I own a two family house that was once a single family. The sound transmission between the floors is quite high. I would like to know if anyone has any ideas how I can stop some of the noise. The floor is built of full-size 2×8,with a layer of plastered blue for the ceiling below. The cavity is filled with fiberglass battings. The floor is old one by pine, with 5/8 ply, followed by carpet pad and carpet. The carpet is old and needs to be replaced. This would give me access to the space in between, which I though that I could remove the fiberglass and put something with greater sound deadening qualities back in its place. The downstair apartment is rented and I can’t work from that side.
Any suggestions.
Replies
We used mats that were available when I worked on church construction. They were thin rubber mats that were supposed to dampen sound transmission. You'd have to refloor the whole upstairs. Keep raising the rent til they leave. Then do it from that side. It'd be easier.
Maybe you could discuss this with them and see what they say. Try stomping a lot before you talk to them....
(I know, you can't, but I did have a friend who bought such a place and doubled the rent on the existing tenet. She stayed. It was still a good deal even then.)
Edited 10/3/2002 9:39:56 PM ET by Wilburn Hancock
I have very good tenants, who take care of the place, appolgize if the rent is a day late. They both have good jobs. So any work that gets done will happen from the second floor. They are not that noisey, the sounds, talking and music just penetrate the floor.
I would be up front with them if I felt that way about them. Explain what you said to me... you think they are great tenants and you want to keep them. Also, entreat them to a listen from your side of the floor/ceiling and allow them to understand that you just want to make it okay for your family. If you thought they were being too loud you'd said that, so you're just letting them understand that A) I hear _everything_ B) you don't want to hear _everything_ C) to fix that without causing their rent to go sky high, it'd be a lot easier to fix from the downstairs end..
At the end of that discussion you truly know where you stand. Show them the solutions posted. Also, you are the owner not the tenant. If there is an increase in cost to maintain they will bear it, at least 1/2. What if my wife an I are next? We leave and you try to collect, we'll countersue and show where we told you it was too loud and you didn't fix it...
Just thoughts...
What kind of noise are you talking about? Foot traffic, music, lound conversation? You already have what would be considered a decent or usual floor system for your application. Resilient channel to separate the ceiling below from the framing would help, but you don't want to work on that side. The fibreglass batts could only be upgraded to maybe sound batts w/o too much work but I don't know if it's worth the effort to tear up the flooring. One thing that should help is installing Homasote 440 sound barrier.
http://www.homasote.com/
The homasote would be put down on top of the subfloor, then pad/carpet. Cost about 16.00/4x8x1/2" sheet. Install as instructed with required gaps, this stuff can expand and bubble if laid tight. best of luck.
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Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Used something like homasote, claimed to be good sound blocker. Helped some, but not as good as I would have liked. I have been thinking of pulling all glass insulation out and filling the voids with Icynene spray in insulation or some other such product. Some one I know used it in their house and it work really well. They have sold the house, so I can't go and listen for my self.
Jasmid,
I just built my house 2 years ago. It is a 2 story craftsman and has wood floors thoughout. Several people advised me to install fiberglass insulation between floors for sound isolation. I decided against that option, although I don't get much noise between floors. We installed a radiant heating system over the sub-floor upstairs. The plastic hotwater pipes are encased in a concrete slurry that is less than 2" thick and very light. This is the first layer of sound isolation. Next we installed a good sound and shock pad for floating floors and finally an engineered flooring. We can hardly tell when someone is walking upstairs. This was an expensive option, but it provided a heating system and good sound isolation.
Good luck,
Mike
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