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I own an older home (built 1919) with three stories, an apartment on each level. The tenants in the middle apartment have to put up with a lot of noise from upstairs, and vice versa (carpeting doesn't help much). The current tenants are leaving soon so I'd like to do something while the place is empty to mitigate the noise from above; however, it sounds like most of the solutions are pretty expensive.

I can't afford to tear up the third floor planks, relay them tighter and shore up the joists (the proper way). It was suggested that I could cut into the ceiling drywall and have a product called "icynene" (a type of foam insulation) sprayed in.

However, I don't know if foam will soften the sound of footfalls. It was suggested that the only way to do that is to decouple the ceiling of apartment two from the floor of apartment three.

One way to do that involved applying a product called Green Glue, a spreadable damping product, on the ceiling, then screwing another layer of 5/8" drywall and taping/spackling/sanding and painting as usual. I think you also have to leave a small gap between the edge of the new drywall and the wall and fill it with acoustic caulk.

Has anyone here come up with an effective noise mitigator for between floors?

Here is a decent reference on the subject. I don't think Polyiso insulation will do much for sound control.

http://inspectapedia.com/BestP...es/Sound_Control.htm

Sound Isolation Strategies for Indoor Noise Reduction

To keep airborne sound from passing through walls and floors, there are four main strategies:

--Add Mass: Increase the mass of the wall or floor by using heavy, dense materials.
--Decoupling: Break the path of vibration with a break in the framing or a resilient connection to the drywall. See Flanking Pathways for Sound and Resilient Channel for Sound Reduction
--Absorption: Provide sound-absorptive material, such as fiberglass batts, in the cavity. See Insulation Details for Sound Reduction for an example.
--Sealing: Block airborne sound from leaking through gaps and cracks. See Acoustical Sealant for Sound Control and Gasketing for Noise Control for examples.
A cavity with fiberglass is far more effective at blocking sound if the two wall surfaces (or ceiling and floor surfaces) are mechanically decoupled as in a double-stud or staggered-stud wall. Resilient channel works essentially the same way by breaking the vibration path from the stud or ceiling joist to the drywall.

The hardest sounds to block are low frequency, such as the thumping of a stereo bass. Using decoupled construction, such as double walls or resilient channels, is effective.

Where that is impractical, adding mass can also be effective. Very massive, non rigid materials such as lead or sand are ideal, but doubling or tripling the drywall is also helpful.

-- Adapted with permission from Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction.

Additional suggestions for improving the noise transmission resistance of buildings is found in article links at page left under SOUND CONTROL in buildings. Be sure to also review Roof & Structure Noise Transmission.

Continue reading about methods for sound control in buildings by using the links provided just below.

From what I've read adding a layer of drywall, especially if you install channels to keep it off of the existing ceiling structure is pretty effective. Dense pack cellulose insulation would be helpful.

Bob Fleming will probably pop in and off some comments as well. He's done a fair amount of research on the subject. He hasn't posted for over two weeks, hopefully he'll be back on line soon.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Sparky,

Thanks for thinking of me Sparky; I was "banned" from the site by a faulty anti-virus program on my computer.

The green glue method would be a good way to go since it adds the mass of 5/8" drywall to the equation. An even better soltuion would be the Z-channel method of suspending 5/8" drywall.

A spray-in foam insulation would probably make the situation worse because it cures solid.

Go to www.soundinsulation.org and ask them for other solutions. They were very helpful to me when we built our basement "apartment". They are in San Diego, CA and can supply what you need or tell you where to get it.

I can't correct it but the name of that organization is www.soundproofing.org.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Bob Fleming,

Good to see you back on line Bob. Happy New Year.

Thank you both, Gentlemen!

I couldn't help but notice the reference to low-frequency sound, such as the bass of a stereo system, being the most difficult to block. That is precisely the sound that was most bothersome to the folks on the third floor when the girls downstairs would play their club music all day long. The upstairs folks told me the doors would vibrate.

I've owned two townhouses over the years and low bass sounds / drums would certainly transmit through the walls more than anything else. It has been a long time since I was in a multi-floor apartment.