4 Ways to Soundproof a Door That Really Work

Hello, my friend, hello again; today we come together to talk about 4 Ways to Soundproof a Door That Really Work and hope the blog can help you.

Whether you’re trying to tone down the noise outside or keep your garage band under wraps, these strategies will help muffle the sound coming through your door.

While closed doors do a decent job of muffling the noise outside a room, cracks between a door and its casing or threshold offer just enough space for some sound to filter in. Homeowners looking for complete quiet will need to mix and match a few of these methods in order to seal these gaps to their satisfaction. If you install weatherstripping but do not have a snug-fitting threshold, for example, you’ll still hear some noise. Do a thorough job of securing all surfaces mentioned in this guide for how to soundproof a door, though, and you’re sure to get a more than adequate level of soundproofing.

Once you determine just how quiet you need the space to be (just quiet enough quiet to fall asleep, or complete silence for your basement recording studio?), get to work implementing one or more of these noise-reducing methods.

RELATED: Buyer’s Guide: The Best Soundproofing Materials

1. Seal the door with spring bronze weatherstripping.

Create a better door seal and prevent noise from penetrating through the cracks by installing new spring bronze weatherstripping. This type of weatherstripping performs the same task as your average vinyl or foam stick-on weatherstripping, but can do so better, and for longer—up to 30 years. It’s especially ideal when used on doors that face the outside, because it’s sturdy enough to seal out both water and bugs.

SUPPLIES

Tape measure
Marker
Bronze spring weatherstripping
Tin snips
Awl
Hammer
17d Nails

1. After removing any existing weatherstripping, measure the width of the door frame and the length of the door jamb (the vertical parts of the frame, one of which the door hangs on).
2. Unroll your metal weatherstripping and use a marker to identify your cuts based on the dimensions taken.
3. Cut the spring metal weatherstripping using tin snips to the appropriate length. If your spring metal weatherstripping does not feature pre-punched holes, dot along the lip of the metal every 1-1/4 inches so that you know where to place your nails later. For the piece of metal that will trim the top of your door frame, you may want to pre-punch it manually by placing the tip of the awl at each mark and tapping it with the end of a hammer. (Using the awl and hammer overhead will be difficult.)
4. Hang your first cut of weatherstripping along the door hinge side; you want the bronze to nearly touch the threshold. Use tin snips to trim away metal stripping that may impede the operation of hinges.
5. If your metal weatherstripping has pre-punched holes, tap a nail in the first hole (at the top) and the last (at the bottom) of the strip, but do not drive either nail all the way in. Visually confirm that the strip appears to be straight (or use a level), and make any necessary adjustments. (Working with weatherstripping without any holes? Simply hammer the nails through the first and last dots.)
6. Tap a nail partway in the center of the weatherstripping. Then, continue adding nails along the strip at consistent intervals.
7. Repeat Steps 4 through 6 for the strip on the second side of the door frame.
8. Once all the nails are in place and you’re comfortable with how the bronze strips are positioned, finish driving the nails into the strips. Keep the fastener head flush with the strip. In other words, do not pound or drive it into the metal as this can damage the metal.
9. Nail in the strip across the top of the door frame, following Steps 4 through 6.