Your upstairs neighbor is given you hell, right?. Dealing with a certain amount of noise in an apartment is necessary.
It is not funny when you’re hearing everyday loud walking upstairs all the time and to make matters worse when this is happening at night.
These footsteps can be frightening and even sometimes make you feel the ceiling is going to fall on you. These could be caused by different factors such as uninsulated hard floors. These floors could be concrete, tiles or wooden floors.
Sometimes too, it is just the upstairs neighbor not been considerate of those living below them.
These loud noises can affect a person’s wellbeing. Especially, if it is happening at night causing you to have sleepless nights.
In as much as living in an apartment will result in dealing with some level of noise, but if that noise is costing you your sleep and then you really have a noise problem you need to deal with.
Well, there are a couple of approaches from my experience that can be used to put the situation under control.
Let’s look into them one after another.
Loud Walking Upstairs Neighbor What to Do- Some Ideas to Follow
1 . Talk to Your Upstairs Neighbor
Sometimes we can get so absorbed in what we are doing that we even forget that our actions might be affecting the next person.
Tempers can flare at if you approach your neighbor at the wrong time. Even though your upstairs neighbor might unknowingly or knowingly be disturbing you, if they feel like you are attacking them, it might not be a peaceful talk.
Don’t approach them when they are busy or hurrying to go out. It best to approach them when they are relaxing and when you are also in a good mood.
If you two haven’t met yet, introduce yourself as their downstairs neighbor and welcome them if they just moved in or if you are the one who just moved in you let them know you are the neighbor downstairs.
After the greetings, I am sure each of you will be feeling relaxed to have more chit chat conversation.
To make them not feeling like you are blaming them in the conversation, you will blame yourself and or the building floors for been the cause of the problem. This way, they won’t put on a defensive mechanism.
Been polite and nice can even make you good friends. It took disaster( gas explosion) in my neighborhood to be and my next neighbor to become very good friends.
You never know, this might be a good opportunity to make some very good friends in the apartment.
After all, studies have shown that people who know their neighbors are said to be happier than those who don’t know or talk to their neighbors.
2. Talk to the Management
Is the conversation with your neighbor, not getting you anywhere or they promise you they will change but nothing really changed?.
Sometimes, the
talk to management best people to handle the situation is property management. I am sure in your apartment lease, there will something like how much noise is acceptable and what is a level of noise isn’t.
In a good apartment with good management, they take noise making seriously. So if you let them know this is the problem you are facing, then they will talk to your neighbor and if the floors are the problem, they can possibly fix them.
If you feel the noise is recordable, it might help to record the loud footsteps and let the management listen to it. This way, they will know what problem they are dealing with.
If not, some lousy management won’t believe the upstairs neighbor is actually disturbing you. They will just think you are trying to rant or you are trying to cause a problem.
3. Knock on the Ceiling with a Broom Handle
If after you have spoken to them and maybe let the apartment manager or landlord know about their noisy behavior.
But if you are still hearing unusual noise from them, maybe t is time to give them a dose of their own medicine by knocking the ceiling with something like a broom for the to hear it and be aware they are disturbing you especially if it is in the night.
However, if it is during the day and you think they might be busy with something, it might be worth it to wait for them to finish.
Sometimes, some noise is unavoidable like repairing things or the kids trying to play in the room.
4. Tolerate Some Level of Noise
Apartments are known to be noisy. So learning to tolerate some amount of noise will be good. It is almost impossible to live an apartment without hearing any noise.
Neighbors do things are odd hours and have different schedules. You cant ask your neighbor to stop their workout completely but they can minimize how much they are making while doing so.
The same way you cant say the upstairs neighbor’s kids or their dog shouldn’t play. This will be like putting them in prison. But the neighbor can help minimize their noise as well. Kids will always be kids and so do the dog.
Learn to tolerate some amount of noise from both upstairs and downstairs neighbors.
5. Buy Your Neighbors a Thick Carpet or Rug
They say the best way to tackle a noise problem is to tackle it at the source. So if your upstairs neighbor floor is hardwood, tiles or concrete.
They will definitely need carpeting over the floor. IF not every small impact noise, it will send vibrations through the whole floor.
If you offer them nicely a thick pad carpet or rug, I am sure if their floor is not carpeted, they won’t reject the offer.
This will provide some level of basic soundproofing for the floor. So that when they are walking or when something drops, it won’t cause too much impact to the ground. Because the carpeting will absorb some of the sound waves’ energy.
For them to accept the carpeting thing, you need to be a nice neighbor. This is because nobody wants to be told that they need to change their lifestyle or how their apartment is looking to make the other neighbor comfortable.
Stil on this one, you can even offer to get them the color that they will like and show them a couple of designs to choose from if you want.
That way, everybody will be happy. For more soundproofing floor ideas, see this article on how to soundproof hardwood floors.
6. Get a White Noise Machine
White noise machines are effective at masking sound but they are a temporary solution. These devices produce noise that calms the listener.
They make soothing sounds like rushing waterfall, wind blowing through the trees, rain in the forest and other serene or nature-like sounds.
White noise devices are available in the market in different forms for a variety of different uses, This includes audio testing, sound masking, sleep air, and power napping.
If you feel the loud footsteps from upstairs neighbors are disturbing your sleep, then put on a white noise machine anytime you want to sleep to drown out the noise from the upstairs neighbors.
See other ways on how to deal with noisy upstairs neighbors in your apartment.
7. Use Noise-Canceling Earplugs
Alternatively to the white noise machine, you can use noise-canceling earpiece anytime the neighbors are making noise and you don’t want to hear them.
You can use them to listen to music or any sound that will make you feel comfortable. This way you don’t have to deal with some random noise you don’t have control over.
8. Soundproof Your Ceiling
At least if there is anything you actually have control over, it’s soundproofing your ceiling. You don’t have control over the noise your neighbor chooses to make at night. But you have control of reducing that noise impact in your ceiling.
These days, there are many soundproofing techniques available for you to use to keep noise at bay.
The ceiling is actually one of the most difficult places to soundproof in a room.
You can use acoustic foam panels for the ceiling in your room to help dampen the impact sounds coming from the upstairs neighbors.
These foam panels are designed in a way that they absorb the sound and then convert it into heat energy and dissipate it.
You can even put up soundproof tiles for the ceiling. These are esthetically appealing tiles for the ceiling. You can mount them in the ceiling and the ceiling gets a very nice visual appeal and soundproof the ceiling as well.
There are many different soundproofing techniques for the ceiling you can implement in your apartment, condo or flat to reduce the impact of the noise. Check out this article on how to soundproof an already room finished room for some ideas.
9. Terminate Your Apartment Contract and Move Out
I know looking for a new apartment and moving in can be a time challenging thing and a waste of resources to move.
Some people dread movement just like me.
But if after following all the steps above you still feel you have a real big noise problem that is unbearable. Then the last option will be to terminate your apartment contract and live the place for a quieter place.
The only thing is you might be moving from frying pan to fire. Because we all know that all apartments have some level of noise.
So before you rush to get a new place, try and do your due diligence to ensure there the management actual takes noise making issues very serious in your new apartment.
This way, you know you can have some level of peace to enjoy your space just like everybody else.
Final Words on Upstairs Neighbors Loud Footsteps
I know how it feels like to live in an apartment and to have both noisy upstairs and downstairs neighbors. There some neighbors who can be very inconsiderate in their noise making.
So I understand what you are going through. Well, have our level of tolerance to different noise.
If you are really thinking about your Loud Walking Upstairs Neighbor What to Do, then I am sure if you implement these steps above, you will be a step closer to dealing with your upstairs neighbor constantly walking on your ceiling.
By talking to the neighbor in a polite and cordial way, will let the neighbors understand how much their noise is traveling.
Sometimes, they might not even be aware that their footsteps are making that much noise downstairs. But if you bring them to the awareness, they will probably find ways to reduce their impact on the floor.
If after you have approached them, the same thing continues. then might want to get the management involve in this.
But in the meantime, you can get some white noise machine to make beautiful sounds to help you sleep or concentrate or some earplugs to put in your ears when the noise is intense.
I personally do not like to put the earphone on my ears while asleep because of the electrical signals. But if you like it, why not.
The other way of dealing with upstairs neighbors stomping at night is to get soundproofing ceiling materials for your apartment.
There are non-invasive soundproofing techniques for those renting like the acoustic foam panels for the ceiling, using mass loaded vinyl or other ceiling soundproofing techniques.
The last step which you should only do if you have tried everything possible and the situation is not changing it to find a new apartment and terminate your lease with your current apartment.
That is after you have tried everything to resolve the issue.
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