This is The Cheapest Way To Soundproof A Basement Ceiling.

Are there cheapest way to soundproof a basement ceiling…?

Oftentimes, you want to think that soundproofing is the process by which a lot of money must be spent. Well, sounds funny but a misguided impression as well.

Now that you’ve just noticed the potential of your basement, you want to hit the drums. You want to experience the cool in yoga meditation or it’s become a playground for kids.

Or recently, it’s turned you into a bookworm and you can’t just concentrate outside this space. The truth is, you have to soundproof it just like any other room.

Very soon, you either don’t like the noise leaking up from the other rooms above. Or the loud music, the drums and the bustling games inside the basement will crack the heck out of the people up in the living and other rooms.

Don’t think as I presumed in the opening words of this guide. Actually, you can soundproof your basement and it won’t cost you a fortune.

In this post, I will show you practical cheapest way to soundproof a basement ceiling and the results will leave you quiet and peaceful as you enjoy your happy stay.

What Noise Enters the Basement?

You have to start with some information as you prepare to start the process. And a key question to think about before soundproofing basement ceiling is which type of noise are trying to combat here.

There are two kinds, basically: the airborne noise and the impact noise.

Airborne Noise means the noise that travels through the air. A good example, children playing and chattering all over in their rooms, or your teenager blasting their stereo and such like stuff.

Impact noise, on the other hand, includes that the noise created as a result of an object hitting the ground or surface hard. This is demonstrated by footsteps while someone walks up or down the stairs or kids hitting the floor with a ball or bass music leaking through the structures etc.

The good news is that in this guide, I will be showing you how to stop both types of noise at the cheap.

Why Do You Need to Soundproof Your Ceiling?

If you want the quiet to enjoy a peaceful environment in the basement to study or do meditation, you will probably see the need for a soundproof basement.

If you want to play music to its brim volume, you want to do it in a space like a basement. But then, you must have found a way to stop the deafening noise from leaking outwards.

A soundproof basement also means that your neighbors will be at peace with you. So that you can party at peace and practice whatever you are doing without being interrupted because you disrupted some fellows outside.

You can as well set up a temporary quiet office down there and rest from the trouble of being annoyed by the noise all the time.

But even with all that said, the best part of basement soundproofing is that you can do it cheaper compared to when you’re soundproofing the normal space.

And, at the same time, it is a lot easier because there are no windows necessarily and yet it’s only one space that you are looking to work on – which is the ceiling.

This is not the same story with soundproofing other living spaces we know. As it is common knowledge, you need to cover all the sides of a living room, for example.

Without getting the explainer, you can guess that it would cost one a lot of bucks to make a regular living space soundproof. And it costs less, by far, to soundproof a basement which you may just have to worry about its ceiling.

Here are the 10 Incredibly Cheapest Way To Soundproof A Basement Ceiling.

1.   Fill and Seal Gaps on the Ceiling

The first thing you want to start with is identifying any holes or gaps found on the ceiling. This is very basic if the process to be a success.

If you are a soundproof guru, you already know that any single, even the tiniest of gaps can sneak in sound or noise. And it gets worse if you don’t see them because you will keep spending a lot of money without any real progress.

However, it doesn’t need a lot of effort to seal these gaps. I would recommend that you use this caulking seals for better results.

2.   Use Carpets or Mats on the Floor

What a cheap way to begin with. It’s pretty easy to stop outside noise from percolating into your basement by simply using the carpets and mats at your disposal.

For that matter, even old rugs and carpets. Lay them down on the floor to prevent against sound caused by footsteps, chats, music, etc.

Of course, these carpets are laid on the floor of the house where a lot of noise is leaking through the ceiling of the basement.

You need denser material for the carpets. The denser, softer and thicker they are, the better their noise-absorbing features.

Carpets can help reduce both impact and airborne noise. I have found out that this floor mat Rubber-Cal Elephant bark is a great point to start with.

Deals with both impact and vibration. It’s easy to install and offers both UV and water resistance too.

3.   Rearrange the Furniture in the House Above the Basement

This is perhaps, the cheapest way to soundproof a basement. All you need is to rearrange the furniture including the chairs, tables, shelves, cabinets, etc. that are above the basement.

Place the furniture aforementioned right on top of the floor that forms the basement ceiling. Usually, the best practice is when you note the specific areas that leak the loudest and stuff them with enough furniture.

If this free idea doesn’t bode well with you, for genuine reasons, well you can try out the next one.

4.   Use Soundproof/Acoustic Panels

Acoustic panels are very common and you don’t fail to hear them mentioned when the topic of soundproofing is being discussed. Especially, they have come to be known with acoustic studios.

Acoustic panels such as foam or fiberglass reduce noise by absorbing it. Once you get them installed on the ceiling, they will absorb and convert this noise into mild heat.

Don’t be fooled that these materials are expensive. Given that you will be covering one wall/phase; you will not have to break the bank on this project.

Let’s have a look at some of them here:

·        Acoustic Foam

Acoustic foam in the name of ATS Acoust

ic Panel is one unique type of acoustic panels. It works by eliminating echo and reverb. Also comes with a great NRC rating of 1.0.

This foam will absorb both impact and airborne noise. And installing is quite straightforward since they come with hooks for that.

·        Acoustic wood panels

This category entails wooden panels that are usually covered by fabric. And they are installed by being mounted on the basement ceiling.

They are characteristically heavy and therefore not the easiest to install either.

5.   Add Acoustic Insulation to the Joist Cavities

For ceilings that don’t have drywall, acoustic insulation is something that you will definitely have to try out. It is the perfect method for creating a soundproof basement ceiling without drywall for that matter.

This material is targeted towards insulating the joist cavities. Although, it is possible to still insulate these cavities using just the ordinary ceiling insulation.  There isn’t actually any big difference in terms of noise reduction.

But because there is a small difference anyway, it makes sense installing an acoustic insulation pad by simply fitting into the joist cavities. No need of any special fasteners to tighten the insulation onto the ceiling.

Rockwool Mineral Wool Insulation is a great example of this material.

And by the way, any minimal difference in the rates of noise emitted means a lot to a soundproof enthusiast. So, you will definitely need to use it.

When applying the acoustic insulation, don’t pack it. It should not be jammed and neither are you supposed to bend it too tight around the wires, just be easy on it.

Ensure that you create air pockets by leaving an inch of space when fitting the insulation.

6.   Apply the Green Glue

Green Glue is one of the most reliable and effective soundproofing sealants on the market. You can use this compound to seal around the corners of the ceiling and if you already installed the drywall, have it seal the edges between different layers of drywall sheets.

By using Green Glue, the sound waves that reach it are absorbed and converted to small amounts of heat energy. Hence, this is a sound dampening compound that you can readily use on gaps and cracks on the ceiling of the basement.

Actually, Green Glue is used as a further measure of soundproofing. That’s why it is going to be a nice addition alongside the drywall where it’s used between two drywall layers before the drywall is mounted on the ceiling.

Here is a good option you can consider Green Glue Noise proofing Compound.

7.   Install Mass Loaded Vinyl

Mass Loaded Vinyl such as this one can be used for insulating basement ceiling for sound coming from outside not to infiltrate inside the basement.

To best install them, apply the MLV directly to the joists of the ceiling. If you have drywall installed on it already, just attach the MLV on top.

8.   Use MuteX Soundproof Material

We are discussing cheap and affordable methods here. And in Mutex Soundproof Material, you have one of the cheapest to help you soundproof your basement.

This is a lightweight black material that is packaged in a roll. Consists of two main elements including the vinyl for flexibility and the mass to ensure that it is a truly soundproof barrier.

Mutex is quite versatile as it can be used on different projects besides applying it in the basement. You could use it on covering your car, your office, etc.

9.   Install Soundproof Drywall and Resilient Channels

Apart from using Drywall on the ceiling as a soundproof material, you could also add the resilient channels. Basically, a combination of these two can significantly cut down the amount of noise going through the ceiling to the basement.

The drywall is made up of wood and its installation is pretty simple. Just get a ceiling drywall tool to hold the sheets in place as you screw them up.

When building drywall, the basic idea is to have a gap between the drywall and the ceiling. In this scenario, sound transmission is disrupted.

Now, this is the whole essence of the resilient channels. To create that gap between drywall and ceiling.

During installation, the channels bar is normally suspended and from it, the drywall hangs. When the sound comes from above, it goes through the resilient channels before reaching the drywall – this takes away a lot of sound energy.

10.  Apply Soundproof Paint

This is not a standalone means of soundproofing ceiling footsteps or any other type of noise for that matter. But, used together with other methods, it can reveal great results.

It is claimed that soundproof paint can eliminate about 30 percent of sound waves entering the basement ceiling. To be able to carry soundproofing capacity, this paint is characterized by thick substances such as latex.

The working of the soundproof paint is by reflecting mid-frequency sound back to its source.

Conclusion

You don’t have to dig deep into your pocket to have your basement protected from the noise outside. Or have it as a noise haven that does not interfere with the rest of the community around you.

It’s probably now something you can see and apply; the cheapest way to soundproof a basement ceiling. You can opt to go for more than one method if necessary.

Note that some methods cannot be used alone. Hopefully, this guide has given you a head start for the direction to take from now onwards.

Last update on 2023-05-11 at 12:35 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API