Insulation in ceiling or not?

[ssjk]

I’m moving to a different house and my office/studio will be in a finished basement under the kitchen. The decorating committee says we will be replacing the suspended ceiling with drywall. House is 1977 build with easily accessible joists etc.

I don’t plan any extensive sound isolation measures, and am not worried about sound going out, only coming in from the kitchen.

So, is it worth adding insulation before putting up the drywall ceiling? Or is that a waste of time if I’m not going to do the whole double layer, green glue, spacers for the surface layer thing?

If it is worth it, do I just use rolls from Home Depot or is there something special that is worth it?

Thanks.

[jim1960]

Will it have some effect? Yes, but only slightly.
Will the effect be worth the money invested? Not likely.

Look at it this way... you have walls with insulation but those rooms still need acoustic treatment to sound good. Sound bounces off of drywall. insulation BEHIND the drywall can't do much to help you.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by ssjk

I’m moving to a different house and my office/studio will be in a finished basement under the kitchen. The decorating committee says we will be replacing the suspended ceiling with drywall. House is 1977 build with easily accessible joists etc.

I don’t plan any extensive sound isolation measures, and am not worried about sound going out, only coming in from the kitchen.

So, is it worth adding insulation before putting up the drywall ceiling? Or is that a waste of time if I’m not going to do the whole double layer, green glue, spacers for the surface layer thing?

If it is worth it, do I just use rolls from Home Depot or is there something special that is worth it?

Thanks.

If the suspended ceiling definitely has to go.

I don't agree with Jim as far as conclusion , He is correct in what he is saying, but I would consider insulation for three reasons:

#1 Having built residential homes since 1966. The homes that have fiberglass insulation in all interior walls and floors do in fact have less inter-room and inter-floor, sound transmission then homes that do not/ not significantly but definitely.

#2 Yes you will need sound treatment in the room but internal room treatment design is only for reflection not (isolation) and as he notes having one does not mitigate or replace the need for the other, so I would in fact try to address both, (given you have easy access to joists, when you disassemble the hanging ceiling) .

#3 Because (if it is not already in place) I would hang regular kraft faced fiberglass batting if DIY (for ease of installation) between the joists, R factor (thickness), based on the physical depth of the joists. Jim is correct for isolation its not near as good an actual separated double layer. But it will definitely help attenuate some amount of sound transmission coming from upstairs and IMO would be worth it for the improvement in the thermal aspect alone.

Also you might consider a layer of 4 by 8 ft sheets 1/2 inch cellotex or similar fiber/based board, placed on the bottom of the joists. (which also has some sound attenuation) then place the sheetrock .

Then additionally, as far room treatment, if you have a at least 7 1/2 to a full 8 ft. height, I would simply hang some 2 ft by 4ft by 4 inch panels of the broad band type absorbers from the ceiling . But only directly over where I would be recording and where I would be mixing, probably a cloud of 4 panels in each spot. Plus absorption in the corner and direct reflection points on the walls

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by ssjk

I’m moving to a different house and my office/studio will be in a finished basement under the kitchen. The decorating committee says we will be replacing the suspended ceiling with drywall. House is 1977 build with easily accessible joists etc.

I don’t plan any extensive sound isolation measures, and am not worried about sound going out, only coming in from the kitchen.

So, is it worth adding insulation before putting up the drywall ceiling? Or is that a waste of time if I’m not going to do the whole double layer, green glue, spacers for the surface layer thing?

If it is worth it, do I just use rolls from Home Depot or is there something special that is worth it?

Thanks.

Hi ssjk

We've insulated between the basement ceiling joists in the last two homes we've lived in, and it isolates sound coming down from above quite well. We used fiberglass batting which filled the space entirely without compressing the batting.

Our basement has a bedroom, and family room in it, as well as my photo and sound studios, and the two floors are isolated above average from each other.

Sound still travels down more easily than upward, but not nearly as loudly as with no insulation.

When I ran a recording studio out of our basement I'd signal the upstairs so they did not to run water, flush toilets, or walk across the the correlating space in hard shoes.

We did not hear conversation from the room above, or the TV set at low volumes when we are in the rooms directly below the den (BUT forget about it when the surround sound and sub-woofer are engaged). Sub-sonic frequencies penetrate the barrier quite easily.

If we moved again, I'd do the same thing.

[DenverSteve]

It's just good construction practice to insulate walls and ceilings for thermal regulation, air management and it never hurts for sound insulation as well.

[runamuck]

I'd recommend you google your question and then consider 2 layers of drywall with a small airspace between them.

[ssjk]

this was really just about avoiding a "sure wish I'd have done that while the ceiling was open" kind of moment. I realize I would need to do a lot more to create a decent recording area.

So if it isn't too pricey I will do standard fiberglass for the office space for sure and possibly the whole lower floor. At worst I get some thermal insulation.

Thanks again

[Brent Hahn]

If I had all the votes, I'd keep the suspended ceiling and, in the performance and mix areas, replace maybe half the solid panels with those plastic grids they have at home centers. Buy maybe six bundles of OC703 and put as many sheets as will fit on top of, oh, 4 of the grids (these will be bass traps) and a sheet or two on top of the rest of the grids (for broadband absorption).

This won't do anything to keep the pots & pans out of your recordings, but it'll make your clanky recordings sound better.

[Steev]

Anything you can do in these areas will greatly increase your sound isolation.

Airtight - A whole bunch of miniscule gaps and holes adds up to a lot of sound being able to travel. Seal ALL the cracks and gaps under the floor above with plaster or goop.

Uncouple - If you have the funds or time try and physically disconnect your ceiling and walls from touching the floor above.

Damped the void - Insulation, fluffy stuff etc. will reduce some higher frequencies and also help attenuate standing waves of resonant frequencies in the gap.

Tortured path - sound likes to go in straight lines so if you are making any passageways or ducts have them go around corners (and add squishy stuff to the walls).

Acoustic treatment in your room is a different subject.

[Mbroady]

I was in the OPs exact situation. I had an unfinished basement that would eventually become my studio/man cave. Unfinished I would hear everything from upstairs, TV, radio, baby crying, appliances. So I put in some rock wool ( I think it was six inches) and decoupled the dry wall.

Now I do not hear the TV, radio, chitter chatter. and other sound wave type of noise, unless it is cranked. What I do hear is when the rugrat (not really a rug rat anymore) is running around or the washing machine hits the spin cycle, as well as other floor-connected vibrational noises. So not a perfect fix but it helped. I’m glad I did it.

[Borderdon]

As a retired builder, I’ve insulated many floor/ceiling spaces to impede sound transmission. Some very good advice above from KevWind btw.
You’ll probably regret not doing it, I doubt you’ll regret doing it.
It will certainly help.