Bedrooms and Home Offices
Private calls and sleeping children need quiet walls. A decoupled or damped partition makes a clear difference to voices and TV noise.
Soundproofing in Kingston, ON
Drywall Soundproofing in Kingston for Quieter Walls and Ceilings
Footsteps overhead, a TV through the bedroom wall, or noise between rental units: Kingston Drywall Pros builds sound rated walls and ceilings that actually reduce it. We soundproof bedrooms, basements, home theatres and shared walls for homeowners and landlords across Kingston.
There is no single "soundproof" sheet that fixes a noisy room. Quiet comes from the whole assembly: mass, decoupling, damping and absorption, plus sealing the gaps where sound leaks around the wall.
Much of our soundproofing is in converted houses near Queen's and St. Lawrence College and in basements finished under busy kitchens, where the noise problem is specific and the budget is real.
- 20+ years
- 2,500+ jobs
- Licensed, insured, WSIB
20+ years of drywall
in Eastern Ontario
in Eastern Ontario
Service overview
Our Drywall Soundproofing Services
Drywall soundproofing is building a wall or ceiling assembly that blocks more sound than a standard partition. It combines extra layers of board, isolation hardware, damping compound and acoustic insulation, then seals the edges and penetrations.
It is for homeowners who want quieter bedrooms or a basement that does not shake the kitchen, owners of semis and townhouses, and landlords separating rental units. A soundproofing job includes:
- A noise assessment: what you hear, where it comes from and the flanking paths
- A recommended assembly with an expected result in plain language
- Mineral wool insulation in the cavity
- Isolation clips and hat channel or resilient channel where decoupling is needed
- Extra board layers with damping compound between them
- Acoustic sealant at edges, outlets and penetrations, then taping and finishing
Projects
Soundproofing Projects We Take On in Kingston Homes
Most soundproofing requests are one of these six rooms, each with its own main noise source.
Basement Ceilings
Our most requested job. Isolation clips, hat channel and mineral wool keep footsteps and TV sound from travelling between floors.
Shared Walls in Semis and Townhouses
A decoupled layer on your side of a shared wall cuts voices and music from next door without touching the neighbour's side.
Student Rentals and Multi-Unit Homes
Converted houses often have thin walls between units. Better separation means fewer complaints and longer tenancies.
Home Theatres and Music Rooms
Double layers, damping compound and isolation clips keep bass and loud playback inside the room.
Mechanical Rooms
Mineral wool and heavier board around furnaces, pumps and water heaters take the edge off constant hum in finished basements.
Free written quotes with the finish level spelled out.
Methods and materials
The Four Ways to Stop Sound With Drywall
Every effective assembly uses some mix of these four principles. The right mix depends on whether the noise is voices, bass or footsteps.
Mass: A Second Layer of Board
Heavier walls resist vibration. A second layer of 5/8 in. board with joints staggered from the first is one of the most cost-effective upgrades.
Decoupling: Clips and Channel
Decoupling separates the board from the framing so vibration cannot pass straight through. Isolation clips with hat channel, such as Genie Clips, give the most reliable result.
Installed wrong, resilient channel makes a wall worse: one screw through the channel into a stud short-circuits the whole system.
Damping: Compound Between Layers
A viscoelastic damping compound such as Green Glue, spread between two board layers, turns vibration into tiny amounts of heat. It works especially well on low-frequency noise like voices and bass.
Absorption: Mineral Wool
Mineral wool such as Rockwool Safe'n'Sound absorbs sound inside the cavity so it does not resonate like a drum. It also adds fire resistance.
Noise types
Airborne Noise Versus Impact Noise
Airborne noise travels through the air, like voices and music, and is blocked mainly by mass, damping and sealed gaps. Impact noise starts as a physical hit, like footsteps or a dropped object, and needs decoupling to stop it travelling through the structure.
A basement ceiling under a kitchen deals with both, which is why clips, mineral wool and damped board together outperform any one of them alone.
STC in plain language
What Do STC Ratings Mean in Practice?
Sound Transmission Class (STC) measures how well a wall blocks airborne sound; higher is quieter. For reference, the Ontario Building Code requires STC 50 between separate dwelling units.
| Typical STC | What you hear through the wall | Example assembly |
|---|---|---|
| About 33 | Normal conversation is easy to follow | Single wood stud wall, 1/2 in. board each side, empty cavity |
| About 38 to 40 | Loud speech is understood, normal speech muffled | Same wall with insulation in the cavity |
| About 45 | Loud speech heard as a murmur | Staggered studs or resilient mounting with insulation |
| About 50 to 55 | Loud speech not heard; loud music faintly | Isolation clips, mineral wool, double 5/8 in. board |
| 55 and up | Most household noise gone; heavy bass may still be felt | Clips, double board with damping compound, sealed penetrations |
These are typical lab values. Real rooms usually perform a few points lower because of flanking through floors, doors and ductwork.
Send us a few photos for a faster estimate.
How it works
How We Soundproof a Room
A soundproofing job runs in five steps, and the first one decides whether the money is well spent.
- 1
Find the Noise Path
We identify the source and the flanking paths: outlets, door gaps, shared ducts and pot lights.
- 2
Choose the Assembly
You get options with expected results and costs, so you can pick the right level.
- 3
Open and Insulate
Where needed, old board comes off and mineral wool fills the cavity.
- 4
Decouple and Add Mass
Clips and channel go up, then layered board with damping compound between layers.
- 5
Seal and Finish
Acoustic sealant at every edge and penetration, then tape, coat and sand.
Pricing
How Much Does Soundproofing a Room Cost?
Soundproofing is priced per square foot of wall or ceiling, and the assembly drives most of the cost. A second damped layer over existing board costs far less than clips, new insulation and double board.
One honest note: treating a single wall rarely delivers the quiet people imagine, because sound also travels through the ceiling, floor and doors. We will tell you which surfaces actually need work.
FAQ
Soundproofing Questions We Get Asked
Straight answers to the questions we hear on site visits every week.
Does soundproof drywall actually work?
It helps, but it is not magic. Damped boards perform well as part of a full assembly with insulation and sealed edges.
Can you soundproof a wall without opening it up?
Yes. We can add a second board layer with damping compound over the existing wall; for a bigger improvement the old board comes off for insulation and clips.
Will insulation on its own stop noise between floors?
Only a little. Insulation absorbs sound in the cavity, but without decoupling the ceiling still vibrates with the floor above.
How much quieter will the room actually be?
A well-built assembly can take a wall from hearing normal conversation to hearing only loud sounds faintly. We give you a realistic expectation for your room before you commit.
Talk to a drywall specialist, not a call centre.
Related
Related Services
Soundproofing works hand in hand with drywall insulation and basement drywall. Separate partitions can be framed with steel studs, and new rooms can be built quiet from the start through our residential drywall installation service.
Free written quote Prefer to talk it through? Call us (343) 504-7975
Ask About a Soundproofing Quote
Tell us what noise you are dealing with, which room, and whether the walls are open or finished. We will recommend assemblies that suit your budget and explain what each will achieve.
- Hours
- Mon to Sat: 7:00am to 9:30pm
- Sun: 9:00am to 8:00pm
- Service area
- Kingston and towns within about 45 minutes, plus larger projects further afield.
- Licensed
- Fully insured
- WSIB covered
- WHMIS trained
- Working at Heights trained
- Drywall specialists