Current hours are 10a - 11p. Soon 8a - 11p. I'm very excited to have a small non-diner open early on weekdays. Should have open air seating in warmer weather - the windows slide to the side like Sugarcane.

And I'm very happy to have another restaurant in the area. That corner of Flatbush wasn't very appealing.

Posted by: Loub at November 16, 2009 1:28 PM in response to Cubana Cafe Opens in The Slope

You might want to take a look at the outlets. It's possible that they're the source of the noise. If so you can get some insulation there (there's actually a green putty like product that deadens the area).

Posted by: Loub at July 28, 2009 1:53 PM in response to TV Noise Through Wall

Sound transfer is primarily about 2 things. Uninterrupted cavity space and direct transfer through a medium.

In floors you have 2 issues. Your flooring sits on subfloor which is tied directly into the joists. There's a cavity between the joists that is typically uninsulated and then drywall for the lower level's ceiling.

I've experienced three options here. One, put down cork under your flooring. there are also mass load vinyl products for this as well that deaden noise. Two, insulate with a dense foam to kill dead spaces - there's a difference in various products by weight here, denser is better. And finally, you can completely decouple your joists for your floor from your downstairs ceiling joists. Much more complicated but boy... it really kills the noise once the cavity is filled.

Posted by: Loub at January 24, 2009 12:49 PM in response to Soundproofing

The best place to find the answer is through the recording studio searches.

Posted by: Iknow at January 24, 2009 8:14 PM in response to Soundproofing

http://www.quietsolution.com/html/quietrock.html

Quietrock is one of the better sound proof wall boards, most of it is fire rated as well.

Posted by: FenFen at January 25, 2009 11:40 AM in response to Soundproofing

when you hang the new ceiling, you will want to hang it on joists that are set between and a couple of inches below the joists for the floor above. This can be achieved through traditional materials such as wood or by hanging a steel grid on which to apply drywall. i've seen drawings of the way to stagger and set wood joists on the 'net. I am sorry, I can't recall the site.

Steve
the tinkers wagon home repairs
347-813-9635

Posted by: thetinkerswagon at January 27, 2009 11:54 AM in response to Soundproofing

if you want it to be done really well i would go the decoupling route. ALso put down some rugs where the kids move around. I'm in the same situation i want the garden floor to be quiet from footsteps. Renovated the garden floor but the ceilings were low so we didn't do much except a layer of sound board which didn't do nearly enough for my tastes.

Going to one day rip up my floor and look into if its possible to decouple from up here because on this parlour floor the ceilings are very high so i don't have to worry about losing a few inches

Posted by: 11211 at January 27, 2009 4:07 PM in response to Soundproofing

Unfortunately, footfall noise is the most difficult to deal with. The direct impact injects a great deal of energy into a small area. This easily overwhelms most isolation systems and products. This is distinctly different from isolating airborne noise. An analogy is surviving a rifle vs. shotgun. Footfall = rifle. A TV set = shotgun.

Thin mats and pads don’t offer much relief at all. Again, very easily overwhelmed by the impact energy of a footstep. Their success is limited to the high frequencies (low energy) and not the more bothersome thumping low frequencies.

Here’s an article with data and graphics that explains the footfall noise problem in detail. http://www.soundproofingcompany.com/index.php?/solutions/neighbor_noise/neighbor_noise_ceilings

I am affiliated with this company, so let me say that for full disclosure.

Given that 95% of the time the problem can only be dealt with from below, generally the best results are obtained when you:

Remove the existing ceiling
Apply mass and damping to the underside of the subfloor
Install simple run of the mill R19 fiberglass insulation
Decouple the new ceiling drywall from the old joists
Install new drywall.

This is a multi-faceted approach that works best, and is a good bang for the buck. Exotic insulation does no better than R19. Lab proven fact. You can assemble your own “soundproof drywall” and have better, far less expensive results. Another lab-proven fact.

If you focus on the fundamentals, you can really improve things a great deal.

Posted by: Ted White at January 29, 2009 4:19 PM in response to Soundproofing

You should ask them both nicely. I asked my neighbor to move the sound system to the other side of the room. He moved it. It used to be right up against the wall and drove me crazy.

Posted by: Dora Chica at July 28, 2009 4:23 PM in response to TV Noise Through Wall

As a recording engineer (of 25 years) who has enjoyed tackling sound issues outside of my work for the challenge, I can assure you that it basically lies with your neighbors' cooperation, and whatever you as the recipient can do will have only marginal effect. I'm not saying that there's no point in a little acoustically geared construction, but it pretty much only helps to do it on their end.

The suggestions for friendly negotiations are spot on.

Best of luck! : )

Posted by: jland at July 28, 2009 7:22 PM in response to TV Noise Through Wall

the LR party wall i share has no outlets or switches. it is just a blank wall. and she is actually pretty conscience of the tv volume and in the evenings it's very low and not bothersome. however, the people below me are not as aware. i have isolated the corner of the room where the tv is below me and i have two elec outlets in that corner. i will try insulating them. ironically that is the spot where i had planned to put the sofa...when it gets purchased so lets hope it can absorb some.

Posted by: CTG at July 28, 2009 10:50 PM in response to TV Noise Through Wall

The arrival of new soft furniture will only help if your space is still very reflective with the rugs in place, and even then it helps tame the sound once it has entered your room. Here's a test: clap your hands slowly. Walk around the room clapping, and listen to the sound of the room. If it's a pleasant clapping sound then probably any treatment won't alter the problem. If the claps sound a little clangy, that's the sign of what's called "standing waves", which happens when lively walls are parallel. What might be happening is that once the sound has entered your apartment, the lack of furniture to break up the sound waves from reflecting *might* be causing it to sound a bit more unpleasant than it would otherwise, so it's more noticeable in its annoyingness. Not having bookshelves sounds like a culprit in this kind of thing. I have doubts the added furniture would make it seem lower in volume, though. Just not as harsh, but if it helps, it helps : ) And unless the room is really cavernously big, that's the only kind of sound bouncing you'd get. (If you clap and it sounds like a concert hall, that would be pretty surprising! : ) )

Posted by: jland at July 29, 2009 3:53 PM in response to TV Noise Through Wall

jland, great post thank you. I will try the clap test. For the record my LR is pretty big - 18'x11' with 9' ceilings...

I plan on introducing myself to the neighbors tonight and delicately mentioning their TV noise. I'll post the outcome later!

Posted by: CTG at July 29, 2009 4:17 PM in response to TV Noise Through Wall