One of the most common questions that people want answered is how to soundproof their apartment or condominium when they have noisy neighbors that live in the unit above them. The greatest annoyance is the sound of foot fall or impression noise. Noise also comes from chairs as they are being dragged across a hardwood floor, or dishes as they are dropped on the floor. Fortunately, the problem can be fixed easily with the installation of furring channel.
Making a Noisy Impression
Impression noise transmits through the structural members of the ceiling or floor assembly. It frequently travels down quickly through the floor joints of the top level to the ceiling of the lower level unit. This is the most raucous noise you will ever hear when you live in an apartment building or condo. In some cases, it can be so bad that it feels like your noisy neighbors are actually living in your home with you.
When it comes to the elimination of this type of noise, it is best to remove the existing ceiling all together and start again from scratch. If the ceiling is made out of plaster as opposed to drywall, this can be a real tough job that may require consultation with a local drywall contractor.
Floating Your Ceiling
Once the joists are on top, it is time to get started on your floated ceiling with furring channel and sound clips. A floated ceiling connects to the joists in the ceiling by using sound clips. This device will detach the joists from the drywall that will be converted into a new ceiling.
The sound clips are screwed to the bottom of the joists and then fitted with furring channel, which will run at a 90 degree angle to the joists fitting in the sound clips. Once all of the clips and channel has been installed in rows, you will be ready to move on to installing the drywall.
The key to a floated ceiling is to make absolutely certain that the new drywall in the ceiling does not touch the adjoining walls at any point. In addition, you will also need to make sure that the new ceiling is completely independent of all of the ceiling joists. The new drywall will be screwed into the furring channel by using self-tapping drywall screws. Finally, make certain that the gap is consistent throughout the entire perimeter of your new ceiling.
