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July 26, 2008
Soundproofing Ceiling - Help Please!
We live in a brownstone circa 1840 and our downstairs neighbor complains of hearing our footsteps and some conversation (she says she can hear our 10lb cat walk and it sounds like a monster. NB we don't wear shoes in the house). The neighbor is painting their bedroom and have said that they will soundproof the ceiling but I need to tell them how to do it. I want to find the best solution so I don't have to hear about this issue any longer! I guess our problem is "impact noise" as well as "airborn noise." I know about greenglue and found something called isotrax (isotrax.com). Has anyone heard of the latter? What would be the best solution to fixing the problem? Quotes and bids on the project welcome as well.
Comments
Ceilings are even harder to soundproof than walls. See other post 2 days ago for some suggestions. A false ceiling is practically the only solution downstairs.
Posted by: cmu at July 26, 2008 1:01 PM
"The neighbor is painting their bedroom and have said that they will soundproof the ceiling but I need to tell them how to do it."
That's crazy. Do you own the whole building and are the landlords? If not and if you and your neighbors are both renters or are coop or condo owners, you are hardly responsible for figuring out how your neighbor downstairs should soundproof their ceilings. I'm baffled why you are playing along. Avoid getting into that because if your advice doesn't work for them they'll blame you. That's a trap you should not be so willingly stepping into.
Your responsibility ends at not wearing shoes which you said you don't, having some rugs and runners with pads (do you? try it) and not stomping or jumping up and down on the floors which I assume you don't. In every brownstone building in Brooklyn whether apartments or houses we all hear footsteps above. It's the way the buildings are built. If somebody doesn't want to hear footsteps from people other than their own family they need to buy a top floor place or their own house. It's something most people in Brooklyn know and accept. Your downstairs neighbors are understandably frustrated but are pretty entitled, needy and unrealistic to tell you that you "need to tell them" how to soundproof their ceilings. Which is impossible only by painting something on the surface, by the way. Soundproofing is major construction and a major investment.
Posted by: traditionalmod at July 26, 2008 4:01 PM
cmu - Thanks for the tip. I'll check into the other post. I did a search before posting my question and didn't find any great answers, but somehow I missed the one you're referring to.
Traditionalmod - I know. It's crazy. But they wanted us to tear up our original floor which is in great shape (it gives us the shivers to destroy that history) to install new flooring with a cushion or whatever. We do have rugs, are insanely quiet walkers and it's not a high-traffic room. They're sensitive, what can I say.
Since, they're willing to do the construction and pay for the work on their ceiling - I'm willing to help them find a solution. Thanks for feeling our pain. Any thoughts on how to solve?
Posted by: iheartbrooklynliving at July 26, 2008 4:49 PM
if they are that sensitive i agree they should look for a top floor apartment
something like that isotrack stuff will make a big difference probably if installed right though. Also they will lose a few inches of space at the ceiling though.
Posted by: 11211 at July 27, 2008 1:12 AM
Good grief, don't tear up your floors. Just don't. If anything is to be done structurally it's to THEIR ceiling at THEIR expense, period. You've adjusted your space and your lifestyle the best you can. That is literally all you are responsible for. If they keep bothering tell them it's harrassment and to stop it. If they continue get a lawyer to write them a letter.
Is this a co-op? You didn't say. If it's a co-op make the co-op board tell these people to leave you alone. Co-op boards are supposed to be good for something other than collecting the MM fees.
Posted by: traditionalmod at July 27, 2008 8:20 AM
I think they should hire an acoustic engineer or whatever they are called. If the noise for them is bad enough that they are forking it up for a new ceiling, then I think they should hire someone who can give them professional recommendations for soundproofing and installation. Otherwise how to guarantee that it will work? There was a big article about soundproofing in the NY times about 3 weeks ago - search the site.
Posted by: clintonhillbilly at July 27, 2008 9:59 AM
Thanks everyone! Clintonhillbilly, I will search NYT for that article! Thank you for the suggestion. You're prob also right about getting an acoustic engineer, which will take the responsibility off my shoulders.
Aside from the fact that we're not the kind of people to tell our neighbors to get over themselves, even if they are are seemingly being unreasonable, we need to live in harmony with them. It's a small building. The building is a co-op but we're talking brownstone - not a 8+ unit building. Basically, telling the pres of the co-op to tell these people to chill would be me, turning to myself and asking for help. I'll say it again though, it's nice to hear you all kind of taking my side but at the end of the day, I need to find a solution.
Posted by: iheartbrooklynliving at July 27, 2008 10:14 AM
If the floors are "original" then you are probably walking on a subfloor -- i.e., old pine planks sigging right on teh joists. Given knots and gaps, that is hardly a sound barrier at all. Chances are, your downstairs neighbors are walking on the same thing.
I second the advise that the neighbors get an acoustical engineer. If they are going to go to the expense of the construction, they may as well get it right. I had a good experience with Acoustilog as a soundproofing consultant.
Posted by: slopefarm at July 28, 2008 9:39 AM
Thanks slopefarm! I noticed Acoustilog was mentioned in the Times article that clintonhillbilly pointed me to (The Noise Children Make).
The old floors might be as you described, but they are ornate - patterns and border so not sure if they are "pine planks."
For anyone who cares, once we get to a solution, I'll post a comment on what route we chose to take.
Posted by: iheartbrooklynliving at July 28, 2008 11:21 AM
whaever way they go, make sure your neighbors understand there is rarely a fully soundproofed solution; some sound will always get through. i built a basement music studio with a decoupled ceiling, double-layered sheetrock with green glue and sound-dampening insulation between the ceiling joists and i can still hear when people walk on the floor above. of course i built it to keep sound in and not out (which it does well), but the theory is the same. good luck!
Posted by: Jimmy Legs at July 28, 2008 11:30 AM
Thanks, Jimmy Legs! I was thinking of suggesting a hybrid solution of greenglue, quietrock and isotrax to the neighbors. I'm also going to start dialing acoustical engineers to see what they say and arrange a meeting for them to take a look.
Posted by: iheartbrooklynliving at July 28, 2008 4:07 PM
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