Stop Noise Bleed Through Ceiling/Floor

This is a common problem often called into NetWell from residents sharing a common facility. Apartment dwellers, townhomes, condos, and single family homes with a surround sound room downstairs (or a noisy teenager) and a living quarters above.

Problem: Noise bleeds through the common surface up and down

Solution: There is none! Nothing you do will "cure" your problem. Any effort you put forth with NetWell products or any other source, will be only an attempt to better "control" the problem. So if you want complete elimination, don't call. However, if you've set your expectation levels accordingly, and are willing to do some work here, and accept any decrease in sound as a victory, read on!

DENSITY + DISCONNECTION

These are the two components you need to effectively combat noise from transmitting through any common surface. If the surface is a wall, no problem. We refer you to our section designed to Stop Noise Bleed Through Common Walls. In a wall scenario, there are no footsteps, no bass vibrations through the floor, and it's an easier approach to treat. In a floor/ceiling setup, however, we have a bigger structural vibration issue at hand.

The first issue is how to disconnect the floor upstairs from the ceiling down below. It CAN be done, but it takes some effort. If you're a renter, forget it. The labor and cost associated with this effort is not worth it if you don't own the facility. You can't take this approach with you. If you own your facility, this is a good investment.

You need to either "raise" the floor upstairs, or "lower" the ceiling down below, and then add the density you are missing in your current setup. This will disconnect the surfaces as much as possible, and prevent the structural vibration from pulling the noise through the common surface.

The question is how to disconnect a floor from a ceiling down below. Most think to "raise" the floor, but in an existing facility, it is quite impractical. It's much easier to drop the ceiling downstairs by an inch or two, than raise the floor above where you need to worry about doors, outlets, base plates, etc. In a new build setup, call NetWell to discuss a raised floor scenario. But most of our callers have existing facilities.

So let's explore the ceiling option down below.

There are 2 setups with a ceiling. Either a finished ceiling or a dropped grid system. Either can be treated for transmission loss. If your ceiling is exposed, simply staple our dB-Bloc barrier material to the exposed joists, then apply a thin set of firring strips that run perpendicular to the direction of the joists, then a layer of drywall. The firring strips help "lift" your finished ceiling away from the joists above, and also help support the weight of the dB-Bloc. This technique can be done taking up about 1" of height only in the room downstairs. You've separated the surfaces and have added density into the equation.

The result? Hard to forecast exact with consideration of leaks through vents, pipes, windows, outlet plates, doors, vibration through walls, etc. But if this technique yeilds just a 10 decibel level drop, and every 3 dB is actually a 50% drop in sound, is it worth the time and labor to do it? You bet!

The alternative scenario downstairs is a drop in ceiling tile grid system. By design, you've already got a ceiling then that is disconnected from the floor upstairs, correct? But you still lack the density. This gives you 2 options. First, you could still take our dB-Bloc and staple it to your joists. This is hidden above your ceiling tiles. Or second, you could simply add our Ceiling Caps. Lay them down on top of your own ceiling tiles and they will help hold the noise to within the room. Remember, in either case, your ceiling tiles alone do NOT serve to block sound transmission. Ceiling tiles absorb echo reflecting back into your room. They are not dense. They do not have the properties you need to contain the noise to within the room.

Good luck with your effort. Call us for help!