Soundproofing a Condo or Apartment Ceiling

Condo and apartment ceiling noise is its own special problem: the floor making the noise belongs to somebody else. You cannot re-carpet the neighbor's living room, and your building may not even let you drill into the slab. The good news is that a ceiling can be treated entirely from your side, and the options below run from renter-friendly to full renovation. After the guide you will find real questions from condo owners and our answers.

First, figure out which ceiling you have

Wood-frame buildings (most condos converted from houses, and many low-rise buildings) transmit footsteps through joists, and the fix looks just like our basement ceiling method: decouple with resilient sound isolation clips and hat channel, insulate the joist bays, and hang two layers of 5/8" drywall with Green Glue between them. Concrete-slab buildings are different: the slab itself is massive, so airborne sound is usually well controlled already, but heel strikes and dragged chairs send impact energy straight through the concrete. Treating impact noise from below a slab is honest, hard work: it takes a decoupled ceiling hung below the slab, and the results, while real, are more modest than on a wood frame. Anyone who promises that a coat of paint or a thin panel will fix footsteps through concrete is selling you something.

The from-below assembly

Clips rated for your structure (wood joists or concrete), hat channel, and double 5/8" drywall with Green Glue, sealed at the perimeter with acoustical caulk. Budget roughly 2-1/2 inches of ceiling height for the full build-up; where height is tight, a single damped layer on clips is still a meaningful step up. Keep recessed light cans out of the new ceiling, and be deliberate about hard ceiling penetrations like sprinklers and vents, which need flexible sealing rather than rigid contact. If your building forbids drilling into the slab, the remaining route is an independently framed ceiling supported from the walls, which the questions below get into.

Sometimes the right fix is upstairs

Impact noise is cheapest to stop where it starts. A quality carpet pad or a damped underlayment under the neighbor's flooring does more for footsteps than almost anything you can do from below. That is not always in your control, but it is worth knowing that most condo associations have (or should have) flooring rules with minimum IIC ratings, especially when a unit above swaps carpet for hardwood or laminate. If that change is about to happen above you, the moment to speak to the board is before the floor goes in. Several of the questions below deal with exactly this situation.

What to expect

Done right, a decoupled, damped ceiling turns overheard conversations and TV into non-events and knocks footsteps down from an intrusion to a background thump. What no honest company will promise is absolute silence from a heavy walker on a bare slab directly overhead. The goal is to get the noise below the level where it runs your evenings, and the assemblies here do that for our customers every week.

Also see: Understanding Impact (Footstep) Noise, Soundproofing a Condo, and Soundproofing a Wall from Noisy Neighbors.

Real customer questions about condo and apartment ceilings

I hear footsteps and sliding chairs in my brand-new condo - is that normal?

Customer question: Hello, I recently bought a newly constructed condo, I can hear footfalls, chairs sliding etc. from my neighbor above. My bedrooms, baths, kitchen and living room have recessed ceilings, if I soundproof those areas will it help with my situation? I'm unable to soundproof the halls. Also can I go over the existing drywall? Any help would be appreciated! Thanks, Mary

Trademark Soundproofing answer: Soundproofing an entire room ceiling without doing hallways will help, except if those are hallways in the room itself. You mention recessed ceilings usually that is in the part of the ceiling and the outer edges are not recessed, in that case you would need to do the recessed part and the outer part and the kneewall between them. Yes you can go over existing drywall please see this soundproofing ceilings article.

How do we quiet squeaky floors above our 1980s condo ceiling?

Customer question: We want to soundproof our 1980s condo ceiling from squeaky floors above (we hear every step like is in the room with us). We believe that there is no insulation in the ceiling, and we do not want to remove the drywall. So, we were thinking to do the following: 1) apply WallDamp Retrofit strips on the current ceiling for sound absorption 2) apply another drywall sheet on top of the WallDamp 3) apply green glue then attach tongue and groove 1x6 panels for aesthetics. Would that work, or do you have another advise for us? We do want to have the tongue and groove panels. Thanks.

Trademark Soundproofing answer: Hi Jim. The Squeaky floors are usually due to the rubbing of the sub-floor to the ceiling joists and most probably will still be heard after you do the work on your ceiling. What is Wall Damp Retro fit strips?

Footsteps come through my concrete slab and popcorn ceiling - what helps?

Customer question: In a 1980's vintage condo with conc. floor slabs & a popcorn ceiling finish, I can hear the impact of footsteps of the neighbour above. I was considering installing 3/8' drywall directly onto the popcorn ceiling with Green glue between. Will this muffle the sound enough?

Trademark Soundproofing answer: You need at least half inch drywall and the popcorn needs to be sanded down. Otherwise use 2 layers of drywall with the Green Glue in between the layers.

Our condo has concrete ceilings and we cannot drill into them - what are our options?

Customer question: Hi, I?m in a condo with a unit above, we have concrete ceilings and drywall. We are not allowed to drill into ceiling so what would my best option be to control footfalls and scrapping furniture? I plan on adding wood planking to the ceiling so I can either remove drywall and start from scratch or add to existing drywall. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank You, Mary

Trademark Soundproofing answer: Remove drywall. make sure there is insulation in ceiling. Add resilient sound clips with channels. Follow with double layer of drywall with the Green Glue damping compound sandwiched between the two layers. See details in this how to soundproof a ceiling article. Thank you.

Our ceiling already has clips and insulation - why do we still hear the unit above?

Customer question: We own a first floor condo with another unit above. The existing ceiling has dry wall with clips and batt insulation, but we hear almost everything from above. They have hard wood floors and we hear every step they take. Would having foam insulation added be worth the money or would we need to do more to reduce the noise level to an acceptable level. We know we would not be able to totally eliminate the noise, but would really love to muffle it as much as possible.

Trademark Soundproofing answer: Foam insulation would not be worth the money (may make it worse). If you have clips and channels on the ceiling already with fiiberglass insulation your next best step would be to add another layer of drywall with Green Glue Damping Compound in between. You may also have a flanking sound issue as in soffits or walls. Footstep sound from hardwood floor above is very difficult to control without treating the floor itself.

Can a condo with exposed wood beam ceilings be soundproofed?

Customer question: We have a main floor condo with high exposed wood beam ceilings. We can hear everything going on above. There is not enough space (due to ducts/pipes) to put a drop ceiling and we don’t want to completely cover the wood beams. Can we place sheets of drywall between the beams with the green glue against the wood ceiling above. We would be happy if we could at least dampen some of the noise.

Trademark Soundproofing answer: It would help somewhat however you need to lower your expectations. It seems like there isn't even insulation between the floors plus the beams themselves are transferring sound too.

How do I soundproof a plaster ceiling in an older apartment building?

Customer question: Have 2nd floor apt unit with noisy upstairs neighbors . Hear walking all the time. Have plastered ceilings. Would adding 5/8 drywall and 2 tubes of caulk per 8? sheet make big difference???

Trademark Soundproofing answer: Not enough for footstep noise to be worth your effort.

The neighbors above are replacing carpet with hardwood - how do we prepare?

Customer question: Live in a first floor condo with neighbors above. We hear everything! They are replacing carpet with hard wood and are using pro flex 90 and an underlayment but offered to lift up floor plywood to do more soundproofing. Our ceiling (drywall), 2x8 floor joist and their plywood flooring is all that is there right now ????? What is the best option to keep out their noise (voices and footsteps?????

Trademark Soundproofing answer: Once they lift the plywood. Install Insulation in the ceiling joists. Put down Joist gasket tape on top of the joists, reinstall Plywood, add Green Glue Damping compound and a 2nd layer of half inch plywood.

The upstairs unit installed laminate flooring - can I fix the noise from below?

Customer question: Hi there, I have a condo built in the 70’s with upstairs neighbors who installed a laminate flooring with a “soundproof” underlay. I believe the STC rating was about 55 for the underlay. I can still hear a lot of impact noise, and sometimes music/talking as well. My condo has old plaster (basically concrete) ceilings, where the popcorn was scraped off. If I added a layer of 5/8” drywall with green glue to the existing ceilings, plus added some insulation installed in the existing walls, what kind of noise reductions do you think I could be looking at (both STC and IIC)? I don’t think removing the old ceilings is going to be a possibility within my budget, and given that they might be hot for asbestos. Thank you!

Trademark Soundproofing answer: Those underlay ratings are not to be taken at face value for reasons too long to discuss here. Suffice it to say they maybe added 2-3 STC points. You can get about 6-9 STC points from the music/talking less for the impact sound.

I hear walking and music from the condo above - where do I start?

Customer question: Here is my problem. I live in a condominium. There is one unit above me. I can here them walking, playing music etc. The tenant is moving out in the next 60 days. We are going to rip out the carpeting and pad and replace it. I am going to have a crew come in and remove the subfloor one plywood sheet at a time and put green glue or whatever you recommend before putting the plywood sub floor back. Screwing it down with extra screws to stop any squeaky floors. The bass from the stereo in the unit is painful. When the new tenant comes in they will not be allowed to have a sub woofer. Hopefully that will handle the bass noise! I would like to put down a 3/8 inch rubber mat that would also be the carpet padding. Is that possible? We are putting carpet back in over whatever sound dampening padding you recommend. I think I need to cover about 650 sq feet of flooring. I would love to hear your recommendation. Thank you, Tim Cell # is 408-930-2900

Trademark Soundproofing answer: Leave the subfloor in place, unless there is no insulation in the floor. If there isn't raise the plywood and install insulation.. Add Green Glue to the Floor and cover with another layer of subfloor. Than add Carpet underlayment followed by carpet

How many inches of ceiling height will soundproofing cost me?

Customer question: 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 answer: 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.

I hear my upstairs neighbor's heater through the ceiling - can that be treated?

Customer question: Dear Friends, I live in a condo in Los Angeles and whenever my neighbor right above me uses his heater, I hear a quiet hum that disrupts my sleep, concentration, and peace of mind. I have tried to resolve this noise problem, but there is nothing wrong with his heater; apparently, I am just sensitive. And since it is more of a vibrational hum, ear plugs won?t work. What can be done? Thank you very much.

Trademark Soundproofing answer: Is it a portable heater? In that case you can see if they would be willing to use a piece of our premium carpet underlayment beneath it (it can be covered with a throw rug). Otherwise you are looking at serious renovation in to your room on the ceiling and the walls.