apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

i've had serious noise problems, too, and i have investigated a lot of products. never tried the paint, but i agree with maxwell: from what i understand about the physics of noise abatement, i would find it hard to believe that paint would do anything at all.

the next time someone on the tv screams, call the police and tell them you're afraid your neighbor is being assaulted. if the first time doesn't work, the second time probably will, because the police will be annoyed and tell her to turn down the noise.

alternatively, you could make multiple noise complaints and cc your landlord. this will work even better if you can get other neighbors to back you up.

Other alternatives:
1) Note under door;
2) call your landlord/managing agent, tell them to intervene;
3) place speakers near wall, insert Annie cd, pick the song "It's a Hard Knock Life", put song on automatic replay, put volume up on speaker pointing at shared wall, go out for the afternoon/morning/evening. That should do it.

I have serious doubts that a paint will solve your problems. There is just no way any substance applied that thin can do anything to damp noise.

You don't need to capture air between services, you need to make sure that when sound hits one surface (your neighbor's wall) it doesn't vibrate the next surface (your wall).

If air between surfaces worked to stop sound, then drums wouldn't really work all that well.

That site looks like snake oil to me. I don't see any lab tests, nor any real explanation of how their material would actually work.

We rent part of our building to a temporary agency whose employees conduct all telephone conversations by shouting down the speakerphone. We found a solution, and it wasn't expensive, but it wasn't easy, either, and if you're renting you might not be able to do it, but here it is. We applied sheets of vinyl soundproofing material to the common wall, then sheetrocked over it. The soundproofing material is like thick black sheets of vinyl, and it is impregnated with some kind of mineral (silica? I forget) and is heavy as a mother. We did it with two people but it was a ridiculous comic debacle, because it doesn't look like it should be anywhere near as heavy as it is but we were just staggering under its weight and trying to hold it up long enough to hit it with a staple gun. It felt like Earth's gravity had suddenly gotten extra strong that day. Anyway, the good news is that it worked like a charm and we can't hear them at all anymore, and I think it cost less than $200. Google "soundproofing" and there are a bunch of very informative web sites that sell this stuff. I'm sorry that I can't remember which place we used, but if you are truly desperate, this is the way to go.

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I went ahead and ordered the paint and will let you know what the results are. Unfortunately, the TV isn't loud enough to warrant a call to the police and it's a condo building without onsite management, so I have to figure out how to deal with it on my own. (I'm on the board, too, but I'm saving my bullets with them to deal with the other neighbor who has parties on the deck til all hours of the night). I also ordered a sound conditioner -- will report back if any of this works! Kathryn

I have heard of these insulating paints and sound reduction paints nd I think they do work. I have heard a lot of good feedback about this one company, Hy-Tech, and I think they are definitely worth trying

This is too funny because I just got the same paint not too long ago for my aprtment and I cant hear my neightbors even near as much. I think its a great product!

it's been 3 months since kathryn posted 12/12/05 has anyone heard of her results.

I have a friend who used this to insulate temperature wise with wonderful results!

I'm thinking about trying this acoustic dampening paint..I agree it seems that something this thin won't make a difference but aren't you thinking about a small spot when you say that?? the product is spread over all the walls and ceiling(!) and not just a small spot..So with that much distribution it is feasible (to me anyway) that sound waves can be better absorbed and not reflected. Just because you cannot see a change in something that thin doesn't mean it's not there.

The bedroom of my apartment is very noisey.
for the price of hy-tech it is worth a try.

Kathryn in 12/12/05 says she will try it and let us know. I would like to hear from her.

Sorry, I never used it! In talking with my building's management, they convinced me that the best solution would be to add insulation to the wall separating her bedroom from mine and I just couldn't handle the expense.

I rely on earplugs (and sometimes a sleeping pill) but actually my neighbor seems to have turned the volume down - so it's not as much of an issue.

i have a science project does anyone trying to sound proof have ideas for me to test ?thanks

I hav a solution to noisy neighbors???? Shoot them. Lol just kidding

I'm going to try the paint also. I hav to paint anyway. My problem is the 50 pound girl downstairs. She has no rug and I can hear her every move. U would think she weighed 250 pounds I'm looking into just throwinng down the heavy mass vinyl and throw a rug over it. I'm soooooo glad there are other people with the same problem

Hi there

My boyfriend and I moved to this lovely apartment only a week ago. I was over the moon till I heard our neighbors. The walls are paper thin, its not just they keep the music way too loud late in the evening but that the walls are very thin. If I had known. I feel so unhappy. The noise goes through our living room wall and staircase. I would really like to do something about it but since we wouldnt pull the walls down, could we add some insulation on top of them? Pls I need your help. Thanks a lot!

I have a terrible noise problem as well. My recent neighbors just moved out, they were very hard to deal with. They have moved out, I know have two new neighbors who make the last sound like field mice. Their music shakes my fixtures, and I have asked them to please keep it down.... they turn it down slightly, but its still really invasive. I am looking at Green Glue, with a second set of drywalling over the existing. Anyone else use green glue?

Thanks