Basement ceiling insulation

Klamnops

New member
I'm debating on putting insulation in my basement ceiling before closing it up with Sheetrock. I have done so much reading on the subject that I'm more confused now then before. The area is 22x26 and will be a multi function family/music area. I would like to limit noise transmission from going to the upstairs and from coming downstairs. I don't have the height and budget to go all out with clips/channel and DD/GG. I'm looking to possibly put insulation in the joist cavity and cover with 5/8 rock and at a later date add a second layer of Sheetrock when funds are available if it would be worth it.
I have read that using the cheapest fiberglass will give the same result as roxul safe and sound and it has been recommended to use R19 fiberglass. In my area roxul at one layer and R19 is a $30 difference, so pricewise it's a wash. What I'm not sure about is if r19 is equal to 2 layers of roxul or one layer of roxul when it comes to sound. If it's two layers of roxul then the fiberglass is the cheap way to go if it's comparable to one layer then I would go with roxul.

Also what has been anybody's experience with just using roxul SNS or r19 in there ceiling with just Sheetrock?

The ceiling also has recessed lights so I also wonder if any insulation would be worth the time and effort. Any input would be much appreciated. Thanks.
 
Any insulation is better than none, but unless the ceiling (and walls) are decoupled, then sound will transmit through the floor/joists/ceiling. Better to fill the spaces with pink stuff than only put a little Roxul in.
 
Any insulation is better than none, but unless the ceiling (and walls) are decoupled, then sound will transmit through the floor/joists/ceiling. Better to fill the spaces with pink stuff than only put a little Roxul in.

Hey thanks for the reply. So would you recommend filling the cavity. I have 2x10 joists so with the R19 there would be space left in the cavity.
 
You'd probably be better off putting the drywall against the underside of the floor - between the joists - with the insulation essentially exposed. Basement ceilings are generally too low to do anything but fuck up your sound. The "soft" insulation will accomplish quite a bit of absorbtion and make the ceiling sound and act like it was quite a bit taller. It's a lot more work, and might want some caulking or whatever to make it airtight, but it will be better than trying to hang absorbtion after the fact for a number of reasons.
 
You'd probably be better off putting the drywall against the underside of the floor - between the joists - with the insulation essentially exposed. Basement ceilings are generally too low to do anything but fuck up your sound. The "soft" insulation will accomplish quite a bit of absorbtion and make the ceiling sound and act like it was quite a bit taller. It's a lot more work, and might want some caulking or whatever to make it airtight, but it will be better than trying to hang absorbtion after the fact for a number of reasons.

Yep. Cloth covering the insulation in the basement as if it were a full ceiling absorption panel. That is exactly what I am doing now.
 
I had thought about doing drywall between the joists but my "worst case scenario" thinking mind shot it down with the thought of it getting wet and moldy. I couldn't imagine what trying to remove it would be like.
I've played with the idea of a soft ceiling with insulation and either cloth or with cloth an wood slats with space in between especially before the kids came into play. At one point we were just going to black out the ceiling with paint. Making noise at night never bothered the wife but now with the kids I'm trying to cut down on the sound going upstairs. Perhaps a better sounding area is more benificial and achievable for all to enjoy during the day and when I get time to record. The ceiling height is going to be roughly 7'5 - 7'6 ish depending on what I do to the floor so treating the ceiling might not be a bad idea.
 
You've got lots of ceiling height to work with, most people don't have that much.
I mean it's decent for a basement, but not even close to "lots". It's still going to be too close to every mic in the place, and if there's mixing happening in here, too close to the listening position.

Just kill it. It'll be completely worth it.
 
II would like to limit noise transmission from going to the upstairs and from coming downstairs.

Before I would waste any money (because that's what you will be doing) on construction material for your ceiling you need to define what the above statement means. What are acceptable levels? How much transmission loss do you need? Have you actually measured the levels in the basement & up stairs with the expected noise levels of family & music? If not, the first investment you should make is a SPL meter to get an idea of what you are up against. Until you know what you're dealing with, everything else is just wasting money and time IMO....
 
Until you know what you're dealing with, everything else is just wasting money and time IMO....
I'm not sure I agree with this. You can only really do what you can do in a given space and budget. The solution that jimmy and I put forward can't not help at least some with sound transmission and definitely will improve the acoustics. Likewise, no matter what you're shooting for, you can't do much better than a room within a room. If you can't do a room within a room (I wouldn't in this case, but there is almost enough room), then you pretty much just do what you can and take what you get.
 
I'm not sure I agree with this. You can only really do what you can do in a given space and budget. The solution that jimmy and I put forward can't not help at least some with sound transmission and definitely will improve the acoustics. Likewise, no matter what you're shooting for, you can't do much better than a room within a room. If you can't do a room within a room (I wouldn't in this case, but there is almost enough room), then you pretty much just do what you can and take what you get.

Yep. This is a cost effective (actually cheap) way to make improvements in your space. Yes, we do not know exactly what your needs are and you likely don't either. But taking steps to help the situation will help. Drywall is cheap. Fiberglass is cheap. Cloth, well depending on where you get it and what color you want is eh... But a room in a room is not cheap. And the size of the room after that will be pushing it's worth IMO.

I would also recommend something like THIS if you do cover the ceiling with cloth. Just to be safe.
 
And to go a bit further, I had a recent conversation with J.H. Brandt about filling open cavities with fluffy pink stuff or Roxul. Evidently Roxul is a bit reflective at some frequencies. I know right? All of my absorption panels are made of Roxul 80 to be exact. But they are doing the job effectively.

Another thing we spoke of is not knowing how the room will sound until you test it. Meaning until you try treatments and test, it is a bit of a guessing game. So, I start from the simple and see what works. In your situation (very similar to my setup) I would start by adding some density to the subfloor above (from below). Then the pink stuff. Leave it open until you see if the benefits of this work for you. I surely would not enclose the open ceiling right off.

And to Simman's post, I do actually agree. I did not add layers of drywall to the above subfloor in my drum room because I don't need it to be that quiet. I have a 4 year old daughter and she can stomp like an elephant, but that does not interfere with drum recording so much. Now without even need for a test, I know I want less transmission from the stampede in my vocal isolation room which is just below my bedroom. $100 in 5/8" drywall and a bunch of glue and insulation sound like a good investment to me. If not at least I know the smelly singers farts won't penetrate...

Bottom line advice from me would be to take a step at a time and see what happens. Spend a bit and decide if it is adequate. If not, add some more layers or take away absorption. Or if you have kids, send them to Chuck E Cheese when you need to record an intimate take. Charge the client. :)
 
The ceiling above my studio has a layer of high density sound deadener, polyester but you could dude fibre glass and I thought after that 2 x layers of R6 insulation may have worked just as well and cheaper. The ceiling is 2 layers of sound barrier Gyprock (maybe the same as sheet rock in the US?) The sound barrier stuff is heavier condensed and is far superior than standard ceiling sheet. If someone is moving around up stars they really have to be jumping on the floor to be heard, and the music spill through the floor with a whole band playing is like someone left a small radio on in the next room. Good enough for me.

If you build this and the ceiling is too live, then you can build a couple of ceiling clouds to knock out the slap back. See my web site pics for what I have, they work really well and only cost a few bucks to build.

Alan.
 
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