sheetrock and GG will suffice. If you have an open air space above the wall than you would have to treat the ceiling too.

2) Sharon B: Will this green glue, one or two drywall treatment stop mumbled voices? That's what bothering us. Thanks for your help.

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Hi Sharon, It would help for the sound that is coming through the wall (more so if you have insulation there, if not try pumping some cellulose there first).

3) Mark: What applying green glue and 5/8 drywall over a concrete wall. Will the green glue bond the drywall to the concrete wall without screws to hold it in place?

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

No. The Green Glue is not a proper adhesive and should not be used as one. You would need to mechanically fasten the drywall to the concrete wall.

We also recommend that you use 2 layers of drywall on the concrete wall and apply the GG between them rather than between drywall and concrete. GG optimal performance is between layers of the same density.

4) Kevin : The noise from our upstairs has become more noticeable over the years. We have 2 bathrooms above our kitchen. Our kitchen ceiling has around 10 ceiling lights. What would be best method to dampen the noise? I am starting to think that the drywall is going to have to come down. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks.

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

Hi Kevin, You are right about removing the ceiling. However it would only make sense if you plan on reducing the amount of recessed lights that you have there now. Consider switching to lights that can be surface mounted to the new ceiling.

5) David: I'm building a new house in which I need to provide room to room sound isolation between interior walls, to reduce television or recorded music sounds. My plan now is to use 2x6 walls with double 1/2 inch sheetrock on both sides and fiberglass batting inside. Using green glue between sheetrock layers and/or using blown in cellulose will cost more. How much benefit will I realize from them? Thanks, David

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

Hi David, You will not realize that much benefit by using Cellulose over Fiberglass. However you will have a great benefit of adding the Green Glue about 9 STC points by adding it to one side and an additional 4 pints by adding it to the 2nd side.

6) JUDY : We have a finished dance studio and we need to sound proof it. We are adding more mirrors. Can we use green glue on the drywall and add mirrors over it?

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Hi Judy, That would not help that much. You should consider adding another layer of drywall with Green Glue on the existing wall and hanging your mirrors on the new drywall (and we recommend doing the entire wall).

7) Debbie : In my retirement condo my neighbor with adjoining living room wall plays her music real loud. I have to turn my TV up almost double what I listen to then I still hear boom boom from the base. I hear her drop some items, of course nail pounding. The music is the most troubling for me. Is this expensive to hire out?

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

Hi Debbie, If you have insulation in the wall adding a 2nd layer of drywall with Green Glue Damping Compound should drastically cut down on the low frequency sound of music.

8) Melissa: If we put green glue and then an extra layer of drywall over the existing drywall, how do we deal with any outlets/light switches boxes which would now be recessed by 5/8th of a an inch? Do we need to get an electrician to move the boxes forward or is there a less costly/easier fix? Also, what is the difference between using green glue and a sheet of drywall over the existing drywall, versus using a sheet of quiet rock over the existing drywall instead and what would you recommend for an upper floor ceiling, where there is access to the attic? Do we need to add a sheet of drywall on the ceiling, or can something be done in the attic to reduce the entrance of noise? Thanks for your help!

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Hi Melissa, Usually the electric box can easily be moved forward, check with an electrician or search online. You can use QR, however according to some lab tests GG performs better. If the sound is from the room next door than either you have to build a wall in the attic between the rooms or treat the ceiling.

9) Lizabeth: I live in a town house and have a firewall and also blew in insulation and can her my neighbors all time. Running, jumping, music, voices and more. What is the best way to block out the noise from them? Thank you

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Hi Lizabeth, Please read the article above. If you any specific question please ask it here. If would like to schedule a phone consultation (for a fee) please call our office to schedule.

10) Charlene: I needed to stop the footfall noise from upstairs that kept me awake at night. So, in my bedroom I attached 1 layer of drywall w/green glue between joists to bottom of subfloor, added insulation and MLV, Kinetics IsoMax resilient sound isolation clips, hat channel, and two layer of drywall with green glue between. I followed your installation directions, I nolonger hear the TV or voices, but now the sound of footfall from above is a deeper basslike sound that is more disturbing than before. its like im inside a subwoofer/bass drum when the neighbors upstairs walk. Why is that? How can I fix this so that I can sleep?

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

Hi Charlene, That is a tough one. It may be caused by the MLV which is a thin layer and small space between that and the drywall. See our Triple Leaf Effect article. However I a cannot be sure about that without doing an actual site visit as you may have flanking sound issues down the walls or duct work. Thank You

11) David: I have loud neighbors who stomp literally all day and all night long and i never have a peace of mind. I installed fiberglass insulation above my bedroom and another layer of sheet rock. The noise is exactly the same. i understand that my condo was built very cheaply and not the right way. Is there anything I can do so i don't hear my neighbors? or is this just that way it is

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

Hi David, You should apply a damping compound like Green Glue between the 2 layers as a minimum. If footstep sound is your main concern than you would have to remove the ceiling and decouple it using Resilient Sound Clips and Channel. However footfall sound is the hardest to eliminate and you cannot expect a full elimination of that (unless you start during the construction of the building).

12) David: Thank you for the response. Do you know any companies who use your products who can do sound proofing? Or someone who can come give me an estimate? Do you know of anyone who can replace ceilings?

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Hi you can send us an email with your zip code. We have a database with contractors who are well versed with our products and consult with us. We will let you know if there is someone in your area that we can recommend.

13) Tom: What would be your suggestion to reduce noise between 2 bedrooms. Exterior walls & ceiling are all heavily insulated . Noise transfer between the two rooms is loud . Newer consrptruction wood studs, Sheetrock all smooth painted walls . Tiled floors, area rugs on a slab no basement. But every sound can be heard from master bedroom to bedroom next to it.

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

Hi Tom. Are these 2 bedrooms under an attic or crawl space. If there is an open air space above the 2 rooms then you would have to soundproof the ceilings and the walls. Best way would be to add another layer of drywall with Green Glue in between,

14) Tom: Thank you for the response. Yes, there is an open attic over the bedrooms ( insulation is foam blown into joists) so the ideas suggested make perfect sense. Is there a simple way to deal with the attic ? Your suggestion on the green glue for the walls makes sense. Tom

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: We usually suggest adding another layer of drywall with Green Glue to the ceiling.

15) April: It seems your company favors the use of green glue. I have an existing wall to retrofit. What are the benefits over the use say of 1lb mass load vinyl sandwiched between sheet rock. Or could they be used in conjunction. Or is a third layer of 1/2 sheet rock preferable.

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Hi April, That is correct as Green Glue will give you a better STC rating. If you want to use it in conjunction (which many of our customer do) you would need to add the MLV to the existing wall. Add a 2nd layer of drywall, add Green Glue and a 3rd layer of drywall. Thank You,

16) April L: I just reread the specs and noticed that green glue is not recommended for 16" center studs which is code here in San diego. Now I'm at a loss. Help

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Hi April, Not sure where you saw that, please point it out to us. Most jobs using Green Glue are using 16 OC studs.

17) April L: I saw the data directly on the green glue site that testing was done with 24oc studs. A few other of your competitors sited this data also along with the warning that it is not recommended for 16"c studs.

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Hi April, All sound manufacturers test their products on 24 OC studs as they get slightly better results than 16 OC (less connection points). Nevertheless in real world usage it is mostly used on 16 OC. The GG performs wonderful on 16 OC as all the reviews and our own installation can attest to that. I would be very curious to see a link showing a warning not to use on 16 OC as that does not make any sense. Thank You.

18) bob: we have a macaw and cockatoo and they scream up to 135 dbs they are in a 12x12 room finished. thought i would put insulation in interior walls, add a 2nd layer of 5/8 drywall with green glue. what else would you suggest

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Hi Bob, You can add an additional layer of drywall with GG in between. So you would have 3 layers of drywall and 2 layers of GG. If you wanted to do something more extensive. You can remove the existing drywall. Add Insulation. Install Resilient sound clips and hat channel. On the channels install double drywall with GG.

19) Sara M: Hello! I'm researching how to do retrofit soundproofing for a residential renovation. It looks like MLV or Green Glue will be a big help. Is it effective to use them together? Or is that overkill and too expensive? I didn't see any tutorials about using them as an assembly, so I wasn't sure if it was advisable. I assume I would strip the wall to the studs, insulate as necessary, apply the MLV over the studs, then either apply a layer of gyp board with green glue or two layers of gyp with green glue in between. Thanks, Sara

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Hi Sara. It is effective. The GG cannot be sandwiched with MLV so you would have to install the MLV first, then a layer of drywall, GG and a 2nd layer of drywall. If you are on a budget you can go with just the drywall and GG.

20) Sara M: Thank you! Do you have any charts or tables that quantify the benefit of adding the MLV to the gyp/GG sandwich? No big deal if not, I was just curious whether to advise clients to go the full monty (whether it's enough sound reduction for the extra money). -Sara

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Hi Sara. We do not have a chart of the MLV with the GG. However testing on walls with MLV in there show a gain of 3-6 STC points. So you can assume a gain of about 3-4 points in a double drywall with GG system.

21) Jean P: In an existing shared wall which is concrete block structure (cbs), I hear both sound and closing of cabinet doors which are on the neighbor's side. The (cbs) goes all the way into the attic, but I also feel the noise carries over that space as well. My bedroom is next to neighbor's wall and hear all movement when the person closes cabinets, etc. Very frustrated as to what the best solution. Walls and Attic Space?? Please advise. Also can you recommend a contractor in Palm Beach County zip 33418?

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Hi Jean. You need to soundproof the wall and ceiling as well if you have an open attic space above the 2 walls. You are best off with a stud wall and ceiling that has insulation and air space. Thank You.

22) Mary H: Hi ~ how many inches would this soundproofing detract from height of my home? Are there options here and what is the 'slimmest' option? I have new upstairs neighbors who are quiet noisy and I would like to soundproof my condo ceiling. Thank you Mary~

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

Hi Mary. That would depend on which soundproofing method you wish to utilize. The thinnest possible is by using a 1 pound layer of Mass Loaded Vinyl which is 1/8" thick. That may not be practical as you would be left with a black vinyl on your walls/ceilings. Next and better would be to add a 2nd layer of half inch drywall with Green Glue in between. However if footstep noise is an issue you would really need to decouple your ceiling with Resilient Sound Clips about a 2 inch loss in space. Thank You.

23) Chris: Hi. I live in a rented apartment. I can hear my neighbor below snoring. My neighbor on the side is only connected by a 8x12 wall in the kitchen. I can not use most of the methods described. Adding drywall and such is not an option. I also have 2 metal doors. Sound comes through them greater than the walls. Do you have any suggestions for this type of situation?

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

Hi Chris, You can try using a Soundproof Door Panel on your doors and Mass Loaded Vinyl for your Floors/Walls.

24) Gerhard S: Is it possible to get these materials in Canada? We live in British Columbia, on the west coast. Would you know a business here who does this kind of soundproofing? We hear heavy footsteps and squeaking of the floor above us and need to do something about it. Thank you.

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Hi Gerhard Yes we ship to Canada on a constant basis please contact our sales department for details.

25) Zoe K: Hi, I live in a 1900 Victorian conversion flat on the ground floor. We can hear every step from our neighbours walking, banging, kids running and it's so load and vibrates. We are looking to find some options for us, either the whole flat or just the bedroom? What would your advise be?

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Hi Zoe, If the noise is from upstairs you would need to redo your ceilings and crate a new ceiling using the decoupling method described in the article.

26) Anthony: I live near Toronto, Canada (Eastern Canada) and I was wondering if you have a Canadian distributor? I live in a townhouse with neighbours on both sides and this product seems to be a solution. I hear noises thru the walls from both of them. Thank you

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Ahi Anthony, We do not have a distributor there at the time however we ship to Canada on a daily basis. Give us a call or email us sales@tmsoundproofing.com and we will be glad to help!

27) Matt: I want to do a room within a room arrangement. The main room of the building has brick for the outer walls covered by plaster and lath. The ceiling is also covered in plaster. If I framed off half of the room to split it into two rooms, would I be able to leave a 1" air gap between the new framing and the plaster walls and avoid any triple leaf issues? Should I remove the plaster and lath and reframe, tear our the plaster above and decouple the ceiling? I can clearly hear footsteps above.

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: As long as you leave the the back of the framed wall (the side facing the exterior wall) exposed (i.e. not covered in drywall) you should not have any serious issue with the triple leaf effect.

28) Joe: I have a ceiling filled with Roxul insulation (2layers no air gap) & 5/8 FR drywall and still hear TV noise and talking. I do not want to take down drywall. Can I do resilient channel and another 5/8? or am I better off doing green glue and another 5/8 FR drywall? Thanks

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

Hi Joe, you are better off doing a 2nd layer 5/8 drywall with Green Glue. We do not recommend a channel between 2 layers of drywall due to the triple leaf effect.

29) Sandra W: I live in the bottom floor of a stack condo. The neighbor above has a very heavy footfall. His dogs plays with hard toys for hours on end. They have hardwood floors. What can I do to help soundproof the ceiling from above? Any suggestion and who could do the work.

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

Hi Sandra. Having your neighbor install carpet with our premium carpet underlayment would be your best choice.

30) liz: I own an exercise studio in a retail space of a shopping center. The tenet with whom I share a wall is unhappy with the audio bleed through that comes from our music. We've turned the music down and tweaked some of the bass from the tuner and it's still a problem. What recommendations do you have? And, might you have a referral for a company to come estimate the cost to soundproof? Thank you! Your website was so helpful. Liz

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

Hi Liz. Thank you. If there is a drop ceiling on your space then it you would have to treat the ceiling with ceiling tile barriers. Additionally do your walls have any soundproofing? If not at least insulation and a 2nd layer of drywall with Green Glue would be the way to go.

31) sandy: How can I acoustically decouple a height speaker from the ceiling as my projector is attached to the same ceiling?

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

Hi Sandy, You can use resilient sound clips like this one for that

https://www.tmsoundproofing.com/Resilmount-A48-Resilient-Mount-Right-Angle-Bracket.html

32) Dennis F: I'm on the board of a condo association. We presently do not have any statement of required sound reduction for hard floor installation during remodels. The floor construction is a 4 inch lightweight concrete over 2inch subfloor of tongue and groove 6 inch plank which forms the ceiling in the unit below. We'd like to add language that requires the owner who are remodeling to provide adequate sound reduction. Do you have any suggestions for language that would be useful to provide direction on what would be reasonably attainable for remodels? Generally people are preferring to remodel with stone/ceramic tile products. Thanks, Dennis

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Hi Dennis. Usually te terms STC is used. I.e. an STC of 50 and higher is required. For floors you would want to include impact ratings as well which is called IIC ratings. You would need to do some research to see what level you would want to require. One common issue with this is that we find contractors trying to reach a certai

33) Jay: Hello. Thank you for your tutorials so far, as well as your Q&A section, they have been very helpful. I own a townhome with one bedroom sharing a common firewall with my neighbor. It has fiberglass already blown into the drywall, and there is an open attic above which also has loose insulation blown into it. However, I have just installed tile into the bedroom (unfortunately had not thought about underlayments for the tile to reduce noise). Is there a non-invasive way to add some soundproofing to this room, in particular soundproofing that would allow it to become a piano room/music practice room? I am considering: adding a 1/2" or 1/4" drywall sheets on top of the common wall with green glue in between, as well as acoustic sealant for all the edges of the room, followed by foam padding on the walls. I am concerned that I might need to add more drywall/green glue to the ceilings? If I don't add to the ceilings will it derail my efforts to soundproof the wall, even though the attic does have insulation? Budget exists, but it is finite. Thank you for any insight you might have to offer.

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Hi Jay, Thank you. Use the 1/2" drywall and GG on the wall and the ceiling. No point in doing all the work and not doing the ceiling, which is critical, at the same time.

34) Martha: Hi there: My apartment is in a 1940 heritage building in downtown Toronto. I have a shared wall that runs the entire length of my apartment. I can hear entire conversations from the neighbour as if they were in my own place. If the TV is on, even low, I cannot watch mine. I've taken off the baseboards and caulked all the way down [about 2 inches] into the space with Green Glue. I want to go the next step. As we are not allowed to drill/sink anything but picture hooks/nails into the walls, would I get noise relief with the green glue and one layer of Quietrock throughout, if I was able to nail the sheets on? Would that be enough [1 layer] to dampen the noise? The walls are solid plaster. Help. I'm going nuts.

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

Hi Martha, Yes adding another layer of Drywall with Green Glue will help out tremendously. If you have an open attic above the wall then you would have top treat the ceiling the same as the wall.

35) steve: I own rentals, currently I have a 4 unit where the tenant have told me about hearing each other in there units. It's mainly in the master bedrooms there all back to back and stacked. Ok so I have an open first floor unit. I cut a hole in the wall and ceiling there is bats of fiberglass insulation in both wall and ceiling. so my plan is to put GG and 1/2 drywall on the wall and ceiling of the open lower unit hopping that will help. Then each time a unit opens do the same or at least the other ceiling on the other lower unit. and maybe the wall on the upper unit. I don't know. what do you think. thanks Steve

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Hi Steve, That is a good direction to go and should benefit you a lot, keep in mind it can take up to 60 days for the GG to fully cure. One ting I would look out for is if you have any AC or Heat vents in the walls and/or ceilings that allow sound to travel through them.

36) Bryan: Great articles. We have a 5yr-old girl that is a light sleeper. Now we have a crying newborn. All 4 bedrooms are upstairs and it's all wood floors. My girl is in bedroom at the end of the hallway and on opposite side of hallway. Her walls are either outside walls or butt up against the other bedrooms. We put newborn in bedroom farthest from hers. Newborn's bedroom has the door and wall adjacent to hallway. Door to door is about 10ft. We have an attic with fiberglass insulation above. Both doors are hollow so I plan to put solid doors and door sweep, etc. I plan to blow insulation in the newborn's wall adjacent to hallway and add a layer of GG and drywall. We may also carpet newborn's room. Do I need to bother doing anything to the ceilings since the rooms are 10ft apart and opposite side of hallway? And do I need to bother doing anything else to my girl's room? Thanks in advance.

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Hi Byran, I would add Gaskets and Automatic Door bottoms to the door(s). If you are adding drywall and GG to the wall in the room it is a good idea to add the same to the ceiling at that time as you will have to repaint the entire room regardless. Open attics above rooms carry sound no matter how much insulation and how far apart they are.

37) Zenon: Hi Folks, I'm looking to create a studio style apartment in the basement of my home. I've got three kids who love to run and play and (sometimes) cry. Aside from the floor joists, I'm pretty much starting from scratch. The home is a 1941 modular home, so it was prebuilt and bolted together on site. The floor joist system is a bit unique - double 2x8's span 4' OC while 2x4's run 16"oc and are perpendicular to the 2x8's. For the ceiling, I am thinking of doing the double 5/8" drywall with GG and sound clips/bar. For the joist cavity I'm a bit lost. Should I install fiberglass batt or Roxul batt? And where the 2x4 won't be touching the drywall, should I leave this as an air-gap or install batt insulation between the 2x4 and the drywall in addition to the cavity between the 2x4's? I'll also be replacing the sub-floor of the main floor above the basement and installing 3/4" TG plywood and hardwood floor cover. Can I do anything fantastic between the hardwood and subfloor to deaden the sound? Lastly, there will be some shared walls in the basement - they will be built using 2x6 conventional framing. Should I pack the cavity full of batt insulation (again which type is best)? For the wall cover, I was thinking of doing clips/bar, double 5/8" drywall and GG on both sides. Will this be effective? Anything else you might recommend? Thanks! Zenon

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

Hi Zenon, Fiberglass or Roxul will both be fine. You should try to get a minimum of 5" of insulation in the ceiling cavity. You can either add a 2nd layer of plywood with Green Glue in between on the subfloor if you will be nailing your hardwood down. If you will be using a click floating hardwood floor system you can first apply a layer of rubber underlayment.

38) Carol F: I recently moved into an older condo (1973) in Toronto, Canada. For the most part, the apartments are fairly soundproof, especially side to side. e.g. my neighbour across the hall plays his music quite loudly and I hear it in the hallway, but only at my front door. However, up/down noises seem to carry and I have a budding clarinetist above me. In the summer I have a heavy hum in my apartment from the ductless A/C unit from the same apt above me. Our building has electrical heat in the ceilings which would be concrete. Guidelines for renovation are pretty strict. One cannot install light fixtures or do anything in the ceiing without doing a scan to see where the heating wires are. The wires start 6" from the edge of the wall. As I read all the comments here it doesn't seem to me that using green glue or soundproof drywall would work. Firstly because of the difficulty installing it, which might be able to be overcome. But mainly because I think some of the sound travel is vibrational, through building vents, etc. Could you please comment and give me your opinion of the value of using green glue/drywall on the ceilings of the apartment only. thank you carol

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Hi Carol, You will have some relief however probably not enough for it to be worth your hassle. That Hum is a vibration and you would need some sort of decoupling. As is usually the case it is extremely difficult to pinpoint sound travel on existing structures. It is so much more simple and cost efficient when it is done in the pre construction planning. At that time we can also help plan the duct and pipe layout which is the cause of so many sound issues. It is unfortunate that so many builders are not properly informed in the correct way to sound control projects and it is a very frustrating point for us over here as we receive so many post construction complaints when the builders refused to deal with the soundproofing properly during construction.

39) Brittany C: Hi, I have several conference rooms I'd like to be soundproof without doing major remodeling work. Any ideas or recommendations?

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

Hi Brittany, If the conference rooms have drop ceilings than you mitigate the sound problems by using ceiling tiles etc without having to do remodeling work as shown in this video. https://youtu.be/gzdU5OiJMs4 Keep in mind that for really proper soundproofing walls and doors need to be done as well. Walls will require the most remodeling. Doors, not that much.

40) Carl : Hi, I'm adding a (10' x 11' - 8' height) drum room in the basement of our home. Our walls are 2x4 wood stud; wall make-up: Roxul AFB insulation, resilient channel, 2 layers of 5/8" with GG between, acoustical sealant around the edges of drywall. The ceiling, to me, is much trickier. 18" tall truss-style joists, do I do my best to fill them completely with the same batt insulation or put nets between the joists and fill the area with blown in insulation? It seems easier to blow it in, just curious if it'll give the same sound insulation? (after the insulation the ceiling will receive the same treatment as the walls)

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Hi Carl. Once you get 6 inches or more of insulation in there you should be OK, adding more will only give you minimal benefit. Your doing a good job on the walls and ceiling.

41) Suma: Is there any solution to soundproofing a house which is 1/2 mile from interstate highway ? Highway traffic noise becomes unbearable in the night without a white noise machine. Do you suggest any wall or window sound proofing? Any contractor can come and assess the problem? Thank you

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

Hi Suma. There are solutions for everything, however on existing rooms it can take a lot of work that many people are not ready to do. I wuld suggest that you start with a window soundproof panel on your windows. If that helps and you still feel that you need to do more you would have to then treat your walls and ceilings as described in the article above.

42) Jeremy T: I have a 2-story home of which I am gutting the entire first floor (750ft2) down to the studs. There are bedrooms directly above so we want to create the downstairs a place where we could entertain and watch movies in "theater mode" (loud with bass). I do not plan to add ceiling speakers, but there will be in-wall rear speakers, and ceiling recessed lighting. There are also 2 cold air return to deal with within the ceiling. My plan was to add R-19 of insulation (faced or w/o facing?) to the ceiling while using "airtight" recessed cans for LED lighting. For the cold air return, maybe there's some sort of a baffle to reflect sound from the duct, but I have no knowledge of this. The ceiling will be hung in a single layer using hat channel 24" OC with clips 4' apart. My ceiling is only 91" high. Any suggestions would be fantastic as I am paralyzed on what to do or if its the right way. There's too much to read and too many conflicting suggestions. Budget is of consideration. Many advanced "Thank You's"!!!

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

Hi Jeremy, If you are using LED lights there are surface mounted ones that you only need to have a small hole for a wire to poke through rather than a large cut out in the ceiling (we'll be posting a video of this shortly on our You Tube channel). R-19 Insulation, clips and channels is a very good idea. You should consider 2 layers of drywall with Green Glue damping compound in between. This is really good for low frequency sound such as you have in a theater. Not much you can do on a budget with the open air return however I would suggest that you cover the back of that and the speakers with mass loaded vinyl, similar to what we did in this video

43) Alex S: Green Glue didn't help much, what next? Here's what I've done so far: The wall I treated is about 8'2 x 17'. The floor and ceiling of my room are steel and cement with a solid 12 inch steel and cement column on either side of the wall. The shared wall between me and my neighbor is approximately 5 - 5 1/2 inches thick made of solid plaster/cement with some channels for wiring. I used roughly 2 and 1/2 tubes of Green Glue per 4x8 sheet and Green Glue Sealant in between sheets and also at the top and bottom of each sheet to fill the 1/8th recommended gap. I can still hear my neighbors voices. What would you recommend I do next? -Alex

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Hi Alex, I am sorry to hear that. Surprisingly concrete is not that good of a sound blocker. I would have recommended that you first frame a wall of the concrete wall in order to create an air space and allow you to install fiberglass batt insulation. Green Glue application without an air space and absorption behind it does not perform well. Another thing I would check on is if you have an open air space above the wall (attic or crawl space etc). In that case you must soundproof your ceiling as well. Once you take care of your ceiling you can proceed to treat your wall as described above. Hope this helps. Thank you.

44) olive: My bedroom is about the living room in my apartment and I can hear talking etc. when I go to bed. Can I blow insulation between the apartment living room ceiling and my bedroom floor. Thank you.

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: You most definetly can. It will somewhat however you may still require some more. It is a good first step.

45) Mark: Hello, we live in a semi-detached house with a concrete separating wall in the basemenept, which is very quiet, but cinder block on the main and second floors, which allows all manner of noise. Can we put green glue on the cinder block and put drywall overtop, or do you recommend another solution?

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

Hi Mark. You can however without an airspace and insulation behind the drywall the results will not be that great. You are better off framing a wall filling with fiberglass insulation and covering with 2 layers drywall and Green Glue in between.

46) Martha: I live in a condo on the bottom floor. I can hear the people upstairs walking, vacuuming and moving furniture. Can installation be blown in my ceiling to make it sound proof..

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: It would be a good first step and help somewhat. For proper soundproofing you would need to do more as described in the article above.

47) Danielle: Hello, I am in the beginning phase of escrow on a 2-story home. I plan on turning the downstairs into a rentable in-law. I still have time to back out of escrow, and am seeking expert advise on soundproofing. The floors upstairs are beautiful engineered wood flooring and some tile. I would hate to have to carpet them beyond area rugs, as the home will lose it's ambience and character. Right now, the impact sound is carrying downwards considerably. This is a big purchase, and I will be relying on the income from a tenant downstairs in part for home costs. I have been speaking with a drywall contractor who is knowledgeable about soundproofing. He is recommending removal of the existing drywall, Roxul, and then decoupling with RSIC clips & Hat Channel, and using Quiet Rock to finish off the soundproofing project. I am wondering if there will still be considerable impact sound transmitting downward from walking in the home after the work is complete? The kitchen will sit above the apartment bedroom, and I'm of course concerned about clanking pots and pans type noises transmitting downward, as well. I do not wear shoes in the house, and do not have pets or children. There are also 2 separate HVAC systems, but I'm assuming there are ducts in between floors for the upstairs area. In your professional expertise, do you think that the contractor proposal may mitigate impact sound enough to turn the downstairs into a viable rental. Thanks so much.

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

Hi Danielle, If the downstairs ceiling is flat all across with no soffits and drops (that house HVAC etc) and does not have a large amount of recessed lights, then yes. Your contractors suggestion is a very good one and in our experience would provide sufficient privacy to allow for a rental (It won't be perfect however privacy is usually achieved). The only thing I would change is to use 2 layers of drywall on the channels as that would add weight on the channels and the ceiling and allow you to overlap the seams. You can use 2 layers of standard drywall with the Green Glue Damping Compound in between for best results. Make sure to caulk the perimeter with acoustic caulk and use surface mounted lights.

48) Danielle: Terrific! Thanks for all your information! Could you clarify what you mean as "drops (that house HVAC etc)?" Do you mean ducts that are used both for the upper and lower floors, with heating vents going to the downstairs ceiling?. In this case, there are probably HVAC ducts between floor but only for the upper floor and not shared with the lower floor, which is on it's own separate heating system and HVAC vents on the floor, not the ceiling in the lower unit. . I will now look at your products for ordering.

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Sometimes ductwork is run underneath the ceiling joists and framed underneath creating a soffit which is a lower ceiling than the rest of the ceiling. Thanks, if you need help choosing your products just give us a call we are happy to help!

49) Dan C: Hello, I am in a first floor condo. I ]want to mitigate noise from the condo above me. Foot noise is he main problem along with some talking, (when loud). i have removed the existing ceiling down to the joists. The joists are open trusses style. I am in the process of attaching two layers of 5/8": drywall to the underside of the sub-floor above with layers of green glue in between. What type of insulation would you recommend for in the joists? I am also going to decouple the new ceiling with clips and hat channels with two layers of green glue in between. Am I on the correct path? Any other suggestions? Thanks,

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Standard fiberglass that fills the entire cavity will suffice. You are on the correct path and doing a very good ceiling you should see (or rather hear :)) a big difference in the sound reduction once you are done

50) Carol: I have a therapy clinic with too much sound transfer between 3 treatment rooms. Had sound transfer previously between office and treatment room, and adding wall between top of demising wall to subceiling resolved the issue. Interior walls constructed with steel studs and no insulation between walls. Lease the space so do not want to do any more construction that I have too. Am not looking for total sound proofing but reducing sound transfer. Also need to keep odors and chemical use down due to children's sensitivity. Would you have any recommendations? Thanks very much!

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

Hi Carol. You probably have the same issue on the interior walls as well, with sound going over the top of the walls. You can remedy that the same way you did between office and rooms or you can use our ceiling tile barrier as shown in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzdU5OiJMs4.

For the walls itself you need to at least blow cellulose insulation into the empty cavities and then cover with a new layer of drywall with Green Glue if still necessary (the insulation alone may be enough for your situation). For odors etc I would highly recommend that you use automatic door bottoms and gaskets for your doors too.

51) LYNDA L: We live in a downstairs condo. Outside the bedroom window is 4 heatpump units that are very noisy. We have installed new windows and I believe there is insulation in the wall. How could we eliminate the noise we hear from the heatpumps?

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

You can put sound control curtains around the pumps or try a soundproof window panel for your windows.

52) terry k: Terry: I am creating an in law apartment in the basement of my home. I want to sound proof it as best as possible. I have 2x4x14" wood trusses supporting the living room floor above the basement. I've filled the spaces inside of each truss with 8 pound density Roxul mineral wool insulation as well as installation of 8" of Roxul between the Trusses. I have constructed a ceiling support that is completely disconnected and therefore independent of the floor up above. Then, in between the independent ceiling beams and the floor trusses I am thinking of installing 5.5 inches of denium insulation for the different sound frequencies and then I was thinking of using the green joint tape between the ceiling beams and the first layer of 5/8 drywall. Then I intend on using Green Glue between the 1st and 2nd layer of 5/8 drywall and also using the green joint tape on all tapered joints on top of the first layer joints. I intend to do the wall construction in a similar design, with complete disconnect and independent of and walls or floor construction from above. My question is " Would you recommend a third layer of 5/8" drywall on the ceiling and perhaps the walls with Green Glue in between them or not?" cost is not an issue. Sound transmission is. Please advise. Thanks, Terry

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

Hi Terry, Your ceiling is very good. Once you do the 2 layers of drywall and GG to your fully decoupled ceiling the next best thing to do would be the floor above. If you cannot work with the floor above than I would suggest that you wait a few days after finishing your 2nd layer, do not spackle or tape and listen to the sound from above. If you are satisfied go ahead and finish the ceiling, if you feel that you still want some more you can then add the 3rd layer of drywall. It is a good idea to finish the walls with double layer and Green Glue as many times you have pipes and flanking sound coming up and down the walls. Try not to use any recessed lights in the ceiling rather surface mounted lights.

We wish all our customers would say "Cost is not an issue, sound transmission is" Smile

53) Henrich: Hi, my girlfriend owns a condo and is very annoyed by footsteps from upstairs neighbor with squeaky floor. I believe the building was cheaply built with no sound insulation at all, and floors are old and squeaky. I am wondering if convincing her neighbor to change his floor is more efficient than tackling the problem from below? If so, what is the best soundproofing strategy for his new floor in term of type of wood and subfloor reinforcement?

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

The right way to help with the floor squeaking would be to remove the entire subfloor. Fill the joists with insulation. Put down the joist gasket tape onto the top of the joists. Lay down first layer of plywood, apply green glue damping compound and then lay down second layer of plywood. If that is too much work see if they are willing to put down carpet and use our premium carpet underlayment as padding.

54) Henrich: Thank you for your answer. would an island floor on top of the existing one help? what is the cost estimate for an island floor for a 600sqf approximately?

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Sorry I do not know what an "island floor" is.

55) Jon: I want to soundproof a wall for a Hone Theater. How does Mass Loaded Vinyl compare to this method and can the two methods be combined?

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: They can be combined if you first install the Mass Loaded Vinyl and then 2 layers of drywall with Green Glue in between over the MLV. If you had a choice of either one the layer of drywall with Green Glue will give you better protection as it incorporates additional mass plus damping.

56) Ted: I'm advising a friend who has noisy neighbors above her condo. She hears heavy footsteps, doors closing, and objects dropped on the floor. The floor above is bamboo over a wood subfloor. Without removing the 1/2 inch drywall ceiling, options are 1) drill holes and blow cellulose into 2x10 joist cavities, and/or 2) add GG and a second layer of 5/8 drywall, or GG plus a layer of 5/8 QuietRock, possibly followed by 3) a third layer of GG plus 5/8 drywall or QR. I understand there are diminishing returns when combining treatments. Can you quantify in terms of STC points the benefits of the flowing assemblies, with and without blowing in cellulose? GG + 5/8 drywall GG + 5/8 drywall + GG + 5/8 drywall GG + 5/8 QR GG + 5/8 QR + GG + 5/8 drywall Also, I've read that GG is very good at reducing low frequency noise, but also that the only way to address the low frequency impact noise is to remove the ceiling and decouple with clips and channel. Which is it? Would really like to avoid removing the ceiling, but don't want to waste our time and money if doing less won't work.

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: She is mostly hearing impact noises. The STC rating will not help for that. You need to decouple the ceiling first.

57) Ted C: Thanks. She's also hearing people's conversations, so it's not all impact noise. It would still be helpful to have an answer to my question about the STC reduction of various assemblies. I know GG adds a few point, QuietRock adds a few points, but I'm not sure how much it helps to start adding multiple layers. If anyone has actually quantified that, I would like to know the results. thanks, Ted

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: We don't have testing to be able to quantify that. The general rule is that you usually receive half the benefit with each layer. I.e. 2 layers drywall with GG 9 STC points reduction. 3rd layer of drywall with GG an additional 4 points.

58) Lance: Just bought an older Townhouse Condo and sadly sandwiched in between two very noisy neighbors. Will use the hat channel, two layers of sheetrock and green glue for the bedroom, however the kitchen presents a unique problem. After we do any kind of sound proofing we'll have to hang cabinets on it. Any advice ? Thank you

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

We have a special resilient sound clips for applications that require the hanging of heavy material see here https://www.tmsoundproofing.com/RSIC-1-Backer-for-Heavy-Duty.html

59) Ed T: Can you tell me is the Green glue is strong enough to be used in the ceiling without attaching it with screws?

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: It is not. Green Glue should not be used as an adhesive.

60) Tom T: Can the hat channels with clips be used on existing walls that have sheetrock? Thank you

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

It can. However certain frequencies can be amplified due to the triple leaf effect therefore we recommend that you remove the existing drywall and install your clips directly to the studs.

61) Greg: I have a new home with solid 2 feet thick concrete walls in the basement (outside and inside support walls). I want to prevent noise (voices / TV) going up to the first floor. If I sound insulate the ceiling using sound clips and do nothing with the walls, roughly what % of the sound will be attenuated going up to the first floor? The concrete walls have studs and drywall installed. In other words, what portion of the sounds "crawls" up the walls into the first floor (I assume we're talking about low frequencies?)

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: That's a great question (and concern). It is really hard to know and every build has different results. Usually we recommend do your ceiling and see if that is enough, usually it is. If not you can always add a 2nd layer of drywall with Green Glue to your existing walls.

62) Daniel N: A Florida apartment with no insulation, poured plaster walls, 6" concrete, no suspended ceiling, concrete knee wall and columns covered by plaster. Add a grand piano on a wood floor and we have angry downstairs neighbors. We already decoupled ceiling with RSIC fastened directly to concrete slab, but now need to reclad the existing plaster walls & columns. Recommendations?

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

You can apply 1 pound mass loaded vinyl to walls and columns before reclading.

63) Andrew: We just bought a home and are trying to block out train noise from our bedroom. The trains make both a rumbling noise with some vibration as well as a more high pitched screeching noise. Would you recommend decoupling or can we get away with adding a layer (or layers) of green glue and Quietrock? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you.

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Decoupling and Green Glue would be necessary here. If you only want to do one method, use decoupling. This is a tough one as the building itself is actually vibrating.

64) Dan C: I live in a twin built in 1925. The party wall is thick plaster on some type of hollow block. I can't blow in insulation. I drilled a hole and stuck a camera in to confirm this. Would I have to frame the wall, insulate and then add drywall with green glue? Could I get away with green glue and drywall on top of the plaster?

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

You can however Green Glue works so much better when there is insulation behind it so it may be worth it to build a 2x4 wall, insulate with R-11 and finish with 2 layers of drywall and Green Glue Damping in between the layers. (While this may create a triple leaf effect the benefits will outweigh the drawback).

65) beth: My bedroom shares a wall with a community laundry. I hear the filling of the machines. That is the only wall I need sound proofing for. Putting up another layer of drywall over an existing wall how will that blend in with the other 3 walls? thank you

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Yes however you will have to repaint all the walls.

66) Pamela: My problem is airplane noise, dual pane windows and doors have been installed, but the noise is still unbearable. Will your product help; if so is there a contractor in the Los Angeles area.

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

This product can help. However you may still have a lot of noise/vibration coming through the walls/ceiling. Please see this article describing how to soundproof existing walls and ceilings.

67) Stuart: I have been studying your website in preparation for our soundproofing project. All the information is very informative and I have a couple questions related specifically to our project. We have a part time tenant above us (we live in a resort town). The original early '70's ceiling installation consists of R-11 rock wool insulation and 5/8" drywall screwed to the wood joists. We plan on R-22 fiberglass insulation, your isolation clips, hat channel and new 5/8" drywall. Would there be any additional gains in STC/IIC points by also using green glue and screwing 5/8" drywall to the underside of the subfloor in the joist bays before continuing as noted above? Am I missing anything else? Thanks!

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: There would be a slight gain in doing that. You would achieve much more by doing a 2nd layer of drywall with Green Glue onto the first layer that is attached to the clips and channels.

68) Stefan: I am interested in soundproofing between me and a neighboring condo. We are looking into adding Roxul Safe n Sound insulation and then two layers of 5/8 drywall with green glue. Can you explain the pros and cons of Safe n Sound vs other types of insulation? Lower frequencies (200-250hz) seem to be the biggest issue.

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: We don't put too much emphasis on the "type" of insulation as all the tests we have looked at show similar results across the board, 3-4 STC points for insulation absorption. So we usually stick with cheapest which is fiberglass. Many contractors we work with feel that Mineral wool is better so they go with that.

69) Bill: I've got a geothermal HVAC system in my attic which generates noise in the master bedroom directly beneath. The HVAC unit is suspended off of the attic floor but still generates a low-frequency humming or pulsing noise that can easily be heard in the bedroom below. There is no insulation between the two rooms and I don't know what would work best for reducing the low-frequency noise. What would you recommend for reducing the noise? Thanks!

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

Can you put sound curtains around the unit?

70) Sal Morrongiello: We just moved into a new home. Our upstairs bathroom plumbing runs through a un-insulated wall (2x4 studs I assume 1/2 drywall) and the noise of the water coming thru the PVC pipes (3 inch) is so loud we get awoken from a deep sleep. I am trying to get the builder to remedy the problem. Suggestions?

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

Open that bay. Wrap MLV or Pipe Wrap around the pipe. Close the wall and add a 2nd layer of drywall over the entire wall with Green Glue Damping Compound between the 1st and 2nd layer.

71) jed r: I live in a prewar NYC apartment that's built very solidly (on Fifth Ae). Nonetheless, we hear foot traffic from the apartment upstairs. The areas where we hear it the most, are where our ceilings (normally 9') have been dropped 6" to accommodate moving ceiling fixtures. Do you recommend filling those spaces with some kind of dry acoustical material? Adding sheetrock and that soundproofing glue? Other?

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

Dropped ceilings are very difficult to properly soundproof once they are finished. As they usually end at walls and the sounds that get into the drop continue down the walls. You can try adding insulation and "wrapping" the drop with another layer of drywall and Green Glue, however it is a lot of work and money and the results may be less than what you are expecting.

72) Debra A A: We are considering a condo on the 6th floor with 12" of concrete in the ceiling. It's being built now 1/2019. I'm told the cement will prevent any noise from the rooftop pool, which is above us on the 7th floor. Thoughts?

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Hard to know until your there. Many times it is not solid concrete (How are they running pipes)? Also footsteps can still be heard. In General if it was a solid 12 inches of concrete all the way across the soundproofing should be good.

73) Karin M: So glad I found your site! I live in a 1908 wood frame house, originally built as two side-by-side units. There's a center wall running full length between the two mirror-image units. We recently had a big soundproofing project done: In one unit, the existing lathe & plaster wall was demolished, the inter-stud spaces were filled with Roxul, MLV was installed, followed by three layers of drywall with two layers of Green Glue between them, finished off with acoustical sealant around the edges. We're very disappointed that it hasn't made much difference with airborne sounds such as voices and dogs barking. I've learned from your articles that our next step should be addressing the open attic space above us. My questions are: (1) Would it be worth it to add yet one more layer of drywall and Green Glue to the wall between the units? (2) When it comes to building a separating wall in the attic, what specs would you recommend for a wall that would provide both a fire barrier as well as good soundproofing? There's one more problem: This soundproofing effort didn't even slightly dampen the floor impact sounds (footsteps primarily). We have softwood flooring. I understand the floor joists in the crawl space run from one side of the building to the other, very effectively carrying these impact noises between our units. (3) What cost-effective steps can we take in the crawl space to reduce this noise transmission? (Unfortunately carpeting the units isn't acceptable to the residents.) And finally, (4) Can you recommend any contractors with soundproofing experience in the San Francisco Bay Area (specifically Berkeley)? Thank you!!

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Hi Karin. Yes that is a very common mistake. You will probably find it easier to soundproof your ceiling the same way you did your wall. If you can get a fully sealed wall in the attic that continues the wall below all the way to the roof and is properly sealed at top, bottom and sides that would be even better. You would need to discuss fire barrier with your local contractor as it depends on your local codes. Do you have a crawl space beneath the apartments as well? If yes than that would be transmitting the sound through the floors in the same way that it is transmitting through the attic. If you cannot use the Premium carpet underlayment than you would need to add a 2nd layer of subflooring with Green Glue in between beneath the finished flooring.

74) Diana B: We are looking at putting a galvanized tin ceiling in a dining area 63 x 22 with 10 ft high ceiling. Barn board and drywall on sides pf the room. And Carpet tiles on the floor. Will sound be a big issue witht he galvanized tin ceiling or will the carpet and wood absorb enough sound. It has several windows on one side. It will have insulation everywhere, and the ceiling will be drywalled before instalation of the galvanized tin ceiling. Thoughts??

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Hi Diana. Do you mean for the sound inside the room or for the sound passing outside the room through the ceiling?

75) Diana Brummel : We are wondering if the galvainzed steel ceiling will be loud.

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Yes that would reflect sound.

76) Sophie : I have an in-law unit on the walk out lower level of my home that I plan to rent out. It is currently carpeted, but I would like to place the carpet with vinyl planking to reduce potential for mold growth (my basement is dry but I don't feel comfortable with carpet on a lower level). However, I don't want this change from soft to hard surfaces to significantly increase the amount of airborn noise that filters up to my level. Other than curtains and area rugs, are there other sound absorbing materials I can add to the room to replace the sound absorbing effect of carpet? Thanks in advance for your help!

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

Acoustical panels are a great option. many fabrics to choose from and we can also print pictures onto fabric and they can be your acoustical panels.

77) Lynda A H: I live in a condo that has a condo above. The new owner is a very loud walker. I can hear every step!! Short of moving, what can I do. I have stucco ceilings, not sure what type of insulation. Also how would I find a contractor that I could trust to do this type of work of soundproofing

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

Best would be to have them install carpet and use the premium carpet underlayment. The other option would be to redo your entire ceiling as in this article https://www.tmsoundproofing.com/How-to-Soundproof.html and that may still not be enough if your main issue is heavy impact sound.

78) Steve F: Hello, We have a client in a condo with a neighbor that plays extremely loud music with speakers mounted on the common wall. The neighbor plays the music in excess of 90 dba. The actions and assembly that we have completed are: 1. Opened the wall by removing the drywall. The studs are 6” metal studs. 2. Sealed all electrical outlets with putty pads. 3. Installed 6” of rock wool insulation. 4. Attached 1# MLV to the studs. 5. Installed resilient channel 6. Installed and finished 5/8” Fire code drywall. Future plans: Install Dynamat behind the speakers. What other suggestions do you suggest? Sincerely, Steve

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

Hi Steve. Add a 2nd layer of drywall with the Green Glue Damping compound over the first. Seal the perimeter of the wall with an acoustical caulk.

79) Jim Scott: I have a new condo. There is also a new condo directly over mine. The upper one has 34 particle board, a acoustical matt on that and 3/4 inch concrete over that with a vinyl plank with rubber on the floor side. The floors are separated about 2 ft. but the framing between the two are connected. The whole thing is insulated. Their foot steps are hard and me downstairs condo sounds like there are base drums upstairs. I have researched Green Glue, RC Channel, Hat Channel. Green glue sounds good but the drywall screws will be going into the upstairs joist. Will the sound carry through. If I used the expensive, sandwiched, drywall sound board with the Green Glue am I throwing good money after bad?

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: For ceiling impact sound you really need to decouple your ceiling using Resilient Sound Clips with Channels.

80) Karen R: I rent an office suite with dropped ceilings in some offices and vaulted ceilings in others. Floors are all carpet laid over concrete. Walls are standard drywall. Landlord suggests laying standard fiberglass insulation over ceiling tiles to reduce transference. Also looking at your ceiling tile barriers and light covers. My question is this: If we use tile barriers and light covers but still have all the grids, won't the open grids be the weak spot and negate the tile barriers? Looking for more info to validate that tile barriers and light covers will actually work and how well. Thanks in advance. As you said above, drop ceilings are a challenge when it comes to sound.

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

Some sound may leak thru the grid (if you are worried you can lay Mass Loaded Vinyl across). However usually once treated with the Ceiling Tile Barrier and the light covers it is usually sufficient for an office setting as the leaks through the grid are minimal. Insulation alone will not be sufficient.

81) Vicky: Hi there. Your site has been incredibly useful for understanding soundproofing, thanks so much. I live in a wood frame apartment building built in 1922, remodeled in 2003. My bedroom is directly below my neighbors child's bedroom and the impact noise ranges from minimal to extreme. I plan on decoupling the ceiling with clips, channel, gg and two 5/8 layers of drywall. I do worry about flanking noise on one side of the wall, as currently I can hear the closing and opening of drawers travelling down that wall from above. During the ceiling installation will it be prudent to add gg and a layer of drywall to that ceiling as well? Thanks so much in advance.

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Thank you Vicky! Yes that would be a very good idea to do that wall at the same time as the largest part of your cost will be the labor, spackle, paint etc. So doing at once is a lot easier and cheaper. If you could get your neighbor to put down some kind of carpet or rug, you can supply our carpet underlayment for that and it should also help a lot.

82) Lori: Hi there, trying to consider my options and budget for soundproofing my existing ceiling from impact noise using the decoupling method. I've seen a few sites suggest treating the subfloor with gg and drywall, then implementing the decoupling method with clips and channels and drywall. I am wondering what the benefit of adding gg and 5/8 drywall to subfloor (instead of two layers, given budgets), then insulation, clips, channels, and one 5/8 layer of drywall would be? Is it worth the hassle to cut the drywall to custom fit the subfloor and get closer to the source of the impact noise? Or am I better off trying to do two layers of 5/8 under the channels (if that's possible)? Hope that makes sense, thanks for all the info here, it's so helpful!

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Hi Lori. Putting the 2 layers under the clips and channels with the Green Glue in between will be simpler and much more effective.

83) Michael: Hi. I have a solid party wall constructed of block. I now know I have to put up a timber wall in front and fill with insulation before I double board with green glue (from reading these Q&A's, thanks) My question is, can the timber frame be fixed directly to the block party wall or does it have to be set off (decoupled) and fixed to floor, ceiling and adjoining internal walls? Thanks in advance.

Trademark Soundproofing Reply:

Hi Michale it can be fixed directly, however you will achieve even better results if you can have it offset as that will add the decoupling method into the build too. One solution I like is using a clip like this one for your framing https://www.tmsoundproofing.com/Resilmount-A48-Resilient-Mount-Right-Angle-Bracket.html. Allows for affixing to wall and also gives you an element of decoupling (it is not a full decoupling as when using clipa and channel, but it helps).

84) Amber : So, in a condo I own, wanting to add on an interior wall that is shared with my neighbor (also a firewall with double 3/8 sheet rock already) faux brick paneling that you buy at a home improvement store in 4’ x 8’ panels. Would GG work here to snuff out the little bit of noise heard between the units if I used it on the faux brick panels on the existing wall?

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: You need the membranes that the Green Glue gets sandwiched in between to be at least half inch thick each.

85) Lori: Hi TMS, wondering about the application of gg/drywall to the underside of a subfloor as I am trying to soundproof impact noise and want to achieve the highest possible results. I am considering adding 2 layers of 5/8 drywall with gg to the underside of the subfloor above me. I live in an apartment and worry about two things - first that screwing the drywall into the subfloor will ruin their floor or come undone should my upstairs neighbors choose to redo their flooring. Second thing I worry about is if they have leaks or spills (they have hardwood flooring as well) what happens if that leaks to the drywall attached to the subfloor? Do I need to worry about mold, deterioration, etc? Do you have experience/recommendations for either issue?

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: You should not have an issue as long as the screws you are using do not stick out more than 1/2" past your drywall. The results for footstep sounds will not be that great. Better off using resilient sound clips and channels 2 drywall with green glue onto your ceiling,

86) Lori: Hi TMS, thank you for the response. The gg/dd beneath subfloor will be in addition to clips/channel/dd. Another question - it's a large room ceiling that I want to do this to. I've read that bracing/stepping between the joists can help minimize vibrations and also help support additional loads (like multiple layers of drywall). Will bracing/stepping decrease the measures of the clips/channel?

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Hi Lori. Your welcome. It will not. The clips and channels will still provide proper decoupling.

87) Greg : Hello...The bass noise is beyond control in our neighborhood. We have a stucco house and want to start with soundproofing our bedroom in the back of the house. There is some insulation in the walls when it was constructed (this is a newly constructed home). Can we use metal studs/insulated with fiberglass/MLV/then 1 layer of drywall. Or is this more effective: the same procedure but no MLV but two layers of drywall w/green glue. Which would give us better results. Also we need to extend the wall to the roof, we have a drop ceiling. Trying to do this on a cost effective basis and keep in mind we are in another country (Panama) so we would use a freight forwarder in Miami to send our products. Thanks for your help. Greg

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Double drywall with Green Glue will be more effective. Very important to extend to the roof. Seal to the roof with Acoustical Caulk.

88) Ángel : hi i can hear the people walking and talking on the second floor,My ceiling’ has 2x8 and has 2 inch fiberglass insulation and im going to use clips and hat channels do i need to remove the existing insulation? Or can I add the sound proof insulation ,thank you

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: You can just add insulation to your existing insulation.

89) Mark Z: Hello! I share a cinderblock wall with the neighbour in a duplex, loud talker, hear his alarm and tv, etc. My plan was to construct a new frame, insulation, MLV, and then two sheets drywall with green glue in between. 2 questions.. 1.Should I try to make the new frame not touch the exisitng cinder block wall? 2. Do you think this set up needs furring/resilient channels and clips?

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: If your frame does not touch the wall then you would not need the resilient channels and clips. Otherwise use the clips and channels.

90) Chad T McCluskey: So we had a pipe burst in a shared wall with our neighbor, they have taken down half of the drywall exposing a plywood firewall/searwall.. so my thinking is to order your electrical box putty, acoustical caulk and the green glue.. My question is should I have them remove the rest of the drywall and will the green glue be effective between the plywood firewall or would I see way better results between a second layer of drywall.. we have fairly small rooms, I am trying to get the best results with the least amount of impact on the room.. looking next at consulting call, sounds (no pun intended) like it could be beneficial our condo is surrounded on all sides except for the floor.

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: The Green Glue will be effective between the plywood and drywall too as long as the 2 layers are tightly fastened to each other. Be sure to install insulation in the wall first.

91) David: I live in the country but close to a highway. We can hear heavy transport trucks and loud diesel pickups drive by all night and day. The existing exterior walls are 2x4 with 1970's fibreglass insulation and one layer of drywall. There's minimal attic/ceiling insulation. What would you recommend for reducing road noise due to transport trucks? We are having our siding replaced, having rigid foam insulation added, and triple pane windows installed where they face the road. Is there a product we can install while the siding is off?

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: You can put Mass Loaded Vinyl before the siding is replaced.

92) Steve: What's the best retrofit soundproofing option for stud walls/standard ceilings that does *not* involve replacing or adding to the drywall? Our remodeling contractor didn't do any soundproofing, even though we had specified that he do so in the contract. Now we have lovely, textured painted walls--and a bunch of lovely custom moulding--but we can hear people talking inside their bedrooms with the doors shut. We may have legal options, but the remodel was exhausting and even if we had the money today we wouldn't want to tear up the house all over again. Any suggestions?

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: If you can't touch the walls/ceilings than there is not much you can do

93) Cameron: Thanks for this site. Very useful! I'm constructing a ~375 sqft home office inside 2/3 of a 1950's wood framed, single story, stand-alone building with a shingle roof and an open attic space. We're in Northern Virginia so have large seasonal temperature swings. There is currently zero insulation in the building so I am planning on using R-49 (13.5 inch thick) batts in new ceiling. The walls are original wood paneling, which I will not remove, so will blow cellulose in. Replacing all windows and doors with new insulated ones. There will be no impact noise, but we do get airborne noise from planes (under flight paths for 3 airports, 1 airbase and 1 heliport ...), yard maintenance machinery and noisy neighbours. I do a bunch of conference calls each day and would like to reduce this noise as much as possible, although I realize total silence is not achievable. The ceiling height is not huge so I don't want to drop the ceiling too much with clips and channels (and after reading all this page it seems they are best for impact noise?). There are also recessed lights, which I plan on enclosing in custom built boxes as I saw suggested earlier. I have stripped back the ceiling to the rafters. I was originally thinking of using MLV stapled to the rafters before drywall over, but after reading this page am wondering if using Green Glue would be better? Or what other products you have do you suggest? I am a little concerned about adding too much weight to the ceiling (maybe not a worry though?) so was planning on using 3/8 sheetrock until started reading this page. Now considering how much each solution will fully weigh. Will I be wasting my time and money though? I do have a limited budget for this build unfortunately. Will any of this make an appreciable difference to the airborne noise? (especially given I won't be doing anything to the surface of the walls.) Or will the drywall and insulation achieve as much as is practicable? Thanks.

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: 2 layers of half inch drywall with Green Glue in between them will be best for your ceiling, based on what you wrote. However if you are not treating the walls the same you will not achieve that much as the sound will come thru the walls. You should be doing the entire envelope. Walls and ceiling that face the outside.

94) Sudhir: Hello - Do you have a recommended contractor I can work with that is familiar with your products in the North Jersey area? Thanks

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Please give us a call at 845-388-1200

95) Roberto Toledo: Hi, is there any risk of creating a triple leaf effect if I create a decoupled wall and ceiling, and then have my cupboards /wardrobe and and air evacuation system attached to the ceiling and walls ?

Trademark Soundproofing Reply: That is not a problem