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888eight888
science forum beginner
Joined: 23 Jun 2006
Posts: 6
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 Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 2:52 am Post subject:
Bedroom in apartment: Need ideas to buffer sounds from ceiling/neighbors
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Hello,
Between the ceiling and the floor of the upstairs apartment and mine;
there is no insulation. Not only can I hear every footstep, but the
neighbors are extremely active; something is constantly hitting the
floor unannounced. (Don't ask - I don't know, either.)
The landlord doesn't want to pay for/put in any insulation. Apparently,
it would involve ripping up the ceilings.
As far as putting something on my side of the ceiling; I've heard that
Home Depot has "foam boards" and I've heard of ideas regarding putting
up layers of rugs, etc.
I need clarification on how to and what materials to use, (as cheap as
possible), that I could affix, screw in or whatever to the ceiling and
possibly something on the walls (?) that would successfully reduce the
amount of noise.
If you have specifics regarding materials, posting a link to Home Depot
web pages would be helpful.
http://www.homedepot.com
Otherwise, the general name of a material is good enough.
It's a rental, so I can't go crazy with marring the ceiling. But I
guess I could put in screws that can later be filled in.
I am just going to do something to the bedroom only; roughly a 20 ft.
by 12 ft area.
Whatever ideas people have; don't worry about how it will look; I could
always drape something over whatever work is there.
Thanks A LOT for any input. |
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noname87@hotmail.com
science forum beginner
Joined: 23 Jun 2006
Posts: 1
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| Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 3:15 am Post subject:
Re: Bedroom in apartment: Need ideas to buffer sounds from ceiling/neighbors
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Does the apartment above you have carpet. A cost effective idea might
be to donate a rug to your upstairs neighbors.
888eight888 wrote:
| Quote: | Hello,
Between the ceiling and the floor of the upstairs apartment and mine;
there is no insulation. Not only can I hear every footstep, but the
neighbors are extremely active; something is constantly hitting the
floor unannounced. (Don't ask - I don't know, either.)
The landlord doesn't want to pay for/put in any insulation. Apparently,
it would involve ripping up the ceilings.
As far as putting something on my side of the ceiling; I've heard that
Home Depot has "foam boards" and I've heard of ideas regarding putting
up layers of rugs, etc.
I need clarification on how to and what materials to use, (as cheap as
possible), that I could affix, screw in or whatever to the ceiling and
possibly something on the walls (?) that would successfully reduce the
amount of noise.
If you have specifics regarding materials, posting a link to Home Depot
web pages would be helpful.
http://www.homedepot.com
Otherwise, the general name of a material is good enough.
It's a rental, so I can't go crazy with marring the ceiling. But I
guess I could put in screws that can later be filled in.
I am just going to do something to the bedroom only; roughly a 20 ft.
by 12 ft area.
Whatever ideas people have; don't worry about how it will look; I could
always drape something over whatever work is there.
Thanks A LOT for any input. |
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JohnH
science forum beginner
Joined: 23 Jun 2006
Posts: 1
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| Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 3:35 am Post subject:
Re: Bedroom in apartment: Need ideas to buffer sounds from ceiling/neighbors
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http://www.naturestapestry.com/generator.html (or similar)
You can even get free noise generator programs for your PC (winamp has
a plugin).
We live in a _very_ quiet area; the downside is when we travel we are
therefore highly sensitive to noise. I use the winamp noise plugin on
my laptop and crank it all night ; it works like a charm even in the
noisest places. |
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Greg Esres
science forum beginner
Joined: 23 Jun 2006
Posts: 1
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| Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 4:58 am Post subject:
Re: Bedroom in apartment: Need ideas to buffer sounds from ceiling/neighbors
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<<Between the ceiling and the floor of the upstairs apartment and
mine; there is no insulation. >>
I had a similar problem that ended about 8 months ago when I moved
into a house. Until then, I'd had off and on problems with my
upstairs neighber, depending on who was living there at the time. My
research on the web and newgroups indicated that effective sound
insulation required 1) mass, and 2) layers. Not very practical in a
rental.
I learned to sleep wearing a sound insulating headset, like the one
you wear when shooting or using loud power tools. I stretched the
headband so that it didn't fit very tight; this was enough to mask the
sounds, while being confortable enough to sleep in.
However, I couldn't hear my alarm in the morning and had there ever
been a fire, I would have been burned alive. ;-)
For lighter sounds, I found that a pillow or folded towel on my head
works well.
I feel your pain. |
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buffalobill
science forum beginner
Joined: 23 Jun 2006
Posts: 2
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| Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 5:37 am Post subject:
Re: Bedroom in apartment: Need ideas to buffer sounds from ceiling/neighbors
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read more first at:
http://www.audioalloy.com/
888eight888 wrote:
| Quote: | Hello,
Between the ceiling and the floor of the upstairs apartment and mine;
there is no insulation. Not only can I hear every footstep, but the
neighbors are extremely active; something is constantly hitting the
floor unannounced. (Don't ask - I don't know, either.)
The landlord doesn't want to pay for/put in any insulation. Apparently,
it would involve ripping up the ceilings.
As far as putting something on my side of the ceiling; I've heard that
Home Depot has "foam boards" and I've heard of ideas regarding putting
up layers of rugs, etc.
I need clarification on how to and what materials to use, (as cheap as
possible), that I could affix, screw in or whatever to the ceiling and
possibly something on the walls (?) that would successfully reduce the
amount of noise.
If you have specifics regarding materials, posting a link to Home Depot
web pages would be helpful.
http://www.homedepot.com
Otherwise, the general name of a material is good enough.
It's a rental, so I can't go crazy with marring the ceiling. But I
guess I could put in screws that can later be filled in.
I am just going to do something to the bedroom only; roughly a 20 ft.
by 12 ft area.
Whatever ideas people have; don't worry about how it will look; I could
always drape something over whatever work is there.
Thanks A LOT for any input. |
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Tony
science forum Guru Wannabe
Joined: 07 Sep 2005
Posts: 111
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| Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 9:27 am Post subject:
Re: Bedroom in apartment: Need ideas to buffer sounds from ceiling/neighbors
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| Quote: | 888eight888 wrote:
Hello,
Between the ceiling and the floor of the upstairs apartment and mine;
there is no insulation.
(snip)
As far as putting something on my side of the ceiling; I've heard that
Home Depot has "foam boards" and I've heard of ideas regarding putting
up layers of rugs, etc.
I need clarification on how to and what materials to use, (as cheap as
possible), that I could affix, screw in or whatever to the ceiling and
possibly something on the walls (?) that would successfully reduce the
amount of noise.
|
As "noname87" wrote, getting your upstairs neighbours a carpet would be
quite effective. It would considerably reduce sharp knocks although it
would not do much for the "thump" of footsteps. Some apartments have a
clause in the lease that floors should be carpeted - it would be worth
checking if this applies to your neighbours. There have been a lot of
problems in recent years from people taking up fitted carpets and putting in
fancy wooden floors
There is no effective insulation that you can stick to the ceiling. To have
a useful effect you need an independent heavy layer, not solidly connected
to the existing ceiling. There are also things that could be done in the
apartment above (apart from a carpet), but would involve taking the floor up
and would not be so effective as an independent ceiling.
--
Tony W
My e-mail address has no hyphen
- but please don't use it, reply to the group. |
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Noral Stewart
science forum addict
Joined: 23 May 2005
Posts: 77
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| Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 11:38 am Post subject:
Re: Bedroom in apartment: Need ideas to buffer sounds from ceiling/neighbors
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If the sound you hear is the tap of something hitting a hard surface, then
some carpet upstairs would do wonders. If the construction is wood frame,
and you are hearing a low frequency thump, there is nothing you will be able
to do about it. Solutions to these problems require changes in basic
construction, not simple add-ons.
"888eight888" <bz811@go.com> wrote in message
news:1151031162.544823.230340@g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
| Quote: | Hello,
Between the ceiling and the floor of the upstairs apartment and mine;
there is no insulation. Not only can I hear every footstep, but the
neighbors are extremely active; something is constantly hitting the
floor unannounced. (Don't ask - I don't know, either.)
The landlord doesn't want to pay for/put in any insulation. Apparently,
it would involve ripping up the ceilings.
As far as putting something on my side of the ceiling; I've heard that
Home Depot has "foam boards" and I've heard of ideas regarding putting
up layers of rugs, etc.
I need clarification on how to and what materials to use, (as cheap as
possible), that I could affix, screw in or whatever to the ceiling and
possibly something on the walls (?) that would successfully reduce the
amount of noise.
If you have specifics regarding materials, posting a link to Home Depot
web pages would be helpful.
http://www.homedepot.com
Otherwise, the general name of a material is good enough.
It's a rental, so I can't go crazy with marring the ceiling. But I
guess I could put in screws that can later be filled in.
I am just going to do something to the bedroom only; roughly a 20 ft.
by 12 ft area.
Whatever ideas people have; don't worry about how it will look; I could
always drape something over whatever work is there.
Thanks A LOT for any input.
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Joseph Meehan
science forum beginner
Joined: 17 Jun 2005
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 11:40 am Post subject:
Re: Bedroom in apartment: Need ideas to buffer sounds from ceiling/neighbors
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888eight888 wrote:
| Quote: | Hello,
Between the ceiling and the floor of the upstairs apartment and mine;
there is no insulation. Not only can I hear every footstep, but the
neighbors are extremely active; something is constantly hitting the
floor unannounced. (Don't ask - I don't know, either.)
The landlord doesn't want to pay for/put in any insulation.
Apparently, it would involve ripping up the ceilings.
|
Frankly you have a really difficult problem. Take a look at:
http://www.soundproofing.org/
Good Luck
--
Joseph Meehan
Dia duit |
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Goedjn
science forum beginner
Joined: 25 Apr 2005
Posts: 11
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| Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 8:00 pm Post subject:
Re: Bedroom in apartment: Need ideas to buffer sounds from ceiling/neighbors
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| Quote: | Otherwise, the general name of a material is good enough.
It's a rental, so I can't go crazy with marring the ceiling. But I
guess I could put in screws that can later be filled in.
I am just going to do something to the bedroom only; roughly a 20 ft.
by 12 ft area.
Whatever ideas people have; don't worry about how it will look; I could
always drape something over whatever work is there.
Thanks A LOT for any input.
|
Since it's rental you can't modify the building enough to
really matter. What you CAN do is build yourself
a fairly specialized peice of furniture, sort of like
this one:
http://www.kistefosmobler.no/skei-skuff.htm
And soundproof that.
If you go that route, figure out how you're
going to get it out through a 28" basement
doorway when you move, first. |
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ephedralover@hotmail.com
science forum beginner
Joined: 23 Jun 2006
Posts: 1
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| Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 8:07 pm Post subject:
Re: Bedroom in apartment: Need ideas to buffer sounds from ceiling/neighbors
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888eight888 wrote:
| Quote: | Hello,
Between the ceiling and the floor of the upstairs apartment and mine;
there is no insulation. Not only can I hear every footstep, but the
neighbors are extremely active; something is constantly hitting the
floor unannounced. (Don't ask - I don't know, either.)
The landlord doesn't want to pay for/put in any insulation. Apparently,
it would involve ripping up the ceilings.
As far as putting something on my side of the ceiling; I've heard that
Home Depot has "foam boards" and I've heard of ideas regarding putting
up layers of rugs, etc.
I need clarification on how to and what materials to use, (as cheap as
possible), that I could affix, screw in or whatever to the ceiling and
possibly something on the walls (?) that would successfully reduce the
amount of noise.
If you have specifics regarding materials, posting a link to Home Depot
web pages would be helpful.
http://www.homedepot.com
Otherwise, the general name of a material is good enough.
It's a rental, so I can't go crazy with marring the ceiling. But I
guess I could put in screws that can later be filled in.
I am just going to do something to the bedroom only; roughly a 20 ft.
by 12 ft area.
Whatever ideas people have; don't worry about how it will look; I could
always drape something over whatever work is there.
Thanks A LOT for any input.
|
Do you have a air conditioner there? Keep it running. Your only real
option is to mask the noise. This is the problem with apartment living.
The construction is so flimsy and was never engineered for sound
proofing, except some higher end apartments. Get some ear plugs for
night time if you don't like the air running all the time. |
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ameijers
science forum beginner
Joined: 23 Jun 2006
Posts: 1
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| Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 10:10 pm Post subject:
Re: Bedroom in apartment: Need ideas to buffer sounds from ceiling/neighbors
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"888eight888" <bz811@go.com> wrote in message
news:1151031162.544823.230340@g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
| Quote: | Hello,
Between the ceiling and the floor of the upstairs apartment and mine;
there is no insulation. Not only can I hear every footstep, but the
neighbors are extremely active; something is constantly hitting the
floor unannounced. (Don't ask - I don't know, either.)
The landlord doesn't want to pay for/put in any insulation. Apparently,
it would involve ripping up the ceilings.
As far as putting something on my side of the ceiling; I've heard that
Home Depot has "foam boards" and I've heard of ideas regarding putting
up layers of rugs, etc.
I need clarification on how to and what materials to use, (as cheap as
possible), that I could affix, screw in or whatever to the ceiling and
possibly something on the walls (?) that would successfully reduce the
amount of noise.
If you have specifics regarding materials, posting a link to Home Depot
web pages would be helpful.
http://www.homedepot.com
Otherwise, the general name of a material is good enough.
It's a rental, so I can't go crazy with marring the ceiling. But I
guess I could put in screws that can later be filled in.
I am just going to do something to the bedroom only; roughly a 20 ft.
by 12 ft area.
Whatever ideas people have; don't worry about how it will look; I could
always drape something over whatever work is there.
Thanks A LOT for any input.
Forget about foam board or fabric on the ceiling. Both big hazards in a |
fire. The fumes from the foam can kill, and both will wick any flames to
engulf the whole room in seconds. I second what others have said about white
noise generators, or earplugs. Think of it as motivation to move. I live in
a house now, but did 20+ years in an apartment, always ground floor. But I
am half-deaf in one ear, so I would just put my good ear into the pillow.
Yes, I had to buy a Real Loud alarm clock, and still often slept through it,
unless I happened to roll over in the night.
aem sends... |
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888eight888
science forum beginner
Joined: 23 Jun 2006
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 11:31 pm Post subject:
Re: Bedroom in apartment: Need ideas to buffer sounds from ceiling/neighbors
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ameijers wrote:
| Quote: | "888eight888" <bz811@go.com> wrote in message
news:1151031162.544823.230340@g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
Hello,
Between the ceiling and the floor of the upstairs apartment and mine;
there is no insulation. Not only can I hear every footstep, but the
neighbors are extremely active; something is constantly hitting the
floor unannounced. (Don't ask - I don't know, either.)
The landlord doesn't want to pay for/put in any insulation. Apparently,
it would involve ripping up the ceilings.
As far as putting something on my side of the ceiling; I've heard that
Home Depot has "foam boards" and I've heard of ideas regarding putting
up layers of rugs, etc.
I need clarification on how to and what materials to use, (as cheap as
possible), that I could affix, screw in or whatever to the ceiling and
possibly something on the walls (?) that would successfully reduce the
amount of noise.
If you have specifics regarding materials, posting a link to Home Depot
web pages would be helpful.
http://www.homedepot.com
Otherwise, the general name of a material is good enough.
It's a rental, so I can't go crazy with marring the ceiling. But I
guess I could put in screws that can later be filled in.
I am just going to do something to the bedroom only; roughly a 20 ft.
by 12 ft area.
Whatever ideas people have; don't worry about how it will look; I could
always drape something over whatever work is there.
Thanks A LOT for any input.
Forget about foam board or fabric on the ceiling. Both big hazards in a
fire. The fumes from the foam can kill, and both will wick any flames to
engulf the whole room in seconds. I second what others have said about white
noise generators, or earplugs. Think of it as motivation to move. I live in
a house now, but did 20+ years in an apartment, always ground floor. But I
am half-deaf in one ear, so I would just put my good ear into the pillow.
Yes, I had to buy a Real Loud alarm clock, and still often slept through it,
unless I happened to roll over in the night.
aem sends...
|
Thanks for the input, all...
I do have the white noise; it's helpful but not an ultimate
solution/compromise. I (now) have an idea what I am going to try...
I forgot to mention that I just moved in - and was exhausted after the
first night of sleeping in a room where people kept waking me up at all
hours of the night.
When I told the landlord, (about the third day of living here); he
nastily suggested that I "move out" because "no one else" had "ever"
(in the past) complained before. I did not take kindly to that
statement or his tone..(If it's such a great place, why was it vacant
for me to rent?)
Here is an excerpt from the conversation:
Me: "Hello, Mr. LL, it's Me.."
LL: "Yeth, thwir, howth mayth I helpth youthhh?"
Me: "Listen, I just moved in - the people upstairs kept me up all
night. I hear everything - there is no insulation."
LL: "Welth, there with nothwing I canth doo.."
Me: "But you contracted with me that you would provide a 'peaceful,
inhabitable environment' - which it is not."
LL: "WHAAAAAA! I whhaaant my monwee!!!!"
Me: "But, sir..if you just hear me out..."
LL: "Monweee! Monweeeeeeee! GA GOO BA BAAA MONWEEEEE!!!!".
Me: "Well, okay...but I may have to reconsider this situation."
LL: "BAAAAADDD MAAANNNNNNN!! MONWEEEEEE GOOOOOOOOOOOODTHHH!!!!!!!"
(As you can see, it was a difficult conversation.) |
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888eight888
science forum beginner
Joined: 23 Jun 2006
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 11:35 pm Post subject:
Re: Bedroom in apartment: Need ideas to buffer sounds from ceiling/neighbors
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Me: "But you contracted with me that you would provide a 'peaceful,
**inhabitable environment' - which it is not."
**"habitable"... |
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Jimmie D
science forum beginner
Joined: 24 Jun 2006
Posts: 8
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| Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 12:20 pm Post subject:
Re: Bedroom in apartment: Need ideas to buffer sounds from ceiling/neighbors
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"888eight888" <bz811@go.com> wrote in message
news:1151031162.544823.230340@g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
| Quote: | Hello,
Between the ceiling and the floor of the upstairs apartment and mine;
there is no insulation. Not only can I hear every footstep, but the
neighbors are extremely active; something is constantly hitting the
floor unannounced. (Don't ask - I don't know, either.)
The landlord doesn't want to pay for/put in any insulation. Apparently,
it would involve ripping up the ceilings.
As far as putting something on my side of the ceiling; I've heard that
Home Depot has "foam boards" and I've heard of ideas regarding putting
up layers of rugs, etc.
I need clarification on how to and what materials to use, (as cheap as
possible), that I could affix, screw in or whatever to the ceiling and
possibly something on the walls (?) that would successfully reduce the
amount of noise.
If you have specifics regarding materials, posting a link to Home Depot
web pages would be helpful.
http://www.homedepot.com
Otherwise, the general name of a material is good enough.
It's a rental, so I can't go crazy with marring the ceiling. But I
guess I could put in screws that can later be filled in.
I am just going to do something to the bedroom only; roughly a 20 ft.
by 12 ft area.
Whatever ideas people have; don't worry about how it will look; I could
always drape something over whatever work is there.
Thanks A LOT for any input.
|
See if your landlord will let you move to another apartment. The noise may
be grounds for breaking your lease. |
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Banty
science forum beginner
Joined: 24 Jun 2006
Posts: 1
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| Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 4:49 pm Post subject:
Re: Bedroom in apartment: Need ideas to buffer sounds from ceiling/neighbors
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In article <y6ang.6105$Ud4.5169@bignews1.bellsouth.net>, Jimmie D says...
| Quote: |
"888eight888" <bz811@go.com> wrote in message
news:1151031162.544823.230340@g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
Hello,
Between the ceiling and the floor of the upstairs apartment and mine;
there is no insulation. Not only can I hear every footstep, but the
neighbors are extremely active; something is constantly hitting the
floor unannounced. (Don't ask - I don't know, either.)
The landlord doesn't want to pay for/put in any insulation. Apparently,
it would involve ripping up the ceilings.
As far as putting something on my side of the ceiling; I've heard that
Home Depot has "foam boards" and I've heard of ideas regarding putting
up layers of rugs, etc.
I need clarification on how to and what materials to use, (as cheap as
possible), that I could affix, screw in or whatever to the ceiling and
possibly something on the walls (?) that would successfully reduce the
amount of noise.
If you have specifics regarding materials, posting a link to Home Depot
web pages would be helpful.
http://www.homedepot.com
Otherwise, the general name of a material is good enough.
It's a rental, so I can't go crazy with marring the ceiling. But I
guess I could put in screws that can later be filled in.
I am just going to do something to the bedroom only; roughly a 20 ft.
by 12 ft area.
Whatever ideas people have; don't worry about how it will look; I could
always drape something over whatever work is there.
Thanks A LOT for any input.
See if your landlord will let you move to another apartment. The noise may
be grounds for breaking your lease.
|
Being as he's talking about footfalls mostly, I don't think so. The landlord
also has an obligation to allow his tenants the normal use of their apartments.
And that includes walking around in them.
Banty
-- |
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