What is required to sound proof a basement celling?

8/13/2014 at 3:20:00 PM

I put Roxul Safe & sound in my basement ceiling to minimize sound transmission from TV etc to bedrooms above and it worked really well.

http://www.homedepot.ca/product/roxul-safensound-for-wood-studs-16-in-on-centre/972187

8/14/2014 at 7:16:18 AM

Resilient channel with rocksol safe and sound.

8/14/2014 at 9:01:40 AM

In order to do what Alan and John said, you would need to remover your gyproc ceiling completely. Another method is "blown in cellulose". for this, we would make holes in your ceiling and fill your ceiling with a product that looks like lint. this procedure will save money on installing new gyproc, but there will be a lot of holes to patch and plaster.

Roberto

GCBE Construction Management

8/14/2014 at 6:37:34 PM

Hi Dewy,

I will keep it simple for you.

Step 1. Use Roxul safe and sound in the floor joist cavities.

Step 2. Use Baily's Resilient Channel screw to the floor joist to absorb vibrations.

Step 3. Use 5/8" or 1/2" drywall on the ceiling. The thicker obviously giving better sound dampening.

Note: All insulation materials should be kept away from pot lights in the ceiling, a bear minimum of 18-24" away, meaning the area around the pot lights does not get sound proofed very well. You can avoid this by having low voltage LED pot lights that are compatible with insulation and will allow you to insulated right up to the pot light creating a much better sound proofing. Check with a licensed electrician with regards to having the LED pots installed.

8/19/2014 at 10:09:58 AM

Hi Dewy,

You have a couple of responses so far however I would like to add my own comments to your question as well. First off it all depends how sound proof you would like to make your space. The first thing to know is that there is no SOUND PROOF. Unless you plan to spend a lot of money, but there are many sound deadening techniques you can use.

1. Use Roxul safe n sound insulation, and depending on the sizing of your joists, I would double layer this insulation, one right up against the plywood subfloor, then a small air pocket and then a second layer flush with the bottom of the joists. The sound vibration will be killed by the air pocket between the two layers. This should drastically reduce the noise transmission between floors. The other problem is that you say you need to only sound proof 2/3 of your basement. That said wherever you plan to insulate up until, you need to frame a wall there if there isnt already one and sound insulate it all the way up and down as well, if there is a door in that wall, you should use a safe n sound door which will limit sound transmission. Once you have that done, you can move on to further sound proofing solutions depending on your needs. without building this wall to complete a sound proofed area, all the ceiling insulation will be all for not.

2. Don't use resilient channel, most people do not know how to install it properly and will short it out defeating its use, and costing you money that you dont need to. Also if someone shorts out the resilient channel it will lead to cracking joints in your ceiling. There is a much better product out there that does the same thing and doesnt have the problem of shorting out. Its called a genie clip.

3. Then after that you should use 5/8" drywall on the ceiling between floors anyways, but this will also help to deaden sound.

Also please do not use any blown in insulation, unless it has been specifically approved for fire rated assemblies as if you have a drywall ceiling already, your light fixtures pot lights etc will not have the proper insulated houses, making it a fire risk.

For the cost of drywall, a 1/2" sheet is say $7, a 5/8" sheet can be $12-$16.

If you have any questions regarding more sound proofing techniques or more explanation of why not to use resilient channel, gimme a shout or email anytime.

Have a good one and good luck.