Soundproofing a Floor 

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A recent NetWell Blog:

The issue of noise bleed through a connected ceiling-floor structure leads many home and business owners to seek a sound reduction solution to combat the problem. When a person walks across a floor in an upstairs room, the resulting sound vibrations travel through the floor and become audible in the room below. Unless specifically designed to break down sound waves and prevent the transmission of vibrations, the common surface of an adjoined floor and ceiling provides a perfect means of transmitting noise between the two rooms sharing the surface. Rather than blocking sound waves from reaching the room below, the floor serves as a common surface through which structure-borne vibrations can easily travel and become audible in the adjoining room. Combating the problem of noise transmission between rooms which share a ceiling-floor structure involves inhibiting the ability of the shared surface to freely transmit vibrations, which is accomplished by increasing density and establishing a disconnection between the two surfaces to force the breakdown of sound waves.

Treatments may be applied to the floor above or the ceiling below, depending upon the individual characteristics of a project. Deadening noise levels by treating the upstairs floor typically involves implementing a floor underlayment treatment. Installing a layer of rubber-based soundproofing underlay beneath the carpet pad, hardwood or laminate floor, tile, linoleum or marble flooring adds weight and density that serves to reduce or prevent sound vibrations from traveling through to the room below. If the floor is complete and installing such underlay is not viable, the ceiling of the room below may instead be treated to break down vibrations caused by footsteps and squeaky floors.

The appropriate ceiling soundproofing treatment depends in part on the construction stage and style of the ceiling. Though the methods of treating ceilings differ, the underlying goal of increasing density and establishing a disconnected structure to break down sound vibrations is the same. Exposed joist ceilings and finished ceilings are treated in much the same way. A layer of heavyweight material such as dB-Bloc is applied over the entire ceiling, affixed directly to either the ceiling itself or the exposed joists. The installation of dB-Bloc adds weight which serves to control the bleed of airborne noise. Once density is added, a disconnected surface is created that will force the collapse of sound waves rather than allowing them to pass through. Establishing a second surface is accomplished by affixing furring strips perpendicular to the ceiling joists and applying a new layer of drywall to them. Ceiling treatments may also be applied to drop grid type ceilings, which need only increased density since a disconnected surface is already established. Sound control treatments which either rest atop or replace existing tiles provide an easily installed means of blocking noise from above. The combination of density and separation in each of these treatments work together to control the transmission of both airborne and structure borne vibrations between the connected rooms.

While we aim to provide an overview of some effective methods of controlling sound transmission through common ceiling-floor assemblies, each soundproofing project has unique needs. For instance, certain modifications must be considered to combat noise transmission through openings such as light fixtures and vents. It is advised to consult a soundproofing professional at the inception of any soundproofing project to ensure that a comprehensive and effective solution is reached.