We're planning our Home Theater in the basement. Our basement has 9' ceilings, and no insulation between the basement and the room above.

We would like to complete this on a VERY small budget- and want to spray the ceiling and leave the joists exposed with a "loft" look. However, we need some type of sound barrier between the theater and the upstairs.

Has anyone added any type of insulation to their floor joists, and then just painted it? We're considering the paper-backed insulation- stapling it to the ceiling, and then just spraying the entire mess.

Color scheme is tentatively dark midnight blue for the ceiling, and shades of red, burgundy and taupe for the rest of the room.

We want to complete the ceiling first, and then move on to the floor, then walls.

Thanks for the help!

Probably not the best idea. First off, your standard insulation doesn't have the density to block much sound installed like that. Second, you are going to get itchy as fiberglass keeps falling on you from air currents/etc. Third, it will be truly, abhorrently butt UUUGLEEE :eek:

If you want to be effective, you'll want to stuff the cavity with something far denser than standard fiberglass and it needs to be covered with something to keep it from shedding. Probably the cheapest way I could think of doing it would be to get some bags of R-22 mineral fiber batt insulation (Roxul, etc.), put it up using insulation hangers. Then make some simple frames covered in midnight blue cloth (FR please) to put in between the joists. Lay some thin poly batting on the backside of the frames before mounting them up.The mineral fiber insulation is very dense and has good acoustic properties. The poly batting will help keep the fibers from coming out and the frames and grille cloth will give you a nice look, almost like a coffered ceiling. The only thing you CAN'T do is have the cloth in contact with any in-ceiling cans because of the heat from the cans (also be careful if you have sconces mounted high up).

That's actually a darn good idea! I think we've decided it was a bad idea to try and paint the ceiling. I actually saw this done in a million dollar house, but of course it was just a pool table and bar down in that basement.

I think we're going to go with an acoustic tile ceiling rather than drywall- but at least it will allow us to pack it full of insulation and wires, and will look better.

THanks!

The best idea for this style construction I have read so far is to insulate from the top side. If it is an option, lift the flooring above the room and lay down roofing felt, then lay your flooring on top the roofing felt. Being that it is a floor, a double layer of 30 lb roofing felt would add quite a bit of sound isolation - in both directions. You wouldn't hear the people walking up above as much either.

The loft style worked for me! But I only have 7ft ceiling.

Doug's HT (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=999923)