How can I soundproofing my house to keep out the neighbor's noises?

Lauren Ball
by Lauren Ball
I live in a semi attached house sharing a common wall from front to back with my neighbor. I can hear them talking, etc. i installed 2 layers of sound board sealing the edges, then 5/8 inch sheetrock and that reduced the noise only a little. i have ductwork for a/c and heat, not connected with the neighbor, but it seems like sound is coming through the floor register. how do i sound proof my house?
  6 answers
  • William William on Jan 17, 2017

    The object of soundproofing is to stop sound transmission. I assume you placed the sound board directly over the existing wall then drywalled over that. What you should have done is build a new wall about an inch from the old wall. Then insulate with the sound board and drywall. The one inch cavity between the walls stops sound transmission from one wall to the other since there is no contact between the two. Here is a site that may help you out..... http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/rooms-and-spaces/walls-and-ceilings/soundproofing-a-wall

    • Lauren Ball Lauren Ball on Jan 18, 2017

      thank you for the information. unfortunately due to a hallway between the living room/dining room to the kitchen i'm not able to do this as it closes up the required by code the 36 inches width. to take down the sheetrock and sound board to build the extra wall would be too costly and messy since i am living in the house. i wish i had known this technique when i was remodeling. if the noise becomes too intolerable from the children, i might have to resort to that. i also heard from a reader to use green glue which sounds a lot cheaper and easier than tearing down the rock and sound boards. so right now i'm weighing my options. thanks again for your suggestion.

  • Hillela G. Hillela G. on Jan 18, 2017

    I found this article to be really helpful. http://removeandreplace.com/2015/02/24/apartment-soundproofing-methods-wall-floor-ceiling-window/

    I had no idea that more furniture= better sound absorption = less noise from neighbor!

    • Lauren Ball Lauren Ball on Jan 18, 2017

      wow! That was informative. Thank you. Only thing I have to do is to green glue another sheet of sheetrock on top of what's already there. Little detailed since I have to take off the baseboard and the crown molding but it will be worth it in the long run. Thanks again

  • William William on Jan 18, 2017

    I heard about the green glue. It is stiffer than regular adhesive. I actually creates an air space between two panels and does prevent some sound transmission.

  • Lauren Ball Lauren Ball on Jan 22, 2017

    thank you for your input it really helps and help is what I need

  • Harmony4u Harmony4u on Jan 28, 2017

    good suggestions. it is always learning.

  • Sheryl Gilliland Sheryl Gilliland on Feb 01, 2017

    If I am not too late, a layer of large bubble -bubble wrap attached to the house wall would help a lot, then your wall wont touch and vibrate. also rubber insulation for doors or windows on all areas of your wall that touches ceiling, floor, or the house wall would further stop vibrations from coming through.

    • Lauren Ball Lauren Ball on Feb 02, 2017

      sheryl, thanks for the idea. i'll keep it in mind when i make my final decision.