I live in a rental with no soundproofing. I can hear everything - conversations (word for word), coughs, footsteps, music, tv, etc. Sometimes the noise from my neighbors is amplified in my own apartment, especially the bass. Since I'm stuck because of my lease, I wondered if there was any way possible to soundproof my walls and ceilings without adding anything permanent or drilling numerous holes and screws (and incurring lots of expenses and bills in the process). Also, it's unlikely that my landlord will agree to anything semi-permanent or hard to remove.

I'm planning to purchase some rugs as well as floating cork flooring for the living room to block noise from my downstairs, but I'm at a loss for the walls and ceiling. I know that I can try adhering cork to a plywood and then sticking it on a wall, but that can get costly and I have too many walls. As for the ceiling, I'm at a loss.

I've read that hanging acoustical foam, acoustical tiles, moving blankets, and tapestries/rugs can help, but I've also read that they don't block noise from neighbors as much as keep my noise in my apartment. Also, I'm baffled because I keep reading conflicting information, especially when it comes to temporary solutions. Because this is a rental which I plan to leave once my lease is up and I don't have a lot of expendable cash, I really want to avoid any costly purchases and big mistakes. Any advice or suggestion would be greatly appreciated. I just want to live in a quieter place for the remainder of my lease. Thanks.

 

Wow, that's a pretty sad situation.

I really don't think there is anything you can do that will be cost effective. IMO I think what I'd do is go for the white noise approach... your money would be better spent doing that. Box or oscillating fans, maybe a little indoor waterfall type thing... some soft music, not enough to make the neighbors complain about you... but just enough so that you don't focus on what's coming from the other apartments. Noise is all relative. A fan helps me sleep at night so that I don't lay there listening to traffic, to the neighbor's TV downstairs, or the jackasses next door who like to work on their vehicles in the driveway at 2AM.

 

Unfortunately, I tried the white noise machine that belonged to a friend and it didn't work. I spoke to someone who said it wouldn't be very effective because my problem is very structural in nature, though my neighbors could be mindful and less noisy. Urgh, I just want less noise. I know the sound will not be 100% eliminated but any bit would help.

Anyone know if blankets, acoustical foam, etc really work, even a little? I keep hearing conflicting info.

 

Mass like heavy curtains, blankets, ... could help but how would you implement them? Plus, I don't see them helping enough to justify the expense and hassle.

 

I have considered the curtain/moving blankets idea. I think if I went the curtain or heavy moving blanket route, I would basically hammer in a long and sturdy curtain rod into the wall and then hang the curtain or blanket. It would be easier to remove compared to the cork and less challenging to construct. At this point I'm cautious, because I keep reading conflicting reviews about the effectiveness of this approach. I just don't know what to believe. Before I plunge ahead I would more confirmation.As for the ceiling, I'm completely stumped since it seems that I would need to build a drop ceiling or structure to attach whatever material. I'm not particularly handy and I live in a city so it limits my access to materials and adds to the cost of the supplies. I know that I won't be able to eliminate the noise, but I would love to reduce it.

 

On top of everything else, it is a RENTAL!!! You are limited as to what you can do, liability wise as well as keeping the landlord from going ballistic.

 

Chandler - I think I already made it clear that it's a rental which is why I'm looking for temporary solutions that require very little changes to the apt. I am well aware of the limitations and liability issues. I do know my landlord wouldn't care if I hung curtains from the wall or made other minor and temporary changes that would only require a little of spackling and paint afterwards. However as I mentioned in my original post there seems to be a lot of misinformation or conflicting information about what works. I was hoping someone from this forum might have first-hand knowledge or advice. I guess not.

 

Start saving newspapers out of the garbage and taping them to the wall and ceiling. Once you get things about 6" thick with newspaper taped to the wall and ceiling, you will start to notice the sound dampening effects. Then when you move out, you can just take all the paper down and throw it away. Newspaper = free. Scotch tape = $5000, since it will take about 10,000 rolls.

Sounds asinine but so is attempting to seal out noise temporarily in a rental unit without spending much money or doing much damage. How much do you intend to spend on these "curtains"? $5000? because that's about how many you would need to make any significant difference. There is no point in doing anything to the walls if you aren't doing the ceiling. I think you are ignoring the facts and wishing someone would tell you what you want to hear.

Trying to say this in the nicest way possible too... I'm not out to try to hurt anyone's feelings or make them feel silly... I just think you are asking the impossible. If it was not a rental and you had no budget limitations, that would be a completely different story.