Whether you live in an apartment, a duplex, or single-family residence, noise coming through doors can be a real issue.
Knowing how to soundproof a door can provide privacy inside or keep out unwanted sounds like noisy neighbors, city streets, or your kid’s new drum set.
Whatever the issue is, we’ve got you covered with this quick guide on the best way to soundproof a door.
Let’s go ahead and dive in.
#1. Dampen the sound.
When sound is coming through a door, the best way to dampen it is to give it something to die into.
A sound that meets hard surfaces will bounce off the surface and reflect further into the room. See this diagram below.
This is what we DON’T want.
A sound that meets softer surfaces will be absorbed and can effectively dampen the sound and keep it from transferring into adjacent spaces.
Some materials that work well at deadening unwanted sounds include:
- Acoustic panels: Adding adhesive acoustic panels to the back of the door is a great way to soundproof a door. Panels located on the door itself can help unwanted sounds dissolve into the door instead of traveling into the adjacent space.
- Insulating panels: If the opposite side of the door isn’t typically visible, try installing a sheet of rigid insulation on the back of the door. It will generally cost less than fabric-wrapped acoustic panels and provides the same acoustic benefits. This could work well for an attic or other storage space, where you may not care about the aesthetics from the opposite side of the door.
- Door Hangings: If you don’t want to permanently adhere panels to your door, you could also use an over-the-door hanging rack to hang plush blankets, towels, woven throws, or other textiles. Many different fabrics can work, but in general, the thicker the better.
#2. Seal the gaps.
Another great way to soundproof a door is to seal any noticeable gaps. Check along all edges and look for areas where light or air is seeping in. If you notice anything, these are obvious spots where sound will also travel easily.
Some of the best ways to seal gaps include:
- Replacing the threshold
- Adding weatherstripping
- Using a door sweep
All three of these methods have the same end goal—seal the gaps between the door and the adjacent material. Having fewer gaps means fewer opportunities for sound (or otherwise) to travel into adjacent spaces.
#3. Replace the door.
Sometimes the best way to soundproof a door is to replace it with a different kind of door. Even if you follow all of the tips above, if your door is not a quality door, you may struggle to see results.
For doors with the best soundproofing properties, try to avoid the following:
- Hollow core doors
- Metal doors
- Doors with glass inserts
- Doors thinner than 1-3/4″ standard thickness
The best door for soundproofing is a solid core door.
Hollow-core doors tend to allow a lot of sound in and through the door. Switching to a solid door (although more expensive) is a great way to deaden sound and keep it from transferring between spaces.
By the same token, metal doors, glass doors, or abnormally thin doors can also have trouble capturing sound, compared to solid wood.
For the best results and strongest acoustic properties, stick with solid core doors.
FACT OR MYTH: You can fill a hollow-core door with soundproofing spray foam to improve insulation properties. Answer: MYTH. Although there are many ways to soundproof a door, trying to fill a hollow door will likely leave you disappointed.
Hollow-core doors generally have honeycomb filler panels (or similar to help the door retain its structure).
Although this doesn’t do a lot for soundproofing, it would cause some issues if you tried to fill the door with another material.
In addition, the base of a hollow-core door rarely has the structural stability to support any additional weight.
These doors are one of the cheapest doors you can buy and it’s because it lacks the structure to support many soundproofing measures within the door itself.
Have Questions?
Have questions? Have suggestions on other ways to soundproof a door? Feel free to drop us a comment below and we’d be happy to connect.