How to Completely Soundproof a Basement

Insulate all the wall cavities with a spray-on cellulose insulation that is sold as a sound-blocking insulation. Hire a professional to come in and spray the insulation into all of the wall cavities in the basement; let it dry for 24 to 48 hours before performing further work. Spray interior wall cavities as well as exterior ones to block sound from other rooms in the basement.

Insulate between the ceiling joists with more of the same sound-proofing insulation that you used in the walls.

Install a double layer wall system around all the interior basement walls. First, screw resilient channel to the studs on the walls. Apply a layer of sound board over top of the channels and seal all the joints with a soundproofing silicone product. Screw a layer of drywall on top of this layer, but overlap the pieces so that the joints don't line up on top of each other. Also, leave a small space between the floor and ceiling and the drywall; fill that cap with the sealer.

Install a drop ceiling in the basement made from acoustic tiles. Many different manufacturers of dropped ceilings make special kits designed to block sound transfer. They do this through special tile design and materials like cork in the tile. Nail the rails for the system to the outer walls. Then, hang the wires from the ceiling and attach the long rails to them. The smaller rails fit into slots pre-cut on the main rails and then you simply slide the tiles into place. Always follow the directions for your particular suspended ceiling kit.

Replace all the doors that lead to the basement. Also replace doors that lead to utility rooms or other rooms that hold noisy appliances in the basement with solid core doors. Then, install a rubber door gasket along the bottom of the door to seal sound leaks at the bottom. Use weatherstripping tape to seal the other three sides of the door.

Install double or triple pane windows in the basement. To further eliminate sound from entering through windows, install interior shutters that you can close over the windows. Affix some sound-absorbing foam to the back of the shutters to provide a completely sound-proof seal that you can close over the windows at any time.

Paint air ducts with a sound-proofing liquid material, or wrap them in a duct sound-insulating product. Otherwise, sound from the basement will travel upstairs through the ducts and vise-versa.