How to Soundproof Between Existing Floors: 7 Best Noise Reduction Tips

With millions of people living next floor to a noisy neighbour, you might be wondering ways to soundproof a floor that you can do at home right away.No matter how fancy your apartment is, unwanted noise can make the environment inside pretty hostile.

The most annoying part about it is that it can impede your good night’s sleep or the peaceful resting time on the weekend that you were aching for the past few weeks.

So instead of rolling on the bed all night long without sound sleep, ruining your resting time with annoyance or confronting them, and making things awkward between you and your neighbor, you can find out how to soundproof between existing floors.

But before you start soundproofing the existing floors be sure to check out what you can and cant not do when it comes to building something new. As there are some rules that must be followed if you live in an apartment complex.

Simply go through the following steps and you’ll be able to soundproof between existing floors all on your own.

Soundproof Existing Floors & New Construction – 7 Cheap Methods to Reduce Noise:

1.Finding Out The Main Source Of The Noise

To start the process of soundproofing the first thing you need to do is to find out the exact source of the noise. There are many kinds of noise that you can hear. To successfully soundproof your house you need to find out what kind of noise is mainly causing the disturbance. After selecting that you must find out where it is coming from.

There are mainly two types of noise that may bother you

a) Ariel Noise or Airborne Noise

These are the most common noise you hear every day. These ambient noises are mostly caused by the alarm tone, voices, a tv or radio playing, music from any soundbox.

These noises are transmitted by air and carried until the sound wave hits something solid, in this case, floors and ceilings.these ariel or airborne noise can be reduced by the aid of absorption. Many soundproofing Materials are found nowadays that can easily decrease this ariel noise.

b) Collision Noise Or Impact Noise

Collision noise or impact noise is tougher to soundproof against. These sounds are generated when one object collides with another. The vibration caused by the collision results in collision noise. For example, If you drop something on the floor or someone jumps up and down or you hit the wall with a nail collision or impact noise will be produced.

Now as you got the idea about the types of sound you wanna decrease it’s time for the soundproofing process.

2. Figuring Out The Type Floor you Are Soundproofing

Just like noise, there are two types of floor construction that you may face.

a) Concrete Floor

As concrete floor construction is denser than any other floor construction it will block most of the ariel noise all by itself. But collision or impact noises will be carried to the next floor.

b) Timber Floorboard

Timber floorboards carry both ariel noise as well as collision noise. So this can be problematic when it comes to soundproofing.

3. Soundproofing The Timber Floor

If you find out that the sound that is causing the downstairs is causing the disturbance you have to soundproof the floor. If the floor is made out of timber joists the most useful way soundproof is by thick carpeting.

Carpet is the go-to solution for reducing the impact noises. It reduces the noise coming from the down floor by absorbing the vibration. But before you consider carpeting your whole floor, keep in mind that this is quite expensive. On the bright side, it is beautiful as well.

To reduce the sound, even more, you can use drywall between the carpet and the floor. This will enhance the soundproofing to a greater extent.

You can also try the alternative of drywall by using a Sound deadening mat:

4. Soundproofing The Concrete Floor

As we pointed it out before, concrete floors are dense in nature. So airborne sounds can’t easily pass through the floor. However, impact noises transmit through the floor. To block the impact noise, you must put soundproofing over the concrete floor. This will absorb the impact created from the source and block the noise transmission.

a) Block Sound by Using Drywalls

You can soundproof concrete floor by directly installing drywalls. Remember to keep a gap of about an inch or two between the floor and the drywall. You can also cover the entire floor with thick rugs which will reduce the noise coming from downstairs drastically. Try to use rugs as thick as possible for maximum sound blocking.

b) Reduce Impact Noise by Using Furniture

A very interesting fact is that furniture can reduce impact noise by a lot. You can move some furniture to the room that is affected the most by the impact noise. You’ll be able to observe a noticeable change right after. Furniture tends to absorb the impact vibration and makes the sound decay. It’s a cheap method or material for soundproofing a room. You May Also Like: How to Soundproof a Room Cheaply

5. Soundproofing The Ceiling to reduce upstairs floor noise

The biggest mistake many people make is not thinking about soundproofing the ceiling. When it comes to noises it can come from both ways. If the sound is coming from the floor above you then you must find some ways to soundproof your ceiling also.

a) With the Aid Of a Drywall

As always drywalls come into play here also. You can add a thick layer of drywall to block the noise coming from above. But be careful about placing and fixing the drywall layer perfectly on the ceiling as you don’t want it falling on top of you anytime soon.

b) With the Aid Of Acoustic Foam Panel

There’s a well-known alternative when it comes to soundproofing a ceiling which is an acoustic foam panel. The great thing about the acoustic floor panel is its diversity. It can come in various shapes, designs, colours, sizes and can be made of different materials. So you get the freedom to choose the foam panel according to your taste and need.

Final Verdict

It is totally understandable how inconvenient it is to get annoyed by the noise coming from the interior walls or the existing floor. But if you’re not comfortable with an unwanted confrontation with your neighbours there’s absolutely no reason to panic anymore.

Even though how to soundproof between the existing floors is a bit difficult than soundproofing in new construction. But you can simply just figure out where the noise is coming from and figure out the type of material your floor is made up of and get to work.

Always keep in mind that Size matters when it comes to soundproofing. The thicker the insulation material is the more sound it will absorb and cancel out. You can now choose what type of material you’re going to use and you’re good to go. Let us know if you find the information useful or not. Share your thoughts on the comment box.

Last Updated on October 17, 2021 by Rogers Weber

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