Hi,

What's the best, acceptable (building code etc) form of soundproofing
material that can be placed/installed in the floor space between the ceiling
below, joists and floorboards above?

Keith

Keith Halewood wrote:
Hi,

What's the best, acceptable (building code etc) form of soundproofing
material that can be placed/installed in the floor space between the ceiling
below, joists and floorboards above?

Several layers of lead, spaced by foam.
It depends what sort of noise you're trying to kill.
Voices are much easier than loud music from a gigawatt subwoofer.

Ian Stirling wrote:

What's the best, acceptable (building code etc) form of soundproofing
material that can be placed/installed in the floor space between the ceiling
below, joists and floorboards above?


Several layers of lead, spaced by foam.
It depends what sort of noise you're trying to kill.
Voices are much easier than loud music from a gigawatt subwoofer.

I was just browsing the same subject last night and came across the
following
http://www.domesticsoundproofing.co....ofing/rbar.htm

Which, considering we will probabally need to replace the downstairs
ceilings soon looks for a cracking way of just fixing new ceilings on
top of old with reasonable acoustic decoupling from joists.

Just going to see how thin screed (15 mm) with UFH + 45mm Cellotex + 9mm
ply + 4" loft insulation works first.

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"Keith Halewood" wrote in message
...
Hi,

What's the best, acceptable (building code etc) form of soundproofing
material that can be placed/installed in the floor space between the
ceiling
below, joists and floorboards above?

Keith


An olde but goode ( allegedly ) method is to pour dry sand onto plywood
strips supported just above the the lathe and plaster ( by battens nailed
to the joists ), i.e. pour sand under the floorboards. It adds mass, which
relects sound, and attenuates it too. It is necessary to be careful with the
amount so that the structural integrity of the ceiling is not threatened -
it is called sand pugging, my Collins DIY encyclopaedia says , and strictly
speaking you are supposed to get a surveyor to look at the ceiling first (
they have to say that to cover themselves of course ). Just to repeat
myself, the sand goes onto a plywood support structure ( covered in
polythene sheeting, to make it sand-tight ), not the lathe and plaster which
has little reliable strength.

Andy.

Pet @ www.gymratz.co.uk wrote:

I was just browsing the same subject last night and came across the
following
http://www.domesticsoundproofing.co....ofing/rbar.htm

They admit its somewhat flexible, which isnt best. Fitting 2x2 or
preferably 2x3 just below the existing ceiling, not connected to it,
and PBing would be at least as good.

NT

Pet @ www.gymratz.co.uk wrote:

I was just browsing the same subject last night and came across the
following
http://www.domesticsoundproofing.co....ofing/rbar.htm

They admit its somewhat flexible, which isnt best. Fitting 2x2 or
preferably 2x3 just below the existing ceiling, not connected to it,
and PBing would be at least as good.

NT

What is the source of the sounds that you are trying to reduce? If it
is impact noise, from footsteps, doors and drawers, then adding stuff
between the joists inside the floor won't do much to help. These
sounds are carried by the structure. Carpeting upstairs is often the
most practical solution if this is the problem.

Old plank flooring does not make a good acoustic seal.

Sand is an excellent limp mass in a floor void until you have a leak
or flood. Actually it remains an excellent limp mass and the water
adds mass, but I have been told that a floor full of wet sand can lead
to other problems.

Chipboard and drywall are both pretty high up on the
mass-per-unit-area scale, and if the space is available they are often
much more cost effective than proprietary "acoustical" materials for
the purpose of adding mass to a partition.

"Keith Halewood" wrote in message
...
Hi,

What's the best, acceptable (building code etc) form of soundproofing
material that can be placed/installed in the floor space between the
ceiling
below, joists and floorboards above?

Keith