Soundproofing an apartment door is an inexpensive method that can be quite complicated for many reasons.
If it’s a rental apartment, many times the agreements do not allow structural changes to be made and that could lead you to be sued or kicked out of the apartment. For this reason, soundproofing apartment doors should include methods that do not interfere with the structure.
It doesn’t really matter much if you’re trying to soundproof an interior apartment door or an exterior one because these won’t really make any permanent or costly changes. These methods mentioned below apply to all types of apartment doors.
How to soundproof an apartment door?
- Soundproof blanket: Soundproof blankets are made up of fiberglass which is very good for absorbing sound. Heavy blankets absorb more sound than the light ones as it has more material to them.
Installing these blankets does not require any special skill or experience at all. You can just hang them onto the hooks of the door and it’s done.
You can also easily remove them anytime you don’t require them or when relocating to another apartment. There are a huge number of options for soundproof blankets in the market but try to get the heavy ones as they provide the best results.
- Seal all the gaps and cracks: Any sort of cracks and gaps in the door allow even noise to come into your house. To prevent that, cover the gaps on your apartment door. This requires less time to complete and is also very affordable.
Identifying these gaps can be very hard and the best time to locate them is at night when the lights in the room are off. You can request someone to hold a light on the opposite side of the closed door. If the door has gaps, you will see the light through those cracks. This process is very easy and does not take much time. Using airtight sealants will give you the best results for sound deadening. The sealant is also paintable and so you can paint one with the same color as your door thus, making it practically invisible to anybody else’s eyes.
- Weather-strip tape: Weather-strip tape is commonly used on garage doors but it can also be used to fix the sound problem with your apartment door.
It is usually known to keep away dust and dirt, but it also works well as a sound absorber.
Weather-strip tape is up of materials such as fiberglass that are usually used for sound absorption. It has an adhesive or a sticky side that makes it easy to install on the door. While installing it, make sure that you compress it well so that an airtight seal is formed between the tape and the door.
- Use a door sweep: Weather-strip tape or a gasket cannot be used to cover the space, so a door sweep is used to mainly cover the space between the floor and the door and hence, lessen the noise.
Door sweeps are usually made up of simple sound-deadening materials that will help seal the space after closing the door. It may take some time for it to fully get installed as it is not as easy to install compared to the weather-strip tapes.
You will have to drill, then screw the sweeps fastener onto your door while installing it. Apart from blocking the sound, a door sweep also keeps away dust and insects.
- Use a door gasket: A door gasket is a little costlier than the weather stripping tapes. These functions are similar to the weather-stripping tapes but they are most commonly used to seal gaps at the header and the jambs. It blocks noise, light, and moisture.
- Use of a rug: Another method is to place a rug in the doorway to absorb the noise coming from the other side. It also gives you a beautiful visual appeal to your room.
Heavy rugs help in deadening echoes and minimize impact sounds to stop if the sounds are too much, you can place rugs on both sides of the door to help reduce noise that bounces off the door.
You can also get rugs that have an extra thick layer made up of polypropylene fibers hence making them sturdy and durable.
You can combine this method with another method for desired results. It does not require an installation and you can just buy it and place it in your area of interest.
- Sound absorbing foam panels: These panels reduce noise by increasing the air resistance which reduces the strength of the sound waves.
Fibre glasses can be a little costlier and hence these are the perfect alternatives. These panels are also available in different colours shapes and sizes. You can just hang them on the door just like a fibreglass blanket.
- Use soundproofing curtains: Soundproofing curtains are usually used in windows but these can also be used on doors. Curtains are good sound absorbers because they are made up of thick materials that lessen the noise.
You can use heavier curtains for better sound absorption. These curtains block the sounds that enter through the doorway. You can just hang the curtains on rods just above the door frame. The curtains block the sound but also block the light.
There are a wide variety of soundproof curtains in the market and they are available in different colors and designs and sizes.
- Mass-loaded vinyl: One of the best soundproofing materials is mass-loaded vinyl. It is made up of thick material and the installation is also very easy.
Buy the right size and attach it to the door and you will be done. You can use more than one layer for better results, or combine it with any other method.
Read more posts from outdoor category: How To Soundproof A Wall Between Apartments?
- Quilted fiberglass panel: This is another great option for soundproofing your door. It is almost similar to a soundproof blanket but it is more geared in soundproofing a door than the blanket. You can buy it according to the dimensions of your door so that it fits your door perfectly.
This mat not only blocks the noise but also absorbs a lot of the reservation and echoes that are bouncing off the walls. It lessens the strength of sound by at least half and can turn unbearable noise inside a room into a simple nuance.
The inside of it is filled with 2 inches of fiberglass fibres and these fibres are proven to help block noise. Use Velcro to attach it to the door frame as it will help you get a tight seal and let the panel stay in place. Sew the Velcro to the panel material so that it stays in place. Sewing instead of stapling it not only makes it look good but also more durable.
- Soundproof pad: Soundproof pad is almost like a sweep but it is more temporary and will prevent more noise from coming through the bottom of your door. As opposed to a door sweep, you can place the bad on top of the door or the bottom of the door.
You don’t need to keep the pad in place always. You can just position it to whenever the crack around the door lets the noise come through. It is made up of materials like polyester, insulating felt, PVC, EPDM rubber, and iron powder for best sound absorption.
However, make sure that there are no cracks in it at all. Remove the padding once the work is done and use it again when sound comes. Keeping it on the door frame always will hinder you from properly opening or closing the door and will also cause a lot of wear and tear on the pad itself and hence, will get destroyed very easily.
- Getting a new solid door: If none of the methods works, it might be time to get a new solid door but it is also one of the most expensive methods compared to all the others.
Solid doors are much thicker and instead of amplifying the sound, it dampens it compared to hollow doors which are light and amplify the sound.
These doors are the best option to go for as they are made up of acoustic door material, mainly used in the music industry to ensure that no noise leaks.
You may require professional help to install the door for you since it is not very easy and requires some skills.
Conclusion
There are many ways to soundproof a door, you can always opt to replace the door altogether with another solid door but that would be a little more expensive and a permanent one.
As you can see in the above-mentioned methods, some techniques can be cheap while others can be a little more expensive but the most important factor is that you have to identify first what amount of noise do you wish to reduce.
After you’ve properly figured out what noises you require to soundproof you can shortlist several methods to try.
You can always use more than two methods together to get better results. Hope you learn about some tips on how to lessen the noise passing through your doorway through this article. Happy noise-free apartment!