I’m going to finish a portion of the basement for my 12-year-old daughter and her pals to have a place to “hang out.” This section happens to be under the great room on the main floor. Are there products to help in noise reduction, and, if so, what options exist and how are they installed?-Steve

Hi Steve,

Start by insulating the space between the basement ceiling joists with a sound dampening insulation like Owens Corning QuietZone fiberglass insulation. Next, you might want to consider using a soundproofing drywall such as QuietRock for the ceiling. You can watch and read more about QuietRock, on our website at (622) Builders’ Show Special.

Good luck with your project,

Tags: , ceilings

15 Comments on “How to Soundproof a Basement Ceiling”

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1. Ted Says:
   May 7th, 2008 at 2:33 pm

   If the ceiling is already drywalled, consider the addition of another sheet of standard 5/8″ drywall and Green Glue.

   If you have open joists the fiberglass Danny mentioned is great. Consider installing wood furring strips 24″ on center, perpendicular to the floor joists. Attach two sheets of standard drywall to the furring strips (not the joists). Damp the drywall with a product like Green Glue.

2. Glenda Says:
   August 17th, 2008 at 1:08 am

   How can we soundproof our vents? we can hear everything from the basement as if we were in the same room.

3. Ted Says:
   July 12th, 2009 at 5:12 pm

   There are many ways to isolate vents. Generally the Vents are shielded in some fashion. The vents are also wrapped in insulation, all behind the shielding. This allows the vent to absorb the sound as it travels through the vent.

4. Jack Says:
   October 1st, 2009 at 11:28 am

   DIY yourself damping compound like Green Glue will give you better results than the Quiet Rock and will be a nice amount cheaper. If you want to really beef up on your ceiling use whisper clips and hat channel on your joists, than hang the drywall with green glue on the channel.

5. Green Glue Says:
   December 9th, 2009 at 1:18 am

   I would like to chime in with a recommendation of Green Glue as well. The similar performing QuietRock 525 is difficult to install because of the weight of each panel and also the difficulty of cutting through each panel vs. cutting standard drywall.

   QuietRock 525 will perform as advertised, but the extra work and extra cost required typically aren’t worth it to the end user.

6. peter Says:
   May 24th, 2010 at 8:53 am

   QuietGlue is 20% cheaper than GreenGlue.
   QuietRock is a different product and not a damping compound.
   And QuietRock will give better results than green glue. It can’t be compared with quietrock.
   QuietRock has drywall, damping compound and more, which saves a lot of time and work.

7. crack in foundation, crack in dining room wall and beam running through basement ceiling? | Repairing Water Damage Says:
   October 27th, 2010 at 8:35 am

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9. vince linnenbom Says:
   October 29th, 2010 at 11:05 pm

   i have the same problem, but we have a low ceiling in the basement, right now we have ceiling tile, if i replaced that with a dry wall ceiling, how much noise reduction would that bring? would i need to take more steps for it to be noticable?

10. Jesse Woodard Says:
    March 3rd, 2011 at 2:07 pm

    Which would be better, using the whisper clips and hat channel, or the two layers of sheetrock and green glue. I am looking at reducing noise in my basement that I am finishing, but didn’t want to do both.

11. Green Glue Says:
    March 21st, 2011 at 9:40 am

    Jesse – The clips would be more efficient at isolating sound overall, especially in a ceiling assembly. If you were to choose Green Glue Compound or the clips then definitely go with the clips.

12. Rich Says:
    March 28th, 2011 at 11:40 am

    If I were to install a drop ceiling in the basement, would there be much sound deadening benefit to first installing acoustic insulation between the ceiling joists?

13. Chris Says:
    March 29th, 2011 at 7:36 am

    Has anyone heard of a product called acoustiblok? I heard it was supposed to be really good for soundproofing, both keeping noise in and/or out of a room. I also just saw when doing my research that they just released a new product called quietfiber. To me it looks like fiberglass insulation but they claim is contains no fiberglass.

14. BV Says:
    April 2nd, 2012 at 7:32 am

    I live in a bottom unit condo and the noise from the condo above is loud and stressful. What can we do to make the ceiling soundproof? We not only hear footsteps, we hear the toilets, shower, bed squeaking, everything except voices.

15. Jerome Says:
    May 6th, 2012 at 3:21 pm

    Hi My room is located in the basement of my hOuse and I could hear all the pounding footsteps from upstairs. My room has a suspended ceiling. Can you give me some easy and cheap DIYs to reduce the sound significantly or atleast make it less annoying. Thank you!

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