Why soundproof a door and who should do it?

If you’ve recently moved into a new apartment and discovered that on some nights you’re wide awake as you listen to your neighbours’ conversations in the hallway, your flimsy doors may be to blame. 

As a light sleeper myself, loud noises from the hallway have kept me up on countless nights. 

With the recent trend of people working from home, you may also be looking to dedicate a space for your new home office with optimal sound-proofing properties so you can work in peace. 

If those situations sound familiar to you, it might be time to think about how you can soundproof your doors to get a good night’s sleep. 

How they work and if they can be effective

Soundproofing a hollow door works just like soundproofing a room does. 

The problem usually arises because most doors have hollow cores, often trapping air inside. 

The trapped air then acts as an excellent medium for noise or sound, but a terrible choice if you want to keep the noise out. 

Hollow core doors are the most typical interior doors used nowadays in houses. 

Beneath its surface is an inner cardboard honeycomb core surrounded by a softwood frame. 

Considering this thin surface and the air-filled core, there just isn’t much to block the transmission of sound. 

However, you can minimize the sound transmission by adding sound-insulating material on the door, which will significantly help in creating a more peaceful environment in the comfort of your own home. 

Continue reading to find out how you can soundproof an apartment door. Here are a few products readily available on Amazon for you. 

Note that these methods will allow you to minimize the noise transmission but will not completely block out noise.

If you wish to get rid of any outside noise once and for all, you might want to look into getting a solid core door. 

We will explore that option at the end of this article. 

Acoustic foam

A reliable go-to product when it comes to soundproofing is acoustic foams. 

When installed on your door, these foams block noise while absorbing sounds. 

As a result, they can eliminate any echoes from the house. 

Since they are originally designed to improve the acoustics of a music room, you can count them to reduce the amplitude of noise level. 

The best part is, they don’t require any special skills to install. 

Because they are self-adhesive, it will be a hassle-free process for you.