How to quiet your upstairs neighbors that make a lot of noise

How to quiet your upstairs neighbors that make a lot of noise

Ah, folks. Both with and without them, I cannot survive. As you are aware if you are reading this post, getting along with people can be both a benefit and a burden. Noise from above is one of the most often cited issues in multi-family housing, including apartments, condos, and duplexes. Many complaints have been made to us by persons claiming to be able to hear their upstairs neighbor's every move. How do I make this right?"

The sound of impact—typically footsteps—occurs when someone is on top of another, irritating them. You get the impression that your upstairs neighbors are continually making noise when there is impact sounds. Although it's not simple to eliminate impact noise, it is possible. All you need is the appropriate soundproofing material and the ability to construct on your floor or ceiling.

To achieve the peace of mind you've been dreaming of since your upstairs neighbors began chatting about elephants on the level above you, keep reading to find out how to soundproof an apartment or home. have begun to adhere to.

Recognizing the Issue of Noisy Neighbors: Sounds in Multi-Family Homes

Determine the sounds that are disturbing you before soundproofing the ceiling because of loud noises from the neighbors. Knowing the distinction between impact and airborne noise is an excellent place to start when trying to decrease noise from higher levels.

Footsteps are the most frequent kind of impact noise. In fact, the most prevalent kind of unwelcome noise in multi-family housing is footsteps. This is because, for a variety of reasons, many structures lack the necessary IIC rating to block impact noise, and impact noise in particular is loud and irregular in a manner that is very annoying to people. is anticipated to occur. It draws our attention and breaks up the backdrop.

The second most frequent noise complaint, after impact noise, is "My upstairs neighbor is so loud, I can hear every conversation!" Airborne noise, such as conversations, may pass through or around your floor or ceiling. Either there's an air gap of some kind that lets sound readily pass through to another room, or there's not enough density to stop the sound.

Finding out whether you can start soundproofing your ceiling to address noise from upper-floor apartments is the next step after determining what kind of noise you need to stop.

Regarding the loud neighbors above, what can you do?

Before installing any soundproofing, you must get the building owner's consent if you reside in an apartment complex and are constantly bothered by noise from a unit on a higher level. You will most likely have better results if you reside in a shared or duplex property that is owned by just one individual. Sincerity speaking, your best bet is to persuade the building owner that soundproofing is worthwhile and then demand payment for the supplies and work.

If your upstairs neighbor is making a lot of noise and you reside in a condo, you should find out from your HOA how these kinds of problems are resolved. The level of soundproofing that tile floors or any other kind of floor assembly should have is specified by some HOA rules. Your floor-ceiling assembly could have an STC rating or an IIC rating that is lower than anticipated (the IIC rating should typically be 50 or even 55).

In order to block out outside noise, you may install soundproofing between levels in a condo, regardless of whether it comes standard.

Soundproofing against noisy neighbors' impacts

You essentially have two alternatives if you want to lessen impact noise, such as footsteps, that is upsetting your quiet:

Install sound-absorbing ceiling clips.

For flooring, use rubber underlayment.

Install the Sound Isolation Clip first.

Installing sound isolation clips on the ceiling joists is the first option for treating your ceiling, which involves taking down the drywall. The clip's function is to divert structural impact noise and divide the drywall from the ceiling joist.

Once the clips are in place, screw the 5/8"" drywall into the channel and then snap the 25 gauge hat into it. Use acoustic sealant to seal the perimeter. Any kind of lighting that calls for drilling holes in the ceiling should be avoided, in our opinion. The RSIC sound isolation clips are our favorites. The only way to reduce impact noise if you must treat your ceiling is to use sound isolation clips.

Installing Rubber Floor Underlayment is Step Two.

Adding rubber floor underlayment to the floor above you is your second choice. Post-consumer recycled rubber is used to make rubber underlayment, which is great for separating the floor from the building structure and reducing impact noise. Although treating the floor above you isn't always possible, this is the greatest approach to soundproof a floor against impact sounds. You'll need to concentrate on the roof if you want to soundproof timber flooring at a level above your. Underblock is a fantastic choice, for instance, if your apartment has an attic and you need to soundproof the attic level. See our post on soundproofing open ceilings for more information.

protection against airborne noise from obnoxious neighbors

There are various methods to cope with airborne noise, such as turning off the TV or talking to loud above neighbors. Making the space airtight or increasing the bulk of your barrier are the fundamental tactics that most techniques center on.

Using green glue is the quickest and most efficient technique to soundproof an existing ceiling against airborne noise. It works well in between drywall and other building materials and is non-toxic. Installing it in between your current ceiling and a fresh coat of 5/8" drywall will raise the assembly's STC rating by a considerable amount and won't need any demolition work. green glue for every four by eight drywall sheet Make use of two tubes.

Installing a rubber underlayment (again, underblock) on the floor above or demolishing the current ceiling and adding soundproofing material are two other methods for soundproofing a ceiling against airborne noise. Although mass loaded vinyl (MLV) may be installed directly onto ceiling joists, we advise against this for most residential clients due to installation difficulties (MLV is hefty!). As the sole solution to successfully block out impact noise, a sound isolation clip system (RSIC Clip) is the best alternative in terms of performance and our first choice. The STC rating of a floor-ceiling assembly is increased by 5-7 points when insulation is used instead of not, thus if you don't already have it, you should add it.

You should use an acoustic sealant for this job, just as for any other soundproofing project. Sealing gaps is always important when dealing with noise on an upper level. Seal the perimeter of your ceiling and any areas where gaps or seams are visible, including the areas around light fixtures, using sealant.

While all of the solutions we've discussed are great at mitigating upstairs neighbors' airborne noise, the RSIC clips and Underblock rubber underlayment are particularly effective at decreasing impact noise. Keep in mind that the pathways taken by these two forms of noise vary, and you should be OK!

Things not to do in order to muffle ceiling noise

Contrary to what you may read online, don't make these blunders while attempting to soundproof a room in order to keep your upstairs neighbor from hearing you.

Acoustic panel, please stop. We feel a bit embarrassed when we hear from someone who followed this advise since it makes us seem like experts. You won't be able to address your issue with any material designated as an acoustic product. Although they won't truly stop noise, acoustic panels and other acoustic materials are designed to reduce reverberation and echo in a space.

This is because, as you may have seen from the material above, airtight and dense installation is required for acoustic items in order to stop sound from passing through rooms.

canned lighting

Canned lights are a great decorative accent, but if noise management is a problem for you, don't put them on any ceilings. You are essentially making big holes in your ceiling when you install them, which allow sound to flow through.

roof pitches

We provide a simple remedy if your incomplete ceiling is causing noise issues for you. Complete the roofing! To properly block noise, a complete floor-ceiling assembly is needed, which includes extra soundproofing from the second layer to prevent airborne and impact sounds.

Conclusion: Strategies for mitigating upstairs neighbors' noise

I hope you had fun reading this piece! We get that figuring out how to handle loud upstairs neighbors may be challenging. This is not a simple issue to tackle, particularly since there are situations when you may not have all the answers. Get in touch with Second Skin if you have any further queries; our soundproofing specialists can provide advice on how to soundproof your house as effectively as possible!