How To Soundproof Basement Ceiling In The Right Way : 10 Working Tips

Do you have a house with a basement? If yes, you must think of soundproofing the basement ceiling to make the space more usable. 

For instance, if you have a home theater in your basement, the sound will disturb people staying upstairs. Similarly, if someone is playing loud music upstairs and you have an office in your basement, the noise can hinder you from concentrating on work.

So, how to soundproof basement ceiling? There are numerous ways to soundproof your basement ceiling. It includes adding insulation, installing drywall sheets on the ceiling, or rearranging furniture.

The article discusses how to soundproof basement ceiling. So, you can keep reading this article to learn about how you can soundproof your basement ceiling and utilize the space effectively.

What Kind Of Noise Enters Through Your Basement Ceiling?

There are two types of noise that can enter through the basement ceiling. They are ar borne noise and impact noise.

1. Airborne Noise

When the noise travels through the air, it is called airborne noise. For instance, someone is playing loud music upstairs, and you listen to it while working in your basement. It is an example of airborne noise. The sound waves of music travel through the air and reach your ears.

2. Impact Noise

Impact noise occurs when someone hits a surface. For instance, when kids hit the floor with their balls upstairs, the noise you hear while working in your basement is impact noise. The noise travels from the floorboard upstairs into your basement ceiling and distracts you.

How To Soundproof Basement Ceiling?

Soundproofing your basement ceiling is a bit challenging. But it can be accomplished by choosing the right materials and techniques. We are discussing below some techniques by which you can easily soundproof your basement ceiling.

1. Seal Gaps

Cracks and gaps in your ceiling can easily allow sound waves to enter and disturb you while sleeping in your basement or concentrating on your work. So you need to seal them first to block the sound waves.

The most effective way is to use acoustic caulk to seal cracks and gaps in the basement ceiling. The acoustical caulk will not get hard with time. Its resilience will help to dampen sound noise.

If you have an unfinished ceiling, you can use acoustic caulk to seal the gaps between the plywood sheets or on gaps near pipes and wires that pass through the floor.

2. Use Rugs Or Carpets

Do you wish to soundproof your basement ceiling at an affordable price? If yes, think of laying carpets or rugs on the floor above the basement.

Buy thick and fluffy carpets or rugs and lay them on the floor above you. It will increase density and will not easily allow the impact noise to travel through the floorboards Into the basement ceiling.

If you have already installed carpets, then think of buying padding. You can place it in between the subfloor and the carpet. They will help significantly to dampen the sound waves.

Another way to muffle sound waves is by adding mass-loaded vinyl sheets between the subfloor and carpet. These sheets will help to absorb the impact noise significantly.

3. Install Dry Wall Sheet

Installing drywall sheets on your ceiling is a bit expensive. But it will increase the mass of the basement ceiling and helps to minimize the noise level. 

You can even use a sound-dampening compound, i.e., green glue, between two drywall sheets. Sound waves usually pass through an object and exit from the other side. 

So, whenever the sound waves pass reaches the green glue, the energy converts into heat energy and dissipates outside. So in this way, green glue can help to reduce noise levels.

4. Add insulation

Do joists are exposed on your basement ceiling? If yes, then you need to insulate your basement ceiling. It will help to reduce the noise levels coming from upstairs. 

You can even add insulation to your finished ceiling, which involves much work. It is even time consuming than adding insulation to an unfinished basement ceiling.

Choose the right material for your basement ceiling to reduce noise levels. 

For instance, you can choose mineral wool. It adds mass to your ceiling and stays in place. Mineral wool helps to cut the vibration and noise levels coming from upstairs. They are available in battens and panels form, and you can choose according to your preferences.

Fiberglass is another option that you can use to insulate your basement ceiling. It is soft, fluffy, and available only in batten form. But fiberglass requires some help to stay in between the joists.

Another option is foam board which works similarly to a drywall sheet and helps reduce noise levels from upstairs.

5. Acoustic Foams

You can use acoustic foam on your basement ceiling to reduce noise levels. They are lightweight and help to reduce echo and reverberations. It is one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce noise in your basement. 

We have listed a step-by-step guide on installing acoustic foam on your basement ceiling quickly.

• You need to first remove all the dust and dirt from your basement ceiling. Removing all the dust and dirt will help the acoustic foam to stick properly.
• You need to seal all the gaps and cracks with the help of acoustic caulk on your basement ceiling.
• Measure the dimensions and then cut the acoustic foam accordingly.
• Apply adhesive on the back of the acoustic foam and then attach it to your basement ceiling.

6. Mutex soundproofing Material

Do you want a simpler way than acoustic foams to reduce noise levels from your basement ceiling? If yes, then think of mutex soundproofing material. They will significantly help to dampen the noise levels.

It is a type of mat that you can use to soundproof your basement ceiling. The Mutex soundproofing material is available in the form of thick black rolls; you need to put them according to the dimensions of your ceiling.

It’s best to attach the mutex soundproofing material with the drywall sheet and install them on your basement ceiling. It will increase the mass of your ceiling and helps to reduce noise levels.

7. Use Resilient Channels

Sound requires a medium to travel from one region to another. It can quickly transfer through solids. If you install only one layer of drywall sheet on the basement ceiling, the noise from upstairs can easily transmit to the basement ceiling and disturb you. 

Installing resilient channels will create a gap between the drywall and the ceiling. The sound coming from upstairs is distributed among the installed resilient channels, thus losing energy. So little or almost negligible sound waves enter through the drywall sheets.

8. Rearrange Your Furniture

Are you looking for some cheap ways to soundproof your basement ceiling? If yes, then you must rearrange the furniture kept on upstairs. Keep heavy furniture like a sofa or bookshelf just above the basement. This heavy furniture will help to dampen the sound waves.

9. Use Soundproof Paint

Using only soundproofing paint on your basement ceiling may not help to reduce all the noise levels. However, when you can combine soundproofing paint with other techniques described above, the results are excellent.

The soundproof paints are usually thick, and you can apply them easily in your room. There is no need to take the help of a professional. The soundproof paints will reflect the soundwaves to the noise source rather than transmitting. It thus helps to minimize noise levels in your basement area.

Also Read : How To Make Your Neighbors Move Immediately

10. Use Mass Loaded Vinyl

Using only insulation on your basement ceiling is not enough to reduce noise levels. Mass-load vinyl sheets are a great option. They come in rolls; you need to cut them to the desired length and install them in drywall sheets to reduce noise levels.

Conclusion

You need to soundproof your basement ceiling to enjoy music or work without disturbing people staying upstairs. Additionally, the soundproofing will minimize the noise level coming from upstairs.

We have discussed various ways how to soundproof your basement ceiling and hope you will adopt any of these techniques to reduce sound coming from your ceiling.

Thank you for reading this article.

FAQ : How To Soundproof Your Basement Ceiling