We finished our basement. We used double insulation in the bedroom we created down there and you don't hear a THING upstairs - no thumping, nothing. Right next to it is the laundry room, which we left as an open ceiling. Not only do you hear the thumps, but you can clearly hear the voices of everyone above you and when you are on the first floor, you can hear someone turning on the washing machine.

The best is to have a thick subfloor under your main floor which is something that many older homes lack. That's very expensive to fix just to renovate a basement, though.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. No, my basement doesn't look like that (yet?). It was an example of an "open ceiling." I don't mind an 'industrial look" in the basement - I can be creative with paint and masking... but those don't eliminate the sound from upstairs. I will look into this "resilient channel and homosote" suggestion from above.

I wonder how these "open ceiling" folks do it?

I've seen open ceilings in a lot of houses with low basement ceilings and I think if done right, it looks great and really keeps the room looking more open. Not idea sure, but its also a basement.

It's expensive, but get big rolls of cork matting or cork tiles and cut strips the width of the spaces between the joists, then staple them to the underflooring of the upper floor. The cork will absorb a significant amount of the noise; not all, but a significant amount. Cork is relatively expensive and you want more than just the really thin stuff used for memo boards. Best option (but not the cheapest) is to get the cork tiles designed to be ceiling tiles, but they are a more finished look for putting over drywalled ceilings. But they will soundproof the ceiling.

There is sound paint you can buy, but you either need to insulate from the upper floor by ripping out what ever you have upstairs and putting padding, full plywood and lots more or you need to put insulation and two sheets of drywall or another method.

OP here. No, my basement doesn't look like that (yet?). It was an example of an "open ceiling." I don't mind an 'industrial look" in the basement - I can be creative with paint and masking... but those don't eliminate the sound from upstairs. I will look into this "resilient channel and homosote" suggestion from above.

I wonder how these "open ceiling" folks do it?

Anonymous wrote:

Why?!?! Does your basement ceiling look that great? Mine has plumbing, lots of electrical, AC ducts... you'd have to move all of that to make the open ceiling look prettier. No way to soundproof that except add better insulation under your wood floors.