How can I reduce noise in an apartment?

Question

My upstairs neighbor's taste in music sucks. Besides shooting him, how can I reduce the amount of music which gets through the ceiling and to my ears? I'm in a studio apartment.

Answer 1

I once lived in an apartment and the people next door use to fight all the time day in and day out, I went to the office and made a complaint and they got a notice from the manager about noise and they stopped for alittle while, then it happened again so I did the same thing again and that time they were forced to move. So I would complain about the noise. when you are in an apartment everyone should be considerate of their neighbors. And you should not have to pay to live uncomfortable.

Answer 2

To block the sound, you will have to install sound absorbing material in between the source and your ears. There is insulation materials that abosorb sound but unfortunately, the best way to control sound is with a very heavy material such as 12" of concrete or steel. The heavier the material, the better the result. For example, hanging a bed sheet across your ceiling would be between the source and your ears but since it is light, it will not absorb much sound. I would not suggest installing something heavy across your ceiling unless you get a structural engineer involved. Something heavy enough to absorb the sound could cause injury or death.

Another means would be to install a high quality thick carpet on your upstairs neighbor's floor. Include a thick pad and this will go a long way toward muffling the sound that resonates downstairs.

You might also consider talking to an insulation company to see if they can install additional insulation in your ceiling.

My bet is that you would not be willing to make either of these investments in an apartment. So the sound will always reash your apartment.

There is still some things you could do that will absorb the sound once it gets to your apratment. Get some furniture with heavy fabric cushions and hang quilts or other "soft" materials on the wall. You will most likely still hear the sound but these methods will keep it from echoing around once it gets into your place.

I learned living in dormitories another method for dealing with music that is not pleasing. I always tried to acquire a roomate with a bigger stereo and taste in music similar to mine. He with the louder stereo would win the battle over who had to hear music they didn't like.

Good luck!!! next time- only rent apartments on the top floor.

Answer 3

You could fight fire with fire. If you have a surround sound system with a sub-woofer, place it somehow in direct contact with the ceiling and watch alot of MTV or VH1. Better yet, leave it turned on when you are'nt home. This could backfire and get you into trouble, but it would probably be worth it to give the guy a taste of his own medicine.
Remember, it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission!
Or, if you are still on speaking terms with your neighbor, you can ask him to modify his speaker setup. If his speakers and/or subs are picked up off the floor, the noise vibrations being transmitted down will be reduced.
I had the same problem years ago. I hammered on the ceiling so hard once that I knocked a hole in it. I repeatedly would go knock on their door and raise hell. They'd turn it down for a while.....well, you know the story. The management tried to help, but I ended up calling the law. Eureka!!!
Good luck.

Answer 4

I've been a landlord for 15 years = dealt with this problem a LOT!!

threatening the guy willprobably lead to a passive / agressive response. if you turn off his power, he might take the hint. Calling the cops works, but that has it's own set of rules.

Putting carpet on the inside of the door will help reduce hall noise . . . Soft things absorb sound.

Perhaps a drop ceiling with insulation.

Answer 5

Unfortunately, most apartments are not well insulated or sound proofed. You can soundproof the flooring above you, but you need written permission from the owner of the building.

Carpet on the floors softens the sound; empty rooms exaggerate sound.

You can speak with him and ask him to turn down the volume or wear head phones. You can request that the landlord speak with him, too. If that doesn't work, drown out his noise with your own music.

I lived in a studio, too, and I could hear every noise above my apartment. I had very nice neighbors who were large in size. Despite going shoeless in their apartment above mine, I could hear every creak in the floor, their love making in bed, and their television. Fortunately, we all went to sleep at the same time.

Answer 6

I did this in an appartment once... I bought some ceiling tiles from the home store - you know, the cheapest styrofoam tiles - and adhered them to the wall with double stick tape. (It occurres to me that 'Sticky-Tac' that holds up posters, would work as well in this application.) It worked like a charm and really helped with noise reduction. I actually painted some of them in a couple of the colours from my room, and then used them at random in amongst the white ones. I thought it very stylish, very chic. The tiles came down with very little problems when I moved. Good Luck.

Answer 7

I really thought about this. If you have drop ceilings you can buy insulation and install it on top of the panels.

Open your windows as long as he does not have his open at the same time.

Worst case, Buy some ear plugs.

Answer 8

call the landlord? I hated apartment living my self. earplugs r cheap lol. Good Luck

Answer 9

You can try complaining to the apartment manager.

Answer 10

close your windows