The soundproofing of a ceiling can be approached in a couple of different ways, depending upon whether or not a room exists above the one that’s being soundproofed. If, for instance, the intention is to soundproof a ceiling that has no room above it – such as in the case of a one-story home or the second floor of a two-story home – then you probably won’t have to do much of anything, since the nature of the home’s construction will do most of the job. If, on the other hand, you’re planning to soundproof a room that has an actively used room above it – e.g., if the work is being done on the first floor of a two-story home – then more planning will need to go into the project.
Supposing that your goal is to reduce or eliminate the sound from an upper room, a variety of soundproofing materials may need to be used – especially if you want to eliminate the sound of footsteps from above. One of the best materials that can be used for soundproofing a ceiling is a resilient channel, which is simply a z-shaped piece of steel that will retard the vibration or noise through the overhead structure. These can be purchased through a soundproofing company and, while this may be pricier than some other forms of soundproofing, the cost will be greatly reduced by doing the work yourself.
* It’s important to note that, while a resilient channel is an effective method for blocking ceiling noise, it also provides solid soundproofing for walls that have significant noise on the other side, such as passing trains or loud music – even if it’s coming from a live band.
Buffering Sound from Floors
There’s not a lot of work involved in soundproofing a floor. All that’s really needed is the temporary removal of the carpeting and padding, followed by a layer of vinyl barrier foam composite laid on the sub-flooring – with the foam side facing down – after which a silicone adhesive is used to seal any creases. Once this has been accomplished, simply relay the padding and carpeting.