On Feb 22, 12:11 am, Jo - the girl wrote:
I don't expect for a typical house to be soundproof, but is it normal
to be able to hear a TV through a floor?

I'm trying to go to (community) college and am living with my parents
for financial and health reasons. My bedroom is right above the family
room where my father watches TV for about 17 hours a day. When I go to
bed I hear the TV blaring through the floor, when I try to study or
relax I hear the TV through the floor. It's one thing to hear a very
muted sound through the floor but it's another when I can almost hear
the words of whatever program he's watching. He's not deaf so I don't
know what his problem is. But whatever it is, it's driving me insane.
I've had to put up with it for years but lately it's really bad.
Unfortunately, there's nowhere else in the house I can go to get peace
and quiet.

Is there anything that either of us can do to soundproof the floor/
ceiling without tearing the house apart? Or is there something that we
could put around the TV so the sound won't travel upwards through the
ceiling?

I can put up with other noises but that TV is extremely annoying. I
think the problem is the constant change in sounds and tones.

I've been in similar situations, and the solution that's worked best
for me was the cheapest - ear plugs. Sound transmission is tough to
deal with, and particularly tough (read expensive) in a retrofit.
White noise machines work, but they raise the sound level. The ear
plugs block so much sound that you're aware of the sound of your
breathing and your heartbeat when you're drifting off to sleep, and
not much else. Some people complain about them not being comfortable,
and they do take a bit to get used to them, but if you can drift off
to sleep with them you won't wake up because of them unless one falls
out.

Get the little foam compressible disposable plugs that you pinch and
roll into a small cone before inserting in your ear. http://tinyurl.com/3x2tfm

R