ᐅ Renovating Beam Ceilings and Floors – Challenges and Questions

Hello everyone,

I’m new here, but I’ve owned my own home (an older building) for 6 years already. A little bit about me...
I’m Sven, 28 years old, and I’m looking for help because I’m a bit stuck.

I’m facing the problem that in my older house, the intermediate ceiling consists of wooden beams. From below, these are covered with drywall panels and a wooden understructure. Above the beams (which are 180mm (7 inches) deep), there is about 60mm (2.4 inches) of glass wool insulation, then cardboard, and finally a layer of wooden boards (see pictures).
When walking or moving normally on the upper floor, the noise is extremely loud below (like a hollow box or megaphone effect?).
Currently, the entire floor (13m x 6m (43ft x 20ft)) is not in use, but it is planned to become living space in the near future.

My idea is to remove the entire wooden board layer, fill the hollow space (no glass wool!), and then install a proper floor using Fermacell leveling panels. Above that, I plan to lay a vapor barrier, then an impact sound insulation layer made of compressed wood fibers, and finally OSB boards for a clean finish. On top of that, a solid wood floor could be installed.

Good idea? Any other opinions or suggestions?

Best regards,
Sven

Berti_90 schrieb:
My idea now would be to remove the entire board layer and fill the cavity (no fiberglass!)

Makes sense. You need weight inside the cavity. It’s best to have a structural engineer check what the beams can support; you might need secondary beams for that. You can also improve things a bit by renovating the ceiling below.
The ift Rosenheim offers a PDF on strategies for renovating wooden ceilings regarding sound insulation. It explains the options very well.

Berti_90 schrieb:
My idea would be to remove the entire boarding, fill the cavity (no fiberglass insulation!) and then build a proper floor using Fermacell screed boards. Above that, a membrane will be installed, followed by impact sound insulation made from compressed wood fibers, and then OSB boards to create a clean finish. On top of that, the final floor (real wood) can be laid.

Yes, you should definitely consult a professional. From my experience, the Fermacell boards are usually installed higher up—directly beneath the floor covering.

Also, I’m familiar with using less of a membrane and more of a protection layer against loose particles.

In my understanding, leveling fill or wood fibers for insulation should be placed beneath the Fermacell boards.

And of course, the structural stability needs to be considered (as someone else has already pointed out).

What exactly were you planning to fill the cavity with? And how load-bearing is the battens beneath the joists?

Caspar2020 schrieb:
What exactly did you want to pour into the hollow space? Or rather, how load-bearing is the battens under the beams?

Supporting is actually not their job at all.

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No; let’s put it differently. The space between the joists is supposed to be filled. Currently, there is only a little wood wool in there.

Is there actually a load-bearing layer that can support loose fill material? (Basically between the wooden joists in the lower third)

Also, what is the construction of the ceiling below the joists?

Caspar2020 schrieb:
Or rather, what is the structure of the ceiling below the beams?

Have you tried googling that? (External links are unfortunately not allowed here, but the search term should lead you to the information.)

MayrCh schrieb:
There is a PDF from ift Rosenheim about strategies for renovating wooden ceilings with regard to sound insulation.

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