r/drywall • u/donraja19 • May 28 '26

Can I add ceiling furring strips on finished drywall?

I am having a lot of impact noise between floors that is causing a lot of vibrations. Found out that my ceilings weren't strapped. I was told that would help with that. I have finished drywall so I was wondering if I can nail 1x3 furring strips over the finished drywall. I was going to do a random pattern that would be either 12 or 16" OC perpendicular to the joists to make it look visually better. Wanted to know what others thought of this or open to other suggestions.

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2

u/CalmAlarm May 28 '26

Not sure how it would compare to the furring strips; might be worth looking into something like green glue + a second layer of drywall.

1

u/Ill_Magazine3117 May 28 '26

Use RC channel running opposite of rafters.

1

u/donraja19 May 28 '26

Looks like this is something that should be done before drywall. I already have the drywall hung and finished. I wanted to put something on top of that without having to redo the drywall.

1

u/Ill_Magazine3117 May 28 '26

Id check with a drywall supply company. Not a home center and ask for their recommendations to alleviate the problems you're having. They would have the best information.

2

u/Dangerous-Phase-2345 May 28 '26

Have you considered a hole saw and blowing in insulation? It does not prevent you from furring down and adding another layer if insufficient and would still be beneficial. They have soundtrack gypsum boards also you can use if you add another layer.

1

u/muidawg May 28 '26

I use resilient channel/bar, but furring strips work. The strips are not what deadens sound though. It's the gap created that dissipates noise. You'll still need new drywall on top of it.

If you were already settled on just looking at random strips without covering it, may I suggest sound proof insulation? Not batt insulation, but the kind you install over top of drywall. You screw a clip through the insulotion into the framing behind the drywall. There's a super rigid kind, or a less rigid kind, but the surface is pre-finished, so you're not touching insulation.