How To Soundproof A Door(2022): 10 Simple Ways Of Noise Reduction

Soundproofing a door looks a little bit tricky and thus often is overlooked by many. However, you shouldn’t leave it as I have made that mistake, and it had bothered me more than you can imagine. Moreover, making the door quieter is not that difficult nor expensive.

In my new apartment, my neighbors were extremely loud. They had an infant who cried and a dog that barked multiple times a day. My workroom was right next to their hall.

As a result, it was hard to concentrate on my work or even record YouTube videos. I decided to soundproof my apartment rooms but ignored the doors.

I was able to reduce most of the outside noise by soundproofing windows, floors, and air vents, but the doorway played spoilsport.

People working from home will better understand and relate to my situation and need for a suitable working environment. I could not ignore the noises from my apartment doors anymore. I was not going to let under the door noises to ruin my peace.

This led me to look for soundproofing solutions for my door.

Initially, I was worried about the effort and money I would need to put in. The expensive door soundproofing options were not an option for me.  So, I started researching on the DIY ways of soundproofing the door at minimum expenses.

In this article, I am going to share simple ways of soundproofing a door that worked for me and what mistakes I made, which you can avoid in your DIY project. I hope it will help you make an informed decision that serves your purpose of soundproofing the apartment door and doesn’t stretch your budget.

10 most effective soundproofing techniques

Be aware that some of these methods of door soundproof may take a slight toll on your budget or your efforts, but will yield highly satisfactory results.

1. Seal/calk up all the gaps and cracks

Cracks on the door and gaps around the door are the main culprits for letting noise travel through a doorway. Blocking these gaps will ensure blocking out the noise from outside.

Usually, there is a gap between your door frame and the wall or some crack on your door. These gaps can be relatively significant but can be filled in with the help of an acrylic sealant.

If you are not too clumsy, this should not be a difficult task. However, please keep in mind that this kind of sealant often shrinks and so you would probably want to coat it more than once on the gaps.

Things you need:

• Acoustical caulk tube
• Caulking gun to apply the sealant
• A scraper to smoothen out the caulk

Once you have the above three tools, you are good to start the sealing process.

Start caulking up from the corner of the door frame up to the edge of the wall. Put more pressure on the sides than in the center, and make sure the center is filled in great detail.

Keep a scrape handy so that you can smoothen up the caulk once it is done. If you are comfortable, you can even use a rug for this purpose. Like I mentioned earlier, you may want to come back and repeat the process after a day or two as this sealant tends to shrink.

2. Seal the door with weather-stripping or door gaskets.

Another commonly visible gap on the door is the one between the door and the door frame.

Weather-stripping or door gaskets is an excellent way to seal such gaps.

Door gaskets are typically used in refrigerator doors to keep the refrigerator airtight and the edibles inside fresh. It only works if you have metal frames or if you can install a metallic strip to your door frame.

If not, than weather-stripping is a way to go.

Weatherstripping is the self-adhesive foam one which can be made of plastic or rubber.

This is comparatively cheaper and easier to install than door gaskets, given that it can just stick to the door frame. It can easily cut out according to the door measurement.

Since it is self-adhesive, I would prefer keeping the surface it attaches to clean. This ensures that it stands no risk of getting detached once installed.

It is a simple yet highly effective method of completely sealing up the gap around your door, which inturns will lead to a soundproof door. In addition to making my bedroom door noiseproof this solution has also ended door slam noises.

I recommend using high-quality weatherstripping only because a cheap one may not last more than a year.

3. Use automatic door bottom or door sweeps for soundproofing door

Weather-stripping tapes will help in the sealing gap on two sides and across the top of the door. However, there will still be space between the floor and bottom edge of the door, which is there for a smooth moment of the door.

Ignoring this under the door gap it will ruin all your door soundproofing effort. The space between the door and the floor is one of the most significant ways through which sound from the doorway gets into the room.

A door sweep or an automatic door bottom will solve your problem. They ensure that the space between the door bottom and the floor is sealed when the door is closed. They can be nailed onto the bottom part of the push side of the door.

Door sweeps are a lot cheaper and simpler to install compared to the automatic door bottom. If budget is an issue, go for door sweeps only. However, they can sometimes damage flooring or carpet and may even lead to swishing noise every time you open or close the door.

If you have a budget, I recommend buying this automatic door bottom. It is an investment you will surely not regret as they are more durable and lot more effective in the sound dampening doorway.

These door bottoms have not only sound proof my door but also has prevented dust and insects from entering my apartment.

4. Mass Loaded Vinyl Barrier or MLV

Mass loaded Vinyl comprises dense, high-mass compounds like barium sulfate or calcium carbonate along with vinyl. You must be aware by now that dense, thick materials are well equipped to block out or dampen the impact of sound.

Let me introduce what STC rating is (if you have not heard of it before) – STC or Sound Transmission Class is a measure assigned to soundproofing materials based on their ability to reduce sound transmission through them. MLV has a high STC score. absorb outside sounds or

Installing MLV to the door can guarantee you peace and the quiet environment as it significantly absorbs or reduces the intensity of the sound waves travelling through the door.

It is an useful way of soundproofing a door. However, this is more expensive than the ones discussed so far.

They are straightforward to install. All you have to do is cut it out according to the size of your door and then attach it using construction adhesive or hanging strips. I will recommend you to double layer and ensure you apply it to the entire surface for maximum sound deadening door.

Few advantages of MLV are:

• It is quite heat resistant and thus better than foam panels (a popular soundproofing tool) when it comes to fire safety.
• Unlike fiberglass (a popular soundproofing material), MLV can both block out and absorb sound waves.
• It is not too thick or rigid and can be easily molded to fit on doors, windows, or walls for soundproofing.
• Even though they are not very appealing visually, they can be painted over or covered with a soundproofing curtain.

5. Buy a new solid core door

Nowadays, most of the doors used in our homes are hollow-core and are mostly made of cardboard, Medium Density Fibreboard (MFD), weak wood, melamine, Masonite skin, etc.

Hollow doors are light and high amplifiers of sound. You can check if your doors are hollow or solid by knocking on doors. If you hear an echo, it is a hollow-core door.

Replacing your hollow door with a solid door is one of the easiest ways to sound proof a door but, at the same time, is the most expensive solution.

Solid core doors are thicker, and rather than amplifying noise. They make it harder for noise to be able to pass through. If your budget for sound dampening doors is high, buying a new solid door for at least the main gate is might an excellent option for you.

6. Soundproof Blanket

Soundproof blankets can come in handy to those who live in a rented house and are looking for temporary solutions for soundproofing door. These blankets are the easy solution as they are easy to install, require minimal cost, effort, and time. All you need to do is hang them on a door using hooks or hanging stips.

The density of the blanket decides its soundproofing quality. Heavy soundproof blankets will absorb almost all noise.

The only drawback of using this method is that these blankets lack aesthetic appeal. However, they are effortless to hang and remove.

I have used this method in my recording studio door, and I have very much noticed the change in outside noise.

7.  Soundproof your door with Acoustic Curtain

Soundproof curtains work similarly as a soundproof blanket. You can choose either option. However, these acoustic curtains sometimes leave a gap between doors when hanging, which can allow sound to enter.

Soundproof curtains are specially designed to absorb all noise. These acoustic curtains can reduce noise by a few decibels, but if you hear a lot of exterior sound from your noisy neighborhood, then it won’t be enough.

When you are sound-insulating doors, I recommend combining this solution with others talked earlier for the best results. It comes in a range of attractive colors and can add to the aesthetic appeal of your room, unlike soundproof blankets.

These curtains are available online and in shops. I would be a little alert in ensuring that the curtains are indeed the soundproofing ones.

Many sellers can easily claim the plain, thick curtains to be the same as acoustic curtains, but this is not the case.

I have reviewed various soundproof curtains that you check for making a more informed decision.

The below checks can come in handy if you are planning to buy these curtains:

• Typically long with the length stretching out from the ceiling to the floor
• Thick and heavy-duty
• Tightly-woven

Besides dampening the impact of sound, the acoustic curtains can block out light and be insulated, can trap heat as well.

8. Use Sound Absorbing Paints for Soundproof Bedroom door

I have always been fascinated with painting the doors, windows, and walls of the house. When I discovered this as a soundproofing solution, I was thrilled.

This rubbery-in-texture thick paint is made of thick latex. Painting the door is the easiest, most fun, and convenient soundproofing method, in my opinion.

The sound-absorbing quality of this paint does not allow sound to bounce around in the room, thereby significantly reducing echoes.

Some of the downsides of this method are:

• It cannot block too loud or high-frequency noises like loud music, sounds from aircraft flying low, etc.
• It does not offer a lot of variety when it comes to colors.
• For it to be most effective, you may have to put several layers of it on the door, say around three coats of paint.

Noise-reducing paints are a less effective way of sound dampening door when used as stand-alone methods. However, if it is combined with other methods, it is proofed effective in noise absorbing.

9. Place a rug or carpet near the door.

Carpets and rugs are usually used in an apartment as an addon to the décor, and also they feel soft and easier on the feet. But do you know that carpets can also be used for sound reduction?

The methods of soundproofing do not have anything to do with the door directly. But it will help dampen the noises through the doorway and is cost-effective.

Using rug as sound absorbers not only absorbs noise but will also make a room visually appealing. It is needless to say you cannot expect this method as efficient as other methods.

But it is going to make your room quieter by absorbing echos and reducing the impact of noise. I don’t recommend using this as a stand-alone method.

If you stay in a rented place and do not want to invest much or alter the house-setup, you can consider it by combining with other methods.

10. Rearrange the Furniture Around the Door

Simply playing with the decor or rearranging the decor with a soundproofing mindset can do wonders. This may not be the most effective solution. However, if you need an immediate solution without spending the dime, then this would be the one from where you could start.

What we have come to learn from noise so far is that hard objects are a significant obstacle to sound. The idea is to put furniture made of dense materials, like bookshelves or sofa, close to the door. These materials will absorb most of the noise entering through the doorway or at least dampen it while transmitting.

Even if the furniture or the heavier things in the room cannot be displaced, it helps if the room can be filled as much as possible with things that can dampen sound.

Final words on how to soundproof a door.

Everyone has different door sound dampening needs, and so the method to choose will differ with every project. However, I can assure you that these solutions will not disappoint you in your desire to have a peaceful and quiet environment as I have tried and tested them on my apartment doors.

I recommend using atleast two of the above methods for satisfactory results. However, if your soundproof door needs are quite demanding, you can always use more than two methods.

Hopefully, I have covered everything you need to know regarding the soundproofing doorway in this article. So, what are you waiting for? Get started now!