A newsletter I recieved today from ‘This Old House’ expert Bruce Irving Renovation Consulting had this little gem of a solution:
green glue noiseproofing compound
“Noise is the bane of city and even suburban life. One of the first questions my clients ask when looking at properties is “How loud is it? Can you hear the upstairs/downstairs/next door neighbors?” Memories of life in my first condo are darkened by the footsteps and conversations that intruded from the unit above.
If only I’d gotten ahold of some of this stuff—Green Glue is a ‘viscoelastic’ compound that, when applied between two or more layers of drywall or plywood, dampens noise by converting sound vibrations into tiny amounts of heat. It can reduce room-to-room and floor-to-floor transmission by as much as 90% and is good for both new construction and dealing with existing structures. About $30 a tube.
The manufacturer has one of the most informative, geeky-yet-understandable websites I’ve ever seen, complete with construction details and explaining everything from ‘dealing with impact noise’ to ‘upgrading existing floors’ And they’re not afraid to compare their stuff to other strategies, as in ‘Green Glue vs. Extra Dry Wall’ and ‘Green Glue vs Resilient Channel.’”