Soundproof Your Apartment

Part of my fantasy of buying my own place is to have room to get an upright piano and perhaps a few percussion instruments like congas.  One thing that has disrupted this dream of mine is the worry that I would never be able to play these instruments above a whisper in a city dwelling.  Apparently I’m not the only one with this issue.

Last year, when my wife and I had to beg permission from our co-op board in Jackson Heights, Queens, to swap our one-bedroom apartment for a two-bedroom unit, only one thing stood between us and our dream of getting our one-year-old son into his own room.

Noise.

My wife is a professional percussionist. After three years of hearing her play marimba, djembe and conga in our living room — and hearing me fumble around on our upright piano — our neighbors wanted assurances that we would keep things quiet in our new home.

This new article at wired goes through detailing the author’s experience with soundproofing his new apartment.  A few of the best tips are:

• Sandwich new sheeting material with a substance called green glue that converts sound energy into heat.
• Drop the ceiling and add a barrier between your upstairs neighbors
• Get a thick vinyl carpet

While definitely not for the renter or the amateur, this is $8000 project let’s  you make as much noise as you damn well please.  Read the full article.