How to Soundproof a Basement Ceiling The Right Way!

By /
How to Soundproof a Basement Ceiling

Do you intend to complete your basement? A frequent issue is noise coming through the ceiling. Learn how to soundproof your basement ceiling to stay out of trouble.

It’s common to ignore the impact of noise from above on people below when an unfinished basement is converted into a living area. While trying to work in your basement office, the TV sound system in an upstairs living room sounds fantastic. The same applies if you’re attempting to get some shut-eye on the first level when a major game is on the basement TV.

You may significantly lessen these noise problems with the appropriate tools and knowledge. As long as you complete the job before the room is done, soundproofing the ceiling of your basement is accessible. Before soundproofing can occur, the painted and drywalled ceiling in your basement must be removed.

However, it’s worth the hassle if you have a significant noise problem. When the basement ceiling is adequately soundproofed, both upstairs and below noise will be significantly diminished. To find out how to soundproof a basement ceiling, continue reading.

Gather These Materials

Fire code drywall

An excellent soundproofing material is a drywall. It is a substantial and muffled sound. It creates a continuous, crack-free surface with tape and drywall compound. These recommendations will help you soundproof your home.

Commercial-grade drywall with a 5/8-inch fire code thickness is superior to standard 1/2-inch drywall for soundproofing. But you’ll need four layers of drywall instead of just one. This may seem overkill, but it’s a component of a basement ceiling soundproofing strategy I’ve employed for years with tremendous effectiveness.

Green Glue soundproofing compound

Caulking tubes contain Green Glue. It’s the most excellent material I know for soundproofing and sealing sheet material cracks in your basement ceiling. The stretchy substance absorbs sound while sealing noise-transmitting gaps in the basement ceiling. Apply it to all gaps between the drywall sheets and the subfloor. Find out how basement subfloor panels can help keep the mold at bay.

Fiberglass or mineral wool insulation

Use a lot of sound-absorbing material to stop noise from entering a basement through the ceiling. Good old fiberglass or mineral wool insulation might be helpful in this situation.

Because there is frequently no need to insulate basement ceiling joists due to temperature, they are usually left unfilled. But acquiring enough fluffy insulation to cover all those gaps is essential if soundproofing is your objective.

Wooden cleats

Something will be required to secure the insulation. I used 2-1/2-inch deck screws to attach the 1-1/2 by 1-1/2-inch wood strips to the faces of each basement ceiling joist. Purchase enough 28 timber to produce all the strips you want, then rip-cut it to 1-1/2 by 1-1/2 inches using a table saw.

Metal hat channel and sound isolation clips

The basement ceiling’s drywall and the room above’s subfloor are typically secured directly to the floor/ceiling joists. That allows much vibration and noise to pass from one story to the next.

Uncoupling strips and clips might be helpful in this situation. Noise and vibration are significantly more difficult to transmit via the space created between the ceiling and the joists by sound isolation clips and hat channel strips.

Purchase enough hat channels to span the whole width of your basement ceiling, 16 inches apart and perpendicular to the joists. Purchase enough clips to hold up every channel strip where it crosses every joist.

Screws

  • 3/4-inch drywall screws;
  • 1-5/8-inch drywall screws;
  • 2-1/2-inch deck screws.

Gather These Tools

  • Calking gun;
  • Impact driver;
  • Utility knife;
  • Tape measure;
  • Chop saw with metal cutting blade;
  • Eye and hearing protection;
  • Ladder;
  • Long level or other straightedge.

How To Soundproof Your Basement Ceiling

Start soundproofing your basement ceiling once you’ve acquired all the necessary equipment and supplies. What you should do is:

  • Fill up any subfloor: cracks using your ladder, a caulking gun, and green glue. Do this for all the rooms above your basement’s basement.
  • Install the first two layers of drywall: Use your tape measure, straightedge, and utility knife to score. Then, cut drywall sheets into strips of the correct width to fit snugly in your joist cavities before installing the first two layers of drywall. With an impact driver and drywall screws, secure the strips in place. Next, fill in any gaps and seams with more Green Glue.
  • Install insulation: Measure and cut mineral wool or fiberglass strips to fit tightly into each joist cavity. Attach your 1-1/2 by 1-1/2-inch wood strips level with the bottom of the joists to the inner face of each joist to hold each strip in place.
  • Installing cap channel clips: requires marking lines every 16 inches on the joists with a pencil. To secure the clips, use drywall screws with a 1-5/8-inch diameter. On all joists, attach a clip to each line.
  • Set up the hat channel: Use the metal cutting chop saw to precisely cut the hat channel strips to fit your ceiling area. (Remember to use hearing and eye protection.) Put the strips’ edges within the clips you’ve fastened to the joists.
  • Install the final two drywall layers: Using 3/4-inch drywall screws pushed through the drywall and into the hat channel without contacting the underlying joists, cover the ceiling joists with a 5/8-inch fire code drywall layer. Use extra Green Glue to fill all gaps and seams between the sheets. Install the second (fourth) layer of drywall using 1-5/8-inch screws inserted into the hat channel strips and through both layers. Set the sheets apart so that your seams don’t touch the first layer of drywall seams. Before painting, seal any gaps and seams with drywall tape and compound.

Note: Are you concerned that adding four drywall layers would shorten your basement ceiling? You only lose 5/8 of an inch, which is a good question.

No height is lost since the first two layers of drywall are positioned inside the joist cavities in the ceiling. The second two layers are surface mounted in place of the first sheet, leaving two sheets. As a result, the ceiling will be 5/8 inch (5 drywall thickness) smaller than it would be if there were only one layer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you soundproof the open ceiling?

A sound barrier between open areas and the reflecting surfaces of a room is created by sound-absorbing acoustic panels. For drywall, ornamental panels can be fastened to stop reverberations from moving. The transmission of sound from one surface to another is prevented by these acoustic panels.

What is the cheapest way to cover a basement ceiling?

Beadboard ceiling planks give your basement renovation just what it needs while being fashionable and affordable. Beadboard is prefinished in a variety of hues and complements both modern and informal, domestic designs beautifully. The tongue-and-groove edge of the boards makes them simple to install. They may be applied everywhere.

What is the cheapest way to soundproof a ceiling?

The simplest and least expensive way to muffle some of the upstairs noise is to add carpet and carpet padding. Unless you want to purchase your upstairs neighbors’ new carpet, this is probably only going to work if the sound is coming from upstairs in your own house and not from them.

You might also like:

Related Posts

Scroll to Top