Insulating the ceiling

[Scoot]

Hi All,

I'm finishing the basement (as most of you are already aware of) and I'd like to insulate the ceiling to help with noise transfer between the upstairs and downstairs. My question is: do I run the insulation parallel to the floor joists or run them perpindicular to them?

[King Canada]

Best method for sound deadening is hang Sound Channel first and hang the drywall from that. It's more effective than insulation.

[Surface Tension]

King Canada, has some very "sound" advice. Get it "sound" advice, yuk,yuk, snort, snort.

Its the sound that gets transfered through the floor joists that'll you'll be trying to eliminate.

[sparcebag]

There is a board made as sound board.What do you plan on using?It sounds as though your going to use rigid insulation 4x8 sheets?

Sound Board is fairly costly,I could also suggest the suspended ceiling tiles 2x4 they are more sound dampening then rock,maybe use the ceiling tiles in between the joists,then rock.

[Pooh]

i would use a batted insulation and souind channel. staple the insulation to the joist and screw the rock to the channel.

[Farmboy1]

Make sure if you use "Sound Channel" that when screwing you rock to the channel to not screw through the channel into the joists or the entire system is flawed and does nothing.

In a single family house, sound channel may be a little more money then you want to spend. I would go with a R-19 insulation in the joist space, with rock over the top. This will not cut down the footsteps from upstairs, but will cut down on noise transfer (voices, TV, etc.) Anything over R-19 does not get much more for sound, and becomes cost prohibitive.

[Scoot]

A follow up question on this-- I did some checking on the sound channel and it was too expensive for me (I'm already way over budget). I have a bunch of extra insulation, the stuff I originally was asking about. My neighbor said he used similar insulation in the floor joists and it worked great for noise proofing. So, given that report and my money pinch, I'm going to give that a try.

So... I've got insulation friendly recessed lights hung and I'm putting the insulation up in the floor joists. My question is: do I need to be careful what the insulation touches/doesn't touch? Can it go across a hot water line? Can it be draped across the top of a light? How about a heater duct? I assume none of these are a concern, but I'd hate to be wrong and burn down my house... Oh, and does it matter if the insulation is paper up or paper down (I've got the stuff with paper backing on one side and batting on the other).

Thanks again!

[Roofer]

Your chance of burning down your house started immediately. haha

Keep the paper away from anything warm. Insulation won't start a fire, but the paper will.

Good luck with the budget and the project.

[Farmboy1]

Make sure your can lights are rated for direct contact with insulation.

Hot or Cold Water lines should be insulated before installation of sheetrock. You do not want condensation dripping on rock all summer.

Easiest way to put in insulation is to staple paper to bottom of joists with the batt up. It should hold long enough for you to rock the lid.

Good luck.