How can I improve soundproofing between units in a townhouse.

I recently finished a townhouse renovation, but the soundproofing between the duplex and garden level apartment turns out to be insufficient. On the garden level I can hear impact sounds from footsteps, moving chairs, dropped items etc., music, TV and voices – although to a lesser degree. It appears that most of the noise is coming via the interior staircase which is closed off with a fire rated door and a roxul board wall. The flooring consists of the original subfloor, which is directly attached to the joists. Below is a single layer of 5/8″ drywall ceiling, and the spaces between the joists are insulated with fiberglass batts. In the living room, the joists are exposed and the spaces in-between are finished with sheets of drywall and fiberglass insulation. In the hallway, the ceiling is original plaster on wood lathe with no insulation. I’ve sealed the perimeter of the floor with foam strips and caulk below the baseboards, but with limited success. I am looking for suggestions on how I can incrementally improve the issue, considering that both units are currently occ upied. I’d welcome any suggestions about materials and methods that were successful, as well as recommendations of consultants that specialize in acoustic engineering.

firsthome

in General Discussion 6 years and 6 months ago

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astoriahomeowner

in General Discussion 6 years and 6 months ago

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@dorkofwindsor Tell us more about studio soundproofing.

dorkofwindsor | 6 years and 6 months ago

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firsthome, sry i only know of people who do recording studios, although concept is similar. A drop ceiling in a garden apt can be done with as little as three inch loss in height, which for some is indeed too much. If you google there are obviously a lot of places will consult for you and may have contractor recs, which if they know and trust could save a lot of handholding. When a consultant has the correct solution and contractor correct execution it should def help. No permits is right, insulation will help a little and no doubt will be part of any solution – it slows airborne sound (voice) much better than footfall noise that is being transmitted via materials instead of air, but also provides some damping. Clearly you cant rely on that alone, just icing on the cake. Your ambient noise issue may be from a wall and door sound issue, similar to ceiling. Similar solution i would imagine. A consultant should be able to estimate how many db reduction you should expect from a given solution and explain what that means in what you would hear.

bklynbabe | 6 years and 6 months ago

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Sound-absorbing materials do help at least some. Thank goodness you do not have TIN CEILINGS , The worst.

yudashasom | 6 years and 6 months ago

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But going back to what I said, even with all the expensive materials, contractors and consultants, its near impossible to solve this issue.

yudashasom | 6 years and 6 months ago

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Typical garden apartments don’t have enough height to drop the ceiling.

firsthome | 6 years and 6 months ago

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Thanks for your suggestions and insights. @BklynBabe: the tenant has not put down area rugs, so I don’t know to what degree the rugs will remedy the situation. I’d assume that it would mostly reduce the impact noise in the apartment below but be less effective to reduce ambient noise from the bottom unit. @dorkofwindsor: do you have any contacts I could speak to about the drop ceiling installation? Also, it appears that the majority of ambient noise comes from the connecting staircase. I’ve read about sound insulation blankets. Has anyone used these successfully?

dorkofwindsor | 6 years and 6 months ago

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Its not that complicated. Either 1) remove parlor floors and reinstall for sound impact – i.e. high quality sound flooring underlayment (unlikely w/o gut rehab) or 2) re-do ceiling in garden level, dropping it with resilient isolation clips and at least 2x drywall. Sure you can do insulation too but mass stops sound and nearly all laypeople and contractors make this mistake.

Both obviously best case scenario if one is gutting. Drop ceiling is what most do – but the devil is in the details – most local contractors are complete hacks when it comes to sound isolation.

bklynbabe | 6 years and 6 months ago

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Have you considered carpeting the stairs and stairwell floors, and asking the tenants to get large area rugs? It will help a little.

yudashasom | 6 years and 6 months ago

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It’s unlikely, short of a full gut, that you will solve this problem. Even with expensive consultants, contractors and the latest materials – it’s near impossible. Everyone deals with this issue in row houses.