1) Mama: I have a noisy neighbor that make it their mission to run and walk constantly at all hours day and night. Their floor is my ceiling. I rent so it is hard to have the landlord on board. Is there anything I can do without renovating my flat? I can't get any sleep because of this. I have a noise machine which drowns out her ugly voice but I still hear the sound of her incessant walking on my head. Any help you can give me will be appreciated!!!!! Does this stuff work? How much would this run me?
Trademark Soundproofing Reply:
Without renovating your flat the only thing you can do is to have your neighbor put down carpet and use our sound control carpet underlayment.
2) Rags: There's noise from when the people above my basement apt. walk up and down their stairs. (Their stairs from 1st fl. to 2nd fl. are above my basement stairs to the 1st floor). Could I apply Green Glue to a MLV and stick it to my ceiling below their stairs?
Trademark Soundproofing Reply: That would be a waste as the Green Glue will not help out. You can use just MLV however this is an impact/vibration sound and difficult to eliminate as the stairs are directly connected to the framing.
3) Tired Eyes: Hi,
Our entire building have wooden flooring (not hardwood). I am on the topmost floor, but I can hear footprints whenever our neighbor next door or even downstairs, and its keeps ma awake. What can I do in my apartment to reduce this noise ? Thank you.
Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Unfortunately not much. See if the neighbors can put some carpet with heavy padding down.
4) Sam: Hi - When I am in the basement in my house, I can hear the footsteps of family members walking on the floor above. That floor above is part tiles and part wood. I have removed the drywall on the ceiling and put in 2 layers of rockwool and then the resilient channel. I have now put on 5/8' drywall on the ceiling. The project is not yet finished (applying compound and paint is still remains to be done) but I am still able to hear the sound of the footsteps. Is there something that I need to do different?
Trademark Soundproofing Reply: At this point another layer of drywall with the Green Glue Damping Compound in between. Keep in mind Footstep fall is very difficult to tame and really needs to be treated at the floor. If you are doing another room I would suggest using resilient sound clips rather than resilient channel.
5) Korspi : Hello, I live on the top floor of a three-story building. My young son loves to run around in one room in particular and I really want to let him do it since he’s stuck inside a lot these days, but the downstairs neighbor complained about the noise and I feel terrible. Our floor is laminate and I’m pretty sure it’s a floating floor because it feels very springy in places and the vibration just from footfalls is… impressive. I rent, so I can't do anything major, but what can I do to dampen the impact noise from his running? Could I use a felt or cork underlayment, just laid on top of the floor with eva or rubber tiles on top? Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Use thick carpet padding (for even better results use our soundproof carpet underlayment) with a throw rug on top.
6) Advise needed: The noise generated from neighbors ceiling has taken its tool on me & asking for their help hasn’t worked so I’ve decided it’s time to take action. I’m not certain she will comply also have to tackle it through my ceiling most likely. Two issues:
Impact noise from footfall and squeaky floors throughout.
Condo is 50 years old, unit above had faux wood floors installed & was suppose to use sound proofing but clearly didn’t, or at least not high quality soundproofing. I hear everything! The worst is when the kid gets up runs/jump on stairs, but really I hear every foot step, every toilet flush, every laugh, every shower, every vitamix use, every conversation, and now as the kid gets older/heavier, the ceiling squeaking is everywhere &constant and driving me crazy. I have no quiet enjoyment of my home.
Will adding insulation & a another layer of drywall help? Help!
Trademark Soundproofing Reply:
Sorry to hear that. Soundproofing an existing structure from impact noise is quite difficult and usually not very effective. If there is no insulation in the ceiling than adding insulation would help. At that point I would install the new ceiling using Resilient sound clips and hat channel as described in this article. https://www.tmsoundproofing.com/soundproofing-existing-rooms-walls-ceilings.html
7) Jay: I have a situation that I never thought was possible. Typically foot noise issues come from above, however, I'm experiencing it from the neighbour next door. How is that possible and how can I address it? Is it even possible?
Trademark Soundproofing Reply: If the houses are attached you could be sharing the same floor joists. Very difficult to address.
8) Seyda Tarabus: I need a sound proof pad for my upstairs neighbors floor
Help
Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Carpet and padding are best. The thicker the better. Our Carpet underlayment is pricey but very effective.
9) Om: I have renovated my concrete apartment and replaced the carpet with Binyl flooring with ICC72 grade for sound proofing.
My downstairs neighbor complains on daily basis about hearing chairs moving, steps...etc. She is a nut case and carpet is not an option for me given my allergies.
Should I have installed something underneath the Vinyl flooring to remove the impact of the noise. I cant have my kids over because of the constant complaints and it is driving me nuts. How can I make sure no impact noise transfers below with my Vinyl flooring. Is there a way for me to remove the vinyl flooring to thicken the sound proof material underneath then re-install?
Thanks,
Trademark Soundproofing Reply: You can put down a 2nd layer of subfloor with Green Glue damping compound in between and then a rubber underlayment. Then install your vinyl flooring.
10) Jennifer K: Our cement slab home burned down. We built a new home with crawl space on same site. We’re in our new home and the footfall noise is SO loud. Is there anything we can do from under the home in the crawl space area?
Trademark Soundproofing Reply: Sorry to hear that. So where is the footstep sound effecting? Is there a 2nd floor or in the same room?
11) Jennifer: It's a 1 level ranch style home and sound is throughout home. You can hear the footprint from one end of the home to the other.
Trademark Soundproofing Reply:
That is probably an issue due to the nature of latest construction trends where a clean modern look is desired. Lot's of hardwood and tile.. You should install Acoustical sound panels thru out the house on the walls. Adding carpet and draperies will help as well.
12) Derrick Conley: My home is under construction. I’m doing the flooring and finishing some of my basement. I’m looking for a good method to stop noise and impact noise from the first floor into the basement. I have time to do this before I put the flooring in. Should I go with 1lb MLV before my vinyl plank? I’m insulating the basement ceiling with double 5/8” drywall. Thanks!
13) Kerry Davidson: When replacing flooring, will using an adhesive with a higher soundproofing rating (IIC) improve the soundproofing when it is used for the underlay with a lower IIC? Our condo board requires that the underlay have an IIC and STC of 73 or better, the adhesive being used has that requirement but not the underlay, but not sure if adhesive soundproofing will really help in this case?
Trademark Soundproofing Reply: It may. You would need to have testing to show that.
14) Yasmin: Some new neighbours moved in to join those already living upstairs and ever since the noise has been incredibly loud. There is already existing sound proofing which seems to help remove most high frequency noise but we can hear lots of slamming doors, running around, thudding, moving furniture.. Lots of low grade rumbling and impact noise. Their unit is supposed to be carpeted, but of course they may have removed it without our knowledge. I'm willing to cover the ceiling and walls to try and combat this noise, but I can't easily strip the wall/ceiling to add anything inside of them. Could covering them with MLV or acoustic panels help? I need at least one room to be moderately quiet. I have a feeling they're unlikely to be responsive if we ask politely as they also enjoy throwing things down their stairs very often, so I'd like to try do what I can before approaching them.
Trademark Soundproofing Reply:
Sorry to hear that. Unfortunately when it comes to impact noise it is very difficult to treat it without decoupling the ceiling. The best results would be a thick carpet with a premium carpet sound barrier underlayment. perhaps you can offer to pay for them to install it above the room that is most important to you. Adding MLV to walls ceilings and Acoustical panels will help somewhat but may not be enough for what you are trying to achieve.
15) Ryan Anderson: 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 Reply: 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.
16) Simon: I am hearing footfall from the neighbor below? Is there anything I can do? I don't believe they used any underlay when they installed their timber flooring (don't sure if that makes a difference in this case either given they are below)?
Trademark Soundproofing Reply: That's a tough one as the structure is vibrating all the way up to your floor. Carpet and a thick underlayment on their floor would be best if possible.
17) K C: Hello, I'm wondering if maybe constructing a kind of large 'booth' , the sort that musicians use to enter, would help with my serious noise problem. The dimensions would be around 9ftx9ftx9ft, and would contain a bed, desk, and door. The issue is I'm in an apartment, and I could try to redo the ceiling myself(the issue is loud thudding footsteps from upstairs due to a poor floor renovation where old hardwood was removed for cheap plywood+hard plastic flooring), but it's unclear if a new sound problem will emerge. So I'm wondering if maybe you have any advice on costs and effectiveness of the 9x9x9 box? Would it block out the bass-like thuds from upstairs?
Trademark Soundproofing Reply: It would definitely help if you built it in a proper soundproofing way. Heavy and damped walls. heavy and sealed doors etc.
18) TQK: We have a 30 foot hall on the second floor that is tongue and groove oak flooring. The sound of someone walking down the hall is very loud downstairs. I have thick runners along the hall with various layers of padding underneath them which does help. I think there should be some product that would really deaden the sound but I can't find anything. Do you have any suggestions. I would even be willing to try something 'outside of the box'. Thank you.
Trademark Soundproofing Reply:
Many customers have used the carpet underlayment under runners with good results.
19) Ranga: Hi do I stop footstep nosie between floors
20) Farrid: I have kids running around in the house. My neighbor below me complained. Will the noise be reduce if I get my kids to wear rubber shoes (eg. crocs) in the house?
Trademark Soundproofing Reply: It should. Try it and let us know :)
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