Let me guess why you’re here.
It’s 11:00 PM. You’ve just drifted into that sweet, heavy pre-sleep phase. Then, THUD. It sounds like someone just dropped a bowling ball on your ceiling. Then comes the scraping of a chair, the pitter-patter of what sounds like an energetic Great Dane (but is probably just a toddler), or maybe the muffled bass of a TV show you didn’t ask to listen to.
Living in a multi-story apartment has its perks—great views, maybe a gym downstairs—but the noise isn’t one of them. I’ve been there. My first apartment was beneath a guy who I swear was running a tap-dancing school for elephants.
The reality is that apartment buildings, especially the newer “luxury” ones with thin walls and trendy hardwood floors, are essentially acoustic nightmares. Sound travels through structures like electricity through a wire. But you don’t have to move out to get some peace.
If you’re wondering what are the best solutions for soundproofing multi story apartments, you need to look at this problem from two angles: stopping the noise coming in, and dampening the noise bouncing around. Let’s break down how to turn your apartment into the sanctuary it’s supposed to be.
The Big Villain: Impact Noise vs. Airborne Noise
Before you go buying egg cartons (please don’t buy egg cartons, they do absolutely nothing), you have to know your enemy.
There are two types of noise driving you crazy.
- Airborne Noise: This is voices, music, the TV, or a barking dog. It travels through the air and sneaks through cracks under doors or thin glass.
- Impact Noise (Structure-Borne Noise): This is the killer. Footsteps, dropped objects, furniture dragging. This noise actually vibrates the physical beams of the building. The ceiling itself becomes a speaker, projecting the sound down into your ears.
Most people try to fix impact noise with airborne solutions, and that’s why they fail. Fixing impact noise usually requires adding mass or decoupling surfaces.
Dealing With the “Ceiling Stompers”
Okay, let’s tackle the hardest part first. If the noise is coming from upstairs, you are fighting gravity.
The “Talk to the Neighbor” Strategy (Seriously)
I know, I know. Nobody wants to be that neighbor. But sometimes, the person upstairs has no idea how loud they are. They might be walking around in heavy boots on hardwood floors at midnight simply because they forgot to take them off. A friendly note or a knock—maybe accompanied by a cheap bottle of wine or some cookies—can work wonders.
You could say, “Hey, the floors in this building are super thin. Would you mind slipping on soft socks or putting a rug down in the hallway?”
If they are nice, problem solved. If they aren’t… well, let’s get into the construction hacks.
The Rug Trick (If You Can Convince Them)
The absolute best way to stop impact noise isn’t something you do; it’s something they do. Thick rugs with a high-density rug pad are miracle workers. They absorb the shock of the footstep before it hits the subfloor. If you have a good relationship with the landlord, you might ask if they enforce a “80% carpet rule,” which is common in older leases.
Adding Mass to Your Ceiling
If you can’t change the floor above, you have to beef up your ceiling below.
The gold standard is Mass Loaded Vinyl (MLV). Imagine a yoga mat, but incredibly heavy and dense. It’s limp mass. It doesn’t vibrate easily. You can staple this directly to your ceiling (if your lease allows or you own the place), and then cover it with a layer of acoustic drywall. It’s messy, it’s heavy, but it stops sound dead in its tracks.
For a less invasive approach, look into acoustic panels. Now, fair warning: sticking foam squares on your ceiling won’t stop a heavy footstep. Foam is for echoes, not blocking sound. You need dense, heavy panels—often made of fiberglass or compressed wool—suspended slightly off the ceiling to trap the waves.
Soundproofing Walls: When You Can Hear the TV Next Door
Sometimes the problem isn’t upstairs; it’s the gamer next door shouting at Call of Duty at 2 AM.
The Bookshelf Buffer
This is my favorite trick because it looks good. Mass blocks sound. Books are heavy. If you build a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf against the shared wall and fill it with books, you are essentially adding a second, thick wall. It disrupts the sound waves trying to pass through.
Just make sure there isn’t a huge air gap behind the shelf where sound can resonate. Push it flush, or better yet, put a layer of MLV behind the bookcase.
Check Your Outlets
Here is a sneaky one. Put your ear near an electrical outlet on a shared wall. Hear that? It’s basically a hole in the wall leading directly to your neighbor’s apartment.
You can buy cheap acoustic putty pads or outlet sealers from a hardware store. Unscrew the faceplate, seal the gaps around the box, and screw it back on. It takes five minutes and makes a surprising difference for airborne noise like voices.
Windows and Doors: The Weakest Links
If you live in a city, the noise might be coming from outside. Sirens, traffic, early morning garbage trucks.
Windows are usually the biggest gap in your armor. If you have single-pane windows, you’re in trouble. But you don’t have to replace them.
Indow inserts or similar window plugs are fantastic. They are acrylic sheets that press into your window frame with a silicone seal. They create a dead air space that traps noise (and heat/cold, so bonus points for energy bills).
For a cheaper fix, heavy noise-canceling curtains work okay. They won’t block a siren, but they will muffle the general hum of the city. Look for curtains that are labeled “thermal” or “blackout” and feel heavy to the touch.
And don’t forget your front door! If you can see light coming in from the hallway, sound is coming in too. A simple rubber door sweep attached to the bottom of your door costs about $15 and cuts hallway noise significantly.
White Noise: fighting Sound with Sound
Sometimes, no matter what you do, a little noise will get through. This is where “sound masking” comes in.
This was a game-changer for me. I bought a mechanical white noise machine (the kind with a real fan inside, not a digital loop). It creates a consistent “whoosh” that raises the threshold of hearing in the room.
Basically, it makes the silence less silent. When your room is dead quiet, a dropped pin sounds like a gunshot. When there is a background hum, your brain ignores the sudden noises from upstairs because the contrast isn’t as sharp. It smoothes out the jagged edges of apartment living.
“Floating” Your Floor (For the Downstairs Neighbor)
If you are the noisy one and want to be considerate (or you just play drums), you need to decouple.
If you have hardwood floors, don’t put your subwoofer directly on the wood. The bass will travel through the floor structure like a train. Put it on an isolation pad.
If you exercise at home, get a thick rubber gym mat. It protects your joints and your neighbor’s sanity.
FAQ: Quick Answers to Noisy Problems
1. Does egg crate foam actually work for soundproofing?
No. Absolutely not. Egg crates (and cheap acoustic foam) are designed to stop echo inside a room, improving audio quality for recording. They do almost nothing to stop sound from entering or leaving a room. They have zero mass.
2. Can I soundproof a rental apartment without losing my deposit?
Yes. Focus on non-permanent solutions: heavy rugs, bookshelves against walls, heavy curtains, window inserts, and door draft stoppers. Avoid gluing things to walls or tearing down drywall.
3. What is the difference between soundproofing and sound absorption?
Great question. Soundproofing (blocking) stops noise from entering or leaving. It requires heavy, dense materials. Sound absorption (acoustics) stops noise from bouncing around inside the room, reducing echo. Rugs and foam absorb; brick and mass-loaded vinyl block.
4. Is soundproof paint real?
It exists, but manage your expectations. It’s essentially very thick latex paint. It might dampen vibrations slightly on a hollow wall, but it won’t stop a noisy neighbor. It’s rarely worth the high cost unless used as part of a bigger renovation.
5. Why can I still hear noise even after soundproofing the wall?
This is called “flanking noise.” Sound is like water; it finds a leak. Even if you soundproof the wall, the noise might be traveling through the floor joists, the ceiling vents, or the pipes and coming out on your side. You have to treat the whole system, not just one patch.
Final Thoughts: Finding Your Peace
You aren’t going to get studio-quality silence in a multi-story apartment unless you build a “room within a room,” which costs thousands. But you don’t need total silence. You just need the noise to be manageable.
Start with the easy wins: seal the gaps in your doors and windows, get a white noise machine, and put down some heavy rugs. If that doesn’t work, consider the bookshelf trick.
Your home should be the place where you recharge, not where you stress out waiting for the next thump. Take control of your space, layer by layer, and you’ll find that silence is actually attainable.