Sound Proofing Basement Bedroom Ceilings

Many people looking for extra space these days are renovating their basements in order to have that extra living space. Many times, the addition of a bedroom works well for a standard layout as well as adding a place for company to spend the night. However, these basement bedrooms can be very noisy as every step is heard above them from the typical inhabitants stirring about upstairs. Sound attenuation is typically not thought of until after the renovation is complete. Insulating the bedroom ceiling is actually a very simply job to perform and usually takes less than a day to do.

Preparation

It is important to move any major furniture out of the room before starting. Then cover the floors and any leftover furniture with plastic to catch the large amount of dust you are about to create. 1 1/8" holes are drilled into the ceiling in order to access the cavities in between the floor joists as seen in the picture above. I use a cellulose insulation blower to dense pack cellulose insulation between the floor cavities. This machine fills the cavities with cellulose at a density of 3.0 lbs/cubic foot.This deadens the noise that typically would travel freely through the floor and echo in the empty cavity.By introducing the cellulose insulation, the sound that typically would be traveling through the floor can be virtually eliminated besides a faint tap from footsteps.This adds significantly to the comfort of your guests in the lower bedroom.

Finishing Up

After the cavities are dense packed with cellulose insulation, use joint compound to plug the holes in the ceiling.It will take two coats of joint compound and some sanding to finish the ceiling.Then apply matching texture suing an aerosol texture can that you purchase from the hardware store.Paint the ceiling and pick up the plastic and you will never know that you performed this sound attenuation technique.