Soundproofing the Ceiling - Cost?

How much would it cost to have someone soundproof our ceiling? It’s a private house, and we’re looking at just the one floor of about 720 square feet with two bedrooms, a huge closet, a hall and a bathroom. The house has done some settling since 1899, though I’m not sure how much of an issue this would be since the process will involve lowering the ceiling a tad anyway. If I’m going to all this trouble and expense, I’d like to have a quality job that makes standard footfalls as silent as possible. Thanks.

DouglasAlan

in Soundproofing 13 years and 11 months ago

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2020audiovisual | 13 years and 11 months ago

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If footfalls are an issue, they will most likely be heard across a wide area. Doing a music test above the perceived loudest listening level is key, as many of us listen at different levels. Spray insulation is a great way to go if you are simply worried about voices and footfalls; music may be more of a challenge. If the ceiling will be lowered, you may want to go with approximately 3″ of spray foam, which will cost approximately $2500 for your 750 sqft project AND add a layer of homasote (a widely available sound absorber) and a type of sheet rock called Quiet Rock, which is a piece of sheet rock with rubber on the back (another sound absorbing product). This method is not cheap, but it ensures the proper amount of sound baffling to almost eliminate the noises from above. The up side is that this method will save you about $150 in HVAC costs every year and will give you peace of mind that the neighbor upstairs can not be nosey. If you would like to ensure that no sound will travel between floors, you must isolate the room/home. That is a large task that I have seen performed during one of our Audio Visual installations. The entire house sounded like a studio recording room.

Please do not hesitate to ask us ANY questions related to Sound, Video, Lighting, Shades or anything Audio Visual related. Hope this helps!

**20/20 Audio Visual Inc.
…we make it simple.**

Benchmark Projects | 13 years and 11 months ago

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One option to consider is having  foam insulation sprayed between the joists. This would be the least disruptive. If this didnt provide enough sound dampening then you can proceed with applying additional layers of sheet rock and sound board to the ceiling. Be sure to use someone who has experience in this area, because there are several different materials and techniques that can be used to do this.

dazednconfused2 | 13 years and 11 months ago

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I’d suggest living there a little while first.  You mention renovation, so two things:  First, if you’re renovating, chances are there are openings in the walls or ceiling allowing sound to travel through.  Second, the place is likely empty, so there are no soft surfaces to absorb the sound.  As soon as the renovating’s done and you’ve moved in, both of these things will have drastically changed, and you may find that it’s not so important after all.

HouseNut | 13 years and 11 months ago

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Brooklyn Soundproofing will provide a quote and proposed method based on your description through an online form, but it is better if you know exactly what problem you want to solve first because the ocst will vary widely based on the method used.

masterbuilder | 13 years and 11 months ago

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We are involved with construction projects that have sound control requirements from the DOB via the DEP.  Take a look at this link:  http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/noise/index.shtmlYou might want to consider talking to a DEP approved noise consultant.  It is one thing to throw out a cost for suspending a ceiling and installing homasote or green glue and insulation (etc.), and another thing altogether to isolate exactly what it is that is irksome to you and ensure you will be able to dampen those sounds in particular.

DouglasAlan | 13 years and 11 months ago

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Follow up…would like IIC of 65 or better.