I have a partially finished basement, hardwood floors above. What can I do soundproof the unfinished ceiling? I'm not planning on finishing, I want that area to serve as a hang out spot for the family and I don't want to worry about fiberglass dust.
They make sound proof insulation just for that. It's not dirt cheap. Stuff carpet padding in between the joists (poor man sound proofing) Tell everyone to shut up down there. Buy noise cancelling headphones get a room every time your family gathers in the basement call the cops about the noise get everybody a remote control anti-bark collar for dogs. If they get out of line you can zap them to shut up....i got one for my wife, but her overwhelming natural desire to babble was enough to overcome the 50,000 volts. She usually runs the battery down in the collar in about 2 days.
What is fiberglass dust? Fiberglass doesn't make dust. Nothing wrong with using fiberglass insulation.... it'll work the best.
You need to insulate. then poly to seal! -- Or-- you can buy insulation batts already prewrapped in plastic. Or have it sprayed with foam, it`s expensive!--- YES-- fibreglass does make dust! Wear a mask!-- Once this is done, an inexpensive fabric draped across with a billowing effect looks good, and easy to DIY.
To sound proof you need to do two things, isolate and absorb. This means that the surface facing the basement should not be in direct contact with the floor above and some sort of material with adequate mass needs to be between to absorb the sound. It sounds like you don't want to go overboard with this project so I would suggest insulation batts and a dropped ceiling. Dow makes a 'safetouch' insulation that does not create dust and that you do not need to use a mask while installing (though I still would). There are newer styles of dropped ceilings out there now with a lower profile that use tracks that are relatively easy to install. I think one brand is called CeilingLink. This will look nice, block a lot of sound and allow access in case it is needed in the future. Best of luck, and maybe consider a radon gas detector.
