The first thing you’ll need to do when taking on a soundproofing project in your condo is to determine what kind of noise you are dealing with. Sound can be broken down into airborne noise and impact noise. The products and methods for soundproofing can differ depending on where the sound is coming from and what type of noise it is.

Airborne Noise in a Condo or Townhouse

Any sound that travels through the air is airborne noise. Examples of airborne noise are a dog barking, a phone ringing, people talking, or music playing. Airborne noise is commonly heard through the walls, doors, and windows of a home.

impact Noise in a Condo or Townhouse

When one object makes contact with another, the vibrational energy from the collision makes impact noise. Examples of impact noise are footsteps, furniture being moved around, someone hammering a nail into the wall, or a ball bouncing on the floor. You are most likely to hear impact noise coming from your ceiling from the floor above you.

We like to break your condo or townhouse soundproofing project down into the different parts of your space that you need to soundproof. Our approach and recommendation for the walls are going to be different than the recommendation for the floor, so we recommend you take your space step by step in order to get the best soundproofing results. Here are our recommended steps for soundproofing a condo, starting from the most important areas and working our way down!

1. Soundproof the Walls
2. Soundproof the Exterior Facing Windows
3. Soundproof Your Floor/Ceiling
4. Soundproof the Doors

The shared walls of a condo need to be soundproof or you’re asking for bad blood between neighbors. When your neighbors are watching TV, you’ll hate it if the wall is not soundproof. God forbid if they’re doing something actually loud like throwing a party. You need to figure out how to soundproof an existing wall to solve this problem. A soundproof wall needs to have enough density to block sound waves and should also have an airtight seal around any penetrations and the perimeter of the wall.

Step One: Soundproof the Condo walls

Existing Wall: Add ⅝” drywall with Green Glue

Most people would prefer not to knock down the existing wall and build a new soundproof wall. Although this is an ideal method, it’s much easier and more cost effective to add a new layer of drywall. To actually soundproof the wall though, you need to do more than just add drywall.

Start by sealing up the existing wall around its perimeter and any penetrations with acoustical sealant. A well sealed wall is key to preventing any noise from passing through the barrier.

Next, install an additional ⅝” thick sheet of drywall on top of the existing drywall using Green Glue in between the two layers. Green Glue will substantially improve the amount of sound blocked by the new layer of drywall. Once the drywall is installed you should seal everything up again with acoustical sealant.

New Construction in a Condo or Townhome: Use Sound Isolation Clips

The best performing options is a sound isolation clip system using our RSIC clips. These clips attach directly to the studs and then you snap in 25 gauge hat channel before screwing in your 5/8” drywall and sealing everything with acoustical sealant. By isolating the 5/8” drywall from the building’s structure, you can get extremely high STC ratings (STC 58) without any extra soundproofing steps taken.

Step Two: Soundproof Townhouse Windows

If you have exterior noise issues, the problem is almost always the windows. Windows are a weak point in any structure, because they just don’t block sound as well as a wall. A lot of outside noise will pass through them without proper treatment. If you live near a freeway or train tracks, or if your neighbors just seem to spend all of their time outside blasting music, the sound is traveling through your windows.

The best option for improving the soundproofing of an existing window is one of our Fantastic Frame window inserts. No need to replace any windows, and you’ll also significantly reduce heat transfer through the window unit.

Fantastic Frame Window Insert

Our Fantastic Frame Window Inserts are a great way to reduce the amount of outside noise entering your home without breaking the bank or spending tons of time on renovation. These window inserts are great for soundproofing a window because they are incredibly easy to install and they are able to reduce sound transmission by up to 80%!

Step 3: Soundproofing the Floor Ceiling Assembly

Many condos and townhomes are multi-floor buildings with lots of different units. While newer construction has started to focus more and more on noise reduction due to the clear financial benefits of proper soundproofing, older buildings are often lacking in the soundproofing arena.

If you are constantly being reminded of your upstairs neighbors by the “clunking” of their footsteps you will want to look into how to soundproof a ceiling. Upstairs noise is one of the most common complaints in a multi-family dwelling, so know that you are not alone in your frustration.

Soundproofing the Upstairs Floor

Treating the floor is the most effective soundproofing approach when noise is traveling through the floor-ceiling assembly. To treat the upstairs floor for impact noise, you simply need to roll out a rubber floor underlayment and then install your flooring on top. UnderBlock Rubber Floor Underlayment is an awesome choice for any size of project. This product can be installed with just about any type of flooring and will prevent impact noise from traveling to the floor below.

Unfortunately, an underlayment is often impossible if the upstairs floor is not part of your property.

Soundproofing From a Noisy Upstairs Neighbor

If the impact noise is coming from a noisy upstairs neighbor you’ll need to focus on the ceiling. Your best course of action is to decouple the drywall from the ceiling joists using sound isolation clips. Use RSIC clips in the same manner we discussed above with 25 gauge hat channel, 5/8” drywall, and acoustical sealant. This is really the only way to soundproof your ceiling for impact noise if you do not have access to the floor above. No other options will work, because you have to decouple the ceiling from the building’s structure to stop impact noise.

Step 4: Soundproofing the Condo Doors

The door is another weak point in a room that airborne noise can easily travel through. If the door to your condo opens up to a shared hallway or courtyard you may hear your neighbors when they are out and about.

The front door is always a solid core door. If you need to soundproof a hollow core door, you have to upgrade to solid core. Hollow core doors are not effective at all at blocking noise, because they are too lightweight to be an effective barrier.

If you have a solid core door but need more noise reduction, install our Sound Lock Door Seal kit. This adjustable kit is installed on the perimeter of the door and seals up the gaps between the door and the frame as well as to floor below, increasing the STC rating of a door by up to 20 points.

One of the most important things to consider when embarking on a soundproofing project in your condo or townhouse is the building codes. If you are building a new condo or townhome, there are minimum requirements you must meet ICC minimums (IIC 50 and STC 50). Exact requirements and enforcement can vary by jurisdiction, but if you are an architect or builder and you’re on this page – we know you want to do something good, not just to the minimum. And you SHOULD want to properly soundproof the space, as it’ll pay off for years to come with lower turnover rates and less lawsuits between angry tenants in condos.

Here’s the quick version of what you need to know as an architect or builder. The code is not good enough. The IIC themselves say “a large percentage of people are highly annoyed by noises from their neighbors” at the minimum code. They recommend an “acceptable” level at STC and IIC 55 and a “preferred” level at STC and IIC 60. If you want happy tenants, we ALWAYS recommend 55+ for this reason.