Noise Relief for Apartments, Townhomes and Condos

Apartment life involves numerous inhabitants sharing a common living structure, a formula for sound control challenges. Anyone who has ever lived in an apartment unit will attest that sound transmission between adjoining units is a common problem in apartment communities. Most apartment and condo construction is such that numerous units share a common structure, and that structure serves as a means of transferring sound wave energy among multiple units.

Implementing effective soundproofing treatments in an apartment, townhome or condo involves making permanent modifications, and thus is not typically feasible for renters. But if you are the owner of a unit, you can certainly affect a large drop in the noise levels in your unit by implementing treatments aimed at the reduction of sound transmission.

First, why does sound travel freely among different units in an apartment community? The answer has to do with the natural sound wave behavior of sound transmission. In order to travel, sound waves need molecular mediums through which sound energy can be transferred from cell to cell. Air, for instance, is a medium through which sound waves travel through a room. But when a sound wave traveling through the air reaches a different medium, a wall, for instance, it exhibits certain changes in behavior. A portion of the wave will be reflected from the wall surface back into the room, while the balance of the wave energy will try to pass through the wall, where surviving sound becomes audible in the adjoining room or unit. Surprisingly, sound waves travel more quickly through material such as wood than they do through air, which explains why your neighbors can hear noise from your apartment and vice versa.

Treating your apartment for sound transmission involves targeting all of the surfaces through which sound easily transmits—including the walls, ceilings, and floors. Even with a thorough treatment, shared sound will not be completely eliminated due to the presence of openings such as vents, light fixtures, ductwork, windows and doors, for example, but a significant reduction in sound transmission can be achieved through treatment of major surfaces as described below:

-Walls: Treating shared walls of your apartment unit can be accomplished by increasing density and establishing a separated wall surface that will force sound waves to collapse. The addition of density and a disconnection work in synergy to deaden both incoming and outgoing vibrations, preventing outside sound from transmitting in and affording you privacy from neighbors. Increasing density is commonly accomplished through the application of a layer of soundproofing vinyl such as dB-Bloc over the complete surface of all walls being treated. Then, a set of horizontal furring strips can be applied atop the membrane, and a second drywall layer affixed to the newly created frame. The result is a separated wall surface that prevents sound from transmitting directly through common contact points.

-Ceiling: One way ceilings can be treated for sound transmission is through application of the density+disconnect formula, implemented similarly to the method described for wall treatments. However, numerous ceiling soundproofing products are available to accommodate various types of ceilings. For instance, grid style ceilings can be treated with ceiling caps, which rest on top of tiles, or with heavier weight tiles designed for use in place of regular tiles.

-Floors: If you are fortunate enough to live on the first floor of a building, you can probably avoid treating the floors for sound control. But if your unit is on an upper floor, neighbors below are likely contributing to the noise level in your apartment. Soundproofing materials are available which serve as an underlayment to existing flooring, including carpet, hardwood, linoleum and tile.

Because of the specialized nature of soundproofing treatments, it is advised to consult with an experienced soundproofing supplier prior to beginning a sound reduction project.