How to Soundproof Recessed Lighting

Recessed lighting is a popular home feature that consists of lighting installed directly into the ceiling. These lights include trim, housing and a bulb, all of which can be customized to give building owners enhanced control over each room’s design.

While recessed lights are great for aesthetics, these fixtures present a handful of noise concerns. Installing recessed lights involves creating a break in the ceiling surface that houses them. As a result, recessed lights can allow sound to creep through from above or below. The interchangeable components may also rattle in place when someone or something makes contact with adjacent surfaces.

Fortunately, there are ways to soundproof light fixtures for a more peaceful home environment. Let’s look at a few tips for recessed lighting soundproofing.

Soundproof the Floor Above With Acoustic Underlayment

If you have access to the room above your recessed light fixtures, soundproofing the floor can mitigate a lot of the contact noise that causes rattling. Flooring underlayment is a material that you install beneath your floorboards or under a rug to add an absorbent layer that soaks up noise from footsteps, falling objects, moving furniture and more.

You can install Impact Barrier QT Flooring Underlayment beneath nearly any flooring surface. Using flooring underlayment for recessed lighting soundproofing is easy and safe, as you can keep it away from the light fixtures and the heat they produce.

Insulate the Ceiling

Ceiling insulation is another viable option when soundproofing recessed lighting because it gives sound energy somewhere to go. Insulating materials like Quiet Batt® Soundproofing Insulation are cotton-based products that sit inside ceiling tiles and dissipate sound upon contact.

To install ceiling insulation in your home or apartment, measure your ceiling space and cut the material to size. After you’ve cut the materials to the size you need, just slip them into your ceiling panels to cover the entire tile. Be sure to cut out a space for the lights while measuring to avoid a fire hazard. Quiet Batt® insulation is flame resistant, but it’s good to be cautious.

Use Green Glue for Light Installation

When it comes to installing your recessed light fixtures, some adhesives are better than others. For the best results, choose Green Glue Noiseproofing Compound to install your lights.

Green Glue adhesive is an ideal product for firmly binding two flat surfaces and filling in cracks between them. Unlike other glues, Green Glue converts mechanical energy into heat, eliminating rattle when there’s a disturbance above. In conjunction with soundproofing insulation that absorbs heat energy and noise, Green Glue is even more effective.

Green Glue comes in tubes or tubs for an easy-to-install, odor-free adhesive that works well on any surface.

Learn More With Soundproof Cow

Products like flooring underlayment, soundproofing insulation and Green Glue can help you enjoy your recessed lighting without worrying about sound transfer or pesky rattling noises. For more tips, or to receive an in-home consultation from your local soundproofing professionals, get in touch with Soundproof Cow today!