Soundproof Existing Walls & Ceilings

1. Read the article below if you find that you do not have the privacy or silence that you require in your you are in a condo, office building, hotel room or your own home. For best spray insulation companies results you should consider removing your existing wall or ceiling and start the sound control process from your studs as detailed in our How to Soundproof article. However if you prefer to keep your walls and ceilings in place and are content with a solid upgrade (about 6-9 STC points) then we have outlined the proper steps below. STEP 1: CHECK FOR INSULATION For proper local insulation companies you need to have some kind of absorption, usually that is accomplished by having insulation in your walls. To check if your wall or ceiling has any insulation in it, drill a quarter size hole in your wall and look in. If there is no insulation you may want to consider pumping cellulose or loose fill fiberglass into your walls. You can usually rent the machine and DIY or have an insulation contractor do it. The process involves drilling holes in every bay and sticking a tube in and then pumping the bay full with either cellulose or fiberglass; there is no need to plug the holes as you will be covering the wall with another layer of drywall. If there is even a little bit of insulation in the walls then do not bother blowing in the cellulose as it will get caught up in the old insulation and will not fill the wall properly. Tip: Do not try to use any self expanding foams as these are expensive and not as effective as cheaper cellulose and fiberglass. In addition they will most of the time not fill your bays properly.

2. STEP 2: ADD ADDITIONAL DRYWALL AND GREEN GLUE DAMPING COMPOUND The next and most important step is to install another layer of drywall over your existing wall and ceiling. Our first choice is always to use 5/8 inch thick drywall, if that is not possible than 1/2 inch is fine. Before installing, apply Green Glue Noise proofing Compound onto the back of the new layer and then screw over the existing wall or ceiling as you would any standard drywall. Applying Green Glue Spray Foam Insulation Ohio Compound to Drywall Applying an Additional Layer of Drywall with Green Glue How Much Do I Need? It is recommended to use 2 tubes of Green Glue on every 4 x 8 sheet. For more details see our Green Glue FAQ page, or Green Glue Installation Guide. Now, depending on the noise type and noise level present, you may either finish your wall or ceiling at this point as described in the next paragraph, or you can proceed to install a additional layer of drywall with Green Glue over the 2nd layer (leaving you with 3 layers of drywall and 2 layers of Green Glue). One of our suggestions here at Spray Foam Rigs Cleveland is to have you install one layer of drywall with Green Glue and then wait about 10 days; if you are satisfied with the results go ahead and finish off the wall. If not then proceed to install the 2nd layer. Soundwaves passing through ceilings

3. Important: When using this technique to soundproofing spray a wall, keep in mind that if there is an open attic space above the 2 walls the sound will jump the wall and enter through the ceilings, see figure to the left. Even in places where there is no open attic space, sound can go over the walls through the air space above the wall that is created by the ceiling joists. This is especially true if the ceiling joists run over the wall from room to room. The best solution for this is to install a 2nd layer of drywall with Green Glue on the ceiling in at least one of the rooms (preferably the same room that had the wall treated) in addition to treating the wall. This is a must if you have an open attic or crawl space. Offices and Strip Malls: Usually have drop ceilings and the walls end at the drop ceiling with empty air space above the wall to the roof. This is a major cause of sound issues between spaces and treating the wall without treating the ceiling will not get the desired results. The proper way to soundproof these spaces is by building up the wall all the way to the roof line and treating the entire wall as mentioned above (Caulk all penetrations between spaces and top of the wall with Acoustical caulk). If that is not possible building a drywall ceiling and treating it as mentioned above will work well. When that is not an option either than you need to treat the ceiling with ceiling sound barrier tiles that are placed over each individual drop ceiling tile. STEP 3: SEALING THE PERIMETER Applying Green Glue soundproofing spray Compound to Dry wall Once you are done hanging your walls and/or ceilings, caulk the perimeter (the outer edge on all 4 sides) with a quality Acoustical Caulk. Be sure to fill the gaps fully, as a complete seal, with no air spaces. STC Box Seal for Soundproofing Outlet BoxesYou can then spackle, tape and paint the wall as you would to finish a standard new wall. Seal all outlets in the wall with our specialty Outlet Seal. The above described sound control technique has been used successfully by thousands of our clients, including hotels, office buildings and private home owners. You can do it yourself or hire a reputable drywall contractor in your area. There is no need for your contractor to have any prior experience in installing Green Glue. We will be happy to send you any materials you need and discuss any installation issues with you or your contractor.