Soundproofing during renovation

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hairball

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Hi, all

I am renovating a duplex that has an upper and a lower apartment.

The upstairs is now done and has wood floors. My intentions is to fix up and rent out the lower apt. but the sound tranmission between the floors isn't going to be fun for either tenant.

Right now I have the lower apt. stripped including the ceilings so i have some flexibility with what I do.

All noise is trasmitting, from footsteps to radio noise. The old ceiling was just drywall with hollow cavities between the joists.

Rugs are one option upstairs which is fine, but I don't want to cover the whole floor so I want to find a way to make sound travel less.

I can't afford to pay acoustic companies, so I'm looking for a solution appropriate to a small basement apartment. I had considered glass fibre in the cavities and a couple of layers of drywall, but I guess i need to get some mass on the celing to calm down the vibrations' travels.

If anyone has any cost effective solutions then I'd be grateful to hear (read) them.

Thanks
 
Just regular drywall is not that great at stopping sound. There are systems out there that go with drywall to reduce noise transmission. They are generally some sort of clip, or rail that keeps the drywall for the joists. There are quite a few options out there.
 
That's very useful, thanks. I'll have a think about that solution. Looks cheaper than the heavy vinyl stuff.
 
Filling the joist bays with unfaced insulation, followed with 1 layer of soundboard and 1 layer of 5/8 will go a long way to solving your problem.
Do not compress when filling.
Also check US Gypsum.
 
Thanks!

I am not familiar with 'soundboard' is that a type of drywall?

I've seen soundproof drywall at Lowes. it looks like a double layer, but costs 5 times as much as the normal stuff. Is it similar to that?

Snoonyb said:
Filling the joist bays with unfaced insulation, followed with 1 layer of soundboard and 1 layer of 5/8 will go a long way to solving your problem.
Do not compress when filling.
Also check US Gypsum.
Click to expand...
 
You'll not find this product at the "big boxes", you'll have to go to a reputable drywall supplier.

Here is the site;http://www.bpcan.com/en-CA/search/?s=bsnat85

Locally its about $9.00 a sheet and 5/8 drywall is $8.00 a 4x8 sheet.

Locally is the "truly left coast".
 
You can also check out Roxul Safe and Sound. Besides the sound conditioning it also provides some fire stopping. Depending on the size it may be well worth the expense.
 
I went with the Roxul Safe and Sound, I recommend it. What did you end up using?
 
Soundboard will not do the trick. Fiberglass insulation is as good as it gets.
 
hey Ted,

Is there a specific insulation you recommend? Or any fiberglass insulation will do the trick? I have used Roxul, but i am willing to try some other options if they are cheaper. Thanks
 
Generally R13 fiberglass in a wall, or R19 in a ceiling. Avoid labels that say "acoustic" or "sound control." Just get the cheapest stuff you can find
 
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