Soundproofing Ceiling of College Kids

[hengli]

Hello, I am moving into a bottom apartment in a month.  The people above me are college kids who make a bit of noise. How would I go about soundproofing the ceiling so that I can get some peace and quiet and at the same time make a little noise too?  The only common wall I share is the ceiling so hopefully that makes it a bit cheaper.  The tenants above me say that their apartment is around 900 square feet if that helps.  My budget is around $400-$500 and I would like to order supplies from this website, all I need is someone to point me in the right direction.

Oh and did I mention that the apartment allows dogs?  Is there an economic way I could reduce the noise?  (I dont need to stop it completely but just reduce the barking)

Once again, thanks for any advice!!

[Randy S]

Well with that budget im not sure how much noise reduction you will get. Especially if that includes the cost of drywall.
Cheapest effective method would be to apply 1/8" #1 MLV w/psa followed by Green glue and a new layer of drywall.
This system drywall excluded would run $3.60sqft not including freight and based on the square footage you have provided your not going to be able to afford to do the whole place. I would suggest that you choose to do just a bedroom ceiling for now.
http://www.soundproofing.org/infopages/flooring.htm
http://www.soundproofing.org/ggpages.htm
 

[JeffS]

Couldn't he just add green glue and another layer of drywall without also using MLV? Does adding the MLV to the GG/drywall combination really add much?