Ceilings can carry a lot of noise from above.
If you live in an apartment, you might want to soundproof your ceiling so that you do not irritate your neighbors. Or maybe your furnace in the basement makes a lot of noise and your only option is soundproofing the ceiling. Ceilings are harder to soundproof because flooring materials such as tile, hardwood and linoleum do not effectively insulate against sound, and footfall can create enough noise to overwhelm most soundproofing measures.
Dampening Compounds
The cheapest way to soundproof a ceiling is to add another layer of drywall. Place a layer of water-based dampening compounds in between two layers of drywall: the original drywall on the ceiling and a new layer of drywall. This will muffle out much of the noise, though some may still come through. If you want even more soundproofing, you can add of dampening compounds and another layer of drywall.
Mass-Loaded Vinyl Barriers
Some manufacturers sell mass-loaded vinyl barriers that you can easily install on the ceiling of your apartment to block out noise above. These mass-loaded vinyl barriers absorb the sounds passing through them instead of entering your apartment. This barrier can block 85 to 90 percent of all airborne sounds, especially voices and bass music. The barrier is made of black vinyl, so you might want to add drywall, paneling or a suspended ceiling to cover up the vinyl. As an added bonus, if the ceiling catches on fire, the vinyl burns out in 10 seconds, increasing the apartment's fire safety. Those who do not have heavy sound problems might prefer the a lighter-weight, mass-loaded vinyl material.
Insulation
If you own the ceiling, you can add insulation on top of the drywall that's designed to block noise. Before adding the soundproofing material, wear clothing that leaves little skin exposed, since the insulation contains fiberglass and can lead to skin irritation. Strip the drywall out until you can see the wood struts throughout the ceiling. Pack the insulation all throughout the ceiling, leaving few gaps. Use acoustical caulk to seal any cracks you find in the ceiling that can let sounds through. Then, place a layer of foam tiles under the insulation. You can then create a floating ceiling by using isolation chips that separate the drywall slightly from the insulation. Do not leave any gaps anywhere throughout this process because any gaps can lead to sound leaking through the ceiling. Also, make sure that you do not compress the insulation, since compressed insulation conducts vibrations very easily.
Concrete Soundproofing
Soundproofing a concrete ceiling can be even more challenging given that the concrete structure has a lot of mass to conduct vibrations. You will need to construct an air cavity underneath the concrete, fill the air cavity with foam insulation and add two layers of drywall with a layer of sound dampening compounds in between.
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