Do you wake up in the middle of the night because your neighbours are stomping? Do you need advice on reducing the noise from upstairs neighbours?
It’s scary – Recently published studies show that 30 million Americans are subject to noise pollution. That category also includes dealing with upstairs neighbours’ loud footsteps.
If you struggle with noises from upstairs—loud footsteps, muffled conversations, or even the loud music the people living upstairs from you play—you’ll love this guide.
Below, you’ll find four amazing ways to deal with your loud neighbours and reduce their noise so you can relax and sleep peacefully.
Intrigued? Let’s dive in.
Contents
What to Consider When Picking a Solution to Reduce Noise From Walking Upstairs
Look, I get it. It’s hard to focus on whatever you need to do or relax at the end of the day when you can hear everything your upstairs neighbours are doing.
I know that it’d make me rage.
But before we discuss how you can reduce the impact of those noises and soundproof your room from upstairs neighbours, we need to cover some background information. It will help you understand how the sound enters your apartment and what you can do to stop it.
First, we need to understand what is the sound that bothers you.
What Is Sound and How It Works
Sound is nothing else but energy. It travels through the air and other mediums, including solid objects, gasses, and liquids.
That energy is created by vibrations, which in turn create sound waves. And that’s what we hear.
Moreover, each sound wave has a specific frequency, and they travel or ripple from the object and bounce off different surfaces. This is why your neighbour can hear their footsteps when they walk on their floors.
Unfortunately, that’s also the reason why you can hear their footsteps, too. Some sound waves travel through the floorboards as they walk around. Then, they multiply or echo in the hollow space under the floorboards, where you can find pipes that separate their floor from your ceiling.
The result? All those noises enter your apartment, often at a high volume.
Is It Normal to Hear Every Step My Upstairs Neighbor Takes?
Yes, hearing your upstairs neighbours walking throughout the day is quite normal. Regardless of the soundproofing you implement, sounds might always be loud enough to get in.
But things can get out of control if you hear even quiet footsteps.
Unfortunately, things often don’t stop there. Every sound that comes from the top floors, from the sounds of arguing to them blasting loud music or having sex, can affect your daily life.
You might try complaining to your landlord, but usually, this problem is quite challenging to address. After all, how loud is too loud? Only you can feel that it’s bothering you or affecting your well-being.
This is why you must develop a practical solution to guarantee peace of mind. But first, you must know why you can hear your upstairs neighbours’ footsteps so much. And there are four good reasons, unfortunately:
- You both might be at home for most of the day. Statistics show that more than 70% of employed adults work from home. This means that you and your neighbour spend more time at home, and naturally, you can hear their footsteps longer.
- Your neighbour might be walking too loud without meaning to. If your neighbour suffers from Cavus Foot or high-arched feet, they’ll stomp around the house instead of walking normally, which means you can always hear their loud footsteps. You’ll also hear louder footsteps if your neighbour uses a cane or a walker.
- Choosing the wrong flooring material can also be a culprit. Hardwood floors, stone, and tiles have a low IIC or impact insulation class rating, meaning they’re more likely to transmit sounds to the lower floors. This is why these flooring options are more suitable for ground-floor apartments.
- Finally, your neighbours might not be aware that they’re that annoying. Most people don’t realize they’re that noisy unless someone tells them. You might want to talk to your neighbours or landlord and tell them you can’t sleep or sit comfortably because they’re walking too loud.
OK, I Can’t Live With the Upstairs Neighbors’ Loud Footsteps. What to Do?
Have you tried talking to your neighbours, but they’ve ignored your requests? There are several things you can do next. But before considering the different solutions, there are a few factors that you need to consider.
Type of Noise
Before thinking about drowning out your neighbours’ upstairs noises, you might be dealing with two types of noises in your apartment.
Impact noise is when you hear your upstairs neighbour walking, rearranging the chairs in the living room, or working out in the morning. This noise happens because something physically impacts or affects the floor in the upper-floor apartment.
This type of noise creates waves that travel through the space under the floor and eventually through your ceiling, depriving you of sleep.
Airborne noise is the other type of noise you might be dealing with. It happens when your neighbour creates noise in their place while doing the dishes or watching TV. Although nothing directly interacts with the flooring, the noise can still disturb you.
Both types of noises will affect your mental, emotional, and even physical state. Because you can’t sleep well at night, you’ll feel stressed in the morning or unable to do any of your house chores throughout the day. Noise can also be the main reason for your beloved pet’s distress and discomfort.
Source of the Noise
Once you know the type of noise that’s bothering you, you need to find out from where it is coming into your apartment.
The reason for investigating the source of noise is simple – Without understanding how the noise enters your living space, you might end up wasting money on methods that won’t work for that particular problem.
The good news is that most of the time, there are only several potential sources of the noise:
- A small hole or a crevice in the ceiling might increase the noise from upstairs.
- Noise might be coming from a particular area of the ceiling only.
Noise Level
There are different ways to address the noise problem, but they’re not all that simple. Some solutions are easy to implement, and you can quickly enjoy the peace in your home. In other cases, you might have to hire a professional to renovate your house to make it soundproof.
Choosing the right solution depends on the noise level and how it impacts you. If you’ve already talked to your neighbours and they have responded by being more careful while walking around, you might not have to take great measures to dampen the noise from the upstairs apartment.
However, in some cases, you might have to do something drastic that involves more planning and professional execution to reduce the high noise levels. This is true, especially if your neighbours have multiple kids or aren’t responding to your pleas.
Your Budget
Of course, there’s always the question of how much you will pay. In a perfect world, you can do whatever you like whenever you like. But, unfortunately, this isn’t the case, and you need to plan carefully before choosing a solution to deal with your noisy upstairs neighbours.
Because we appreciate your need, we’ve listed several solutions that work for multiple situations, and we’ll explain what exactly they’re good for. This way, you can choose the most appropriate solution that helps you deal with the noise and still lies within your budget limit.
How to Deal with Noisy Neighbors – 4 Methods to Try
Now that you understand the reasons behind the noise and the factors you need to consider, it’s time to choose a suitable solution to this problem. If talking to your neighbours doesn’t work as much as you’d like, or if they don’t respond, you could take matters into your own hands by finding a solution that makes your space more comfortable and less annoying.
#1. Use White Noise Machines
We’ve previously explained that every sound has an audible frequency. This is precisely the science behind white noise machines that people use to help them sleep better.
White noise machines simultaneously produce all the frequencies audible to the human ear, eventually covering your ears with a calming sound that can mask the noise from your loud upstairs neighbours.
These machines boost concentration and can help you sleep better. They’re one of the best solutions that can help keep babies and kids asleep throughout the night.
You can buy a machine or use a streaming app on your phone to stream white noise as you’re sleeping. This is probably more affordable than buying a machine that produces white noise. A machine or an app is efficient because you can use them wherever possible.
Another option is to use pink noise. This also combines all of the audible frequencies, but there’s an emphasis on lower frequencies, so the sound is more even. Examples of pink noise include the waves crashing on the beach.
Some people also use some of the appliances they already own at home. These include fridges, vacuum cleaners, and washing machines. Think of an appliance you already have at home, and you won’t have to wait for long or spend much money to eliminate the noise.
EXAMPLE: SNOOZ white noise machine with a real fan inside
Check out other white noise machines available on the market
#2. Use Soundproof Paint
Soundproofing or acoustic paint is a fast-drying paint that can reduce noise in your home. Once you apply it, you’ll notice an improvement in the nuisance of the loud footsteps coming from your upstairs neighbors.
This type of paint is water- and UV-resistant, so it’s safe to apply in all rooms and locations. Usually, every layer you apply will dampen the noise levels by 2 to 4 decibels.
In most cases, these latex paints contain polymers that combine to create a seal that acts as a barrier in front of the sound waves. Some soundproofing paints also contain fillers that improve the paint’s ability to dampen the noise. Ceramic spheres are the most common type of filler.
You can use soundproofing paint with different colorants to reach the desired shade. Most of the time, you can apply paint using a brush, roller, or hopper gun. Once it’s dry, you can apply another coat and repeat the process until you’ve reached the desired level of noise insulation.
Before considering this option, you need to understand that it only works when dealing with moderate noise. It’s also a time-consuming job if you decide to do it yourself, but it will work for you if you’re on a tight budget.
Here’s a short video showing the effect of soundproofing paint in a room.
#3. Buy Them a Carpet Or Rug (Or Install One on the Ceiling)
I’m not joking here.
Dealing with upstairs neighbours who don’t care about your well-being is extremely frustrating. But if you’ve already tried talking to them and the landlord or management and don’t plan on going through legal issues with them, you can start investing in your sanity.
By buying your neighbors a carpet or rug, you’ll make their floors more soundproof. Sound waves travel through the space between the floor and your ceiling; installing a carpet will absorb these waves.
Although this solution can be a bit more expensive than buying a white noise machine or using an app, it might work for you if the noise comes from a specific room. For example, this might be the right solution if the neighbours’ kids are running in their room all day long or the neighbours have a stone floor in the room above your bedroom.
This will not only dampen the noise but also make your neighbors realize that you’re a nice person. As a result, they might try harder to reduce the noise they’re causing.
What if the neighbours refuse your gifts? Don’t despair because you can install a rug or carpet on your ceiling.
Carpeting your ceiling might not be the first thing that comes to your mind regarding reducing the noise from the upper floor. But it adds to the aesthetics of your place and makes your room look extra special. You can do this home improvement project alone or hire a professional to finish the job.
EXAMPLE: Sonic Acoustics Non-slip Soundproof Rug
Other acoustic panels for ceilings
#4. Increase the Density of Your Ceiling
The thin density of your ceiling might be the main reason you can hear the noise from your upstairs neighbours. If there’s no action on their side, it’s time to take matters into your own hands as the downstairs neighbour by installing a drop ceiling or soundproofing panels.
Drop ceilings are available in drywall, wood, and composite. Your choice depends on your personal preferences and budget. You can also choose a plain design or something that adds a slight edge to your room.
This type of ceiling comes in panels that suspend from the main ceiling and act as a second layer that the sound waves hit before travelling to your space. The space between both ceilings helps dampen the sound waves, so they almost diminish when they reach you.
One of the perks of drop ceilings is that they’re easy to install and provide good insulation, making them energy-efficient.
TIP: Use green glue, one of the best acoustic sealants on the market today. It will help you seal those additional layers of sound insulation. Not only will it hold your drywall or composite ceiling in place, but it will also add extra soundproofing to the mix.
Here’s where to apply it when adding extra density to the ceiling (note – the same method works for floors and walls.)
Another option would be to install acoustic tiles. Manufacturers use wood, fibreglass, polyester, and soundproof foam to make acoustic tiles. You can install them in any pattern to dampen the noise in your home. Acoustic tiles also allow you to conveniently access the plumbing or wiring because these tubes and wires pass through the area between the two ceilings.
Check out these self-adhesive acoustic ceiling panels
Installing an acoustic ceiling can be part of your remodelling project because you’ll have to get permission from your landlord, although you might not have to get a legal permit. In most cases, this can be a project you can finish on your own if you have the right tools, or you’ll have to hire qualified professionals to finish the job. It’s a time and energy-consuming project, but it’s worth it if the noise level is unbearable.
Conclusion
Enduring the loud walking upstairs neighbour can be daunting, but you don’t have to deal with this issue forever. Luckily, there are several solutions that you can try without getting into the hassle of legal issues, especially if your neighbour doesn’t comply.
Each solution will work for a specific situation and has pros and cons, so you must weigh your options wisely before picking one.
