When you decide to soundproof a room and get serious about it, you know you will have to invest time and energy. That’s why it would be a shame not to get the desired results. Not to mention the many expenses involved.
People don’t realize that the place in the room where sound tends to pass most easily is the door.
That’s why knowing how to insulate a door should be one of the first things to know when you want to soundproof a room. The good news is that you don’t have to spend much money to get satisfactory results.
I’ll admit that after we moved in, door insulation wasn’t something I thought about. However, the need to do it soon became apparent.
For my job, I sometimes have to work from home in my office, and I need to be in a quiet environment because I lose focus very easily. No noise, no matter how small, is a distraction for me and has already made me unproductive during the day.
At first, I thought that insulating my office windows would be enough to be quiet, but that hasn’t been the case. I realized that there was still a lot of noise coming through the door, especially when the little one was playing in the hallway. So that’s where I had to start. That’s how my office door insulation project began, and the results were far beyond my expectations.
This article will show you how to insulate a door efficiently and at the best price without breaking the piggy bank.
Here are my different tips. Choose the ones that suit you best. It’s time to soundproof your door! You won’t be disappointed.
How to insulate a door
1. Seal all holes and cracks
This is the first thing you need to do to soundproof your door, especially if it’s in bad shape, and I highly recommend you start here. It’s quick to do and won’t cost you much. You’ll be amazed at the results you can get with so little effort.
Holes and cracks let a lot of noise through your door, more than you think. Here’s a tip for you if you have trouble locating them. Turn off the lights in your room and ask someone on the other side to use their phone flash to look for the holes. Since you’re in the dark, you’ll be able to spot them easily. Clever!
It’s straightforward to fill them in. I recommend using acrylic putty. What’s nice is that once you apply it, you can paint it the same color as your door.
This may seem like a futile solution to insulating your door, but I could feel the difference after filling the holes and cracks.
2. Cold-cut door bottoms with soundproofing.
I knew that door bottoms were used to insulate garage doors and prevent heat loss. But I didn’t realize that you can also use them for any other door, which is very handy for sound dampening. I wouldn’t have thought of it before, and I can tell you that it works pretty well.
Not only do the door socks effectively dampen sound, but they also protect you from dust and small animals. You can try this self-adhesive weatherstripping on your door. It’s excellent.
How to install a door sill? It’s simple. It has an adhesive that allows you to install it quickly without screws. Just remember to clean the bottom of your door. Then, remove the adhesive tape and install the strip by pressing the well.
You can cut it off if it’s too long.
3. Use door sealing strips
What I can recommend is to use door sealing strips. Easy to install, you can even use them on a sliding door.
Door seals work the same way as door bottoms. They are used to seal the gap between the door and its frame. By “sealing” these spaces, they block sound, light, and moisture.
4. Place rugs
You can place a mat at the entrance and exit of the door to reduce noise. Using rugs as sound absorbers will help you reduce noise and redecorate.
Rugs, especially heavy ones, absorb echoes and therefore help reduce the volume of noise that disturbs you. However, it is not the most effective door soundproofing solution.
I recommend placing one on each door side to maximize their effect. The noise that passes under the door will be even more reduced.
While the sealing strips and door bottoms worked best for me, the large mats I installed next made a small difference that cannot be denied. Their effectiveness is most noticeable in the echo in the room.
I recommend trying this one if you’re in the market for a good soundproofing mat. It’s a very thick mat made of polypropylene fibers, making it strong and durable. And it looks great too.
The pros of using mats to soundproof a room are that installation does not need. Just put them on the floor to enjoy the result.
Note that rugs should be used in addition to other soundproofing methods because if you rely only on them, you may be disappointed.
5. Buy blackout curtains
You’re going to tell me that curtains are only for windows. You should know that using them to insulate a door is an excellent idea.
Indeed, blackout curtains are excellent sound absorbers. That’s because they are made of thick materials specially designed for this purpose. Using them on your doors will undoubtedly block most of the noise that bothers you.
To install them, you will first need to install curtain rods over your door, and yes, they are curtains. This can take some time, but in the end, it’s not difficult, and once the rods are installed, you can use the blackout curtain the same way as a regular curtain on a window.
Using blackout curtains will also block light and keep the heat in.
The good thing about choosing blackout curtains in your home is that they are available in many colors, so you don’t have to mess up your home decor. Just so you know what I’m talking about, this one is great, for example.
6. Muffle the noise on the other side
The door is ultimately just a passageway for sound, so why not tackle the source directly.
If you can, directly muffling the noise coming from the other side of the door is something you shouldn’t overlook.
You can do this by using mats, as discussed above. But also you decide to install to use pictures or even shelves, etc. In short, you understand me. The main idea is to fill the room or hallway as much as possible to reduce the noise before it reaches your door and then to you.
In my case, to make my office even quieter, I put a carpet in the hallway but what I could do in addition is to install pictures and a new dresser.
7. Use acoustic foam panels
If installing curtains isn’t a solution that works for you, which I can understand, you can use acoustic foam or acoustic panels instead, and I tested some here: the best acoustic foam panels.
Foam panels increase air resistance and therefore reduce the amplitude of sound waves produced by noise. The sound that passes through them is therefore significantly reduced.
Just like soundproof curtains, you need to hang them on your door. I talk about this in my previous article on acoustic foam, but when installing your acoustic panels, it’s best to use tape and not nails to avoid damaging your door. Not only is it safer for you and your door, but it’s also easier to install. Safety first!
Just be aware that some acoustic foam designs won’t work for everyone and won’t go unnoticed in some rooms. That’s why I suggest using acoustic panels instead of foam ones. Acoustic panels work the same way as foam panels but without the “egg carton” design. They are more aesthetically pleasing and look good on your door’s back.
Conclusion
I think you will have understood that it is the door itself, or its opening, that is important not to exceed when you want to soundproof a room effectively.
Soundproofing your door, just like any other part of your home, can cost you a lot of money or none, depending on what you put in.
Overall, the above steps will help you reduce the noise coming through your doors. You need to identify if the sound you want to block is loud or not and use the method that will work best for you. To get the best results, I suggest you try at least 2 of the methods I have presented and add another one as you go along if necessary.
I am aware that there are many other ways to soundproof a door than the ones I have presented. Why did I choose these? Well, primarily because at least one of my relatives or I have already done it.