Are you planning to practice playing your drums in the apartment? Or perhaps there’s a busy street outside your door, and you’re tired of listening to blaring horns all day.
Either way, soundproofing your apartment door is an excellent idea. It will ensure that no noise gets out or comes into your apartment.
The only question is, how?
Your apartment door fundamentally represents a hole in your wall that is letting noise through.
So, essentially, all you have to do to soundproof it is to seal that hole, and there are several ways to do it.
Let’s see some methods to soundproof the apartment door!
Also read: How to Tell If an Apartment is Soundproof?
Method 1: Sealing Holes Between the Door
You might not think there are any holes between your door and the floor or the door frame. But chances are that there are a few holes and gaps which are letting the noise through.
One easy way to check this is to turn off all the lights outside the room and shine a flashlight behind the closed door.
All the places you see where the light is creeping out are also the places where the noise is entering from. Therefore, you need to seal all these holes first.
Add a Door Sweep
The most obvious hole in the door is the gap between the door and the floor. For some people, this can be quite big, but for some, this gap might not be very noticeable.
Nevertheless, it’s usually there to some extent, and you can easily cover it with a door sweep.
While door sweeps are primarily meant to prevent dust and insects from coming in and heating or cooling from escaping out, they can be used for soundproofing too.
There are various types of door sweeps out there. They can be made out of rubber, rubber, and metal, foam, or even fabric.
For the best soundproofing, you should consider mass loaded vinyl door sweeps. After that, you can go for rubber ones and then fabric ones.
Furthermore, door sweeps require no effort at all as they are self-adhesive or have an elastic that fits under the door.
Alternatively, some metal door sweeps might need to be screwed in, so it will require a bit more effort.
Use a Weatherstripping Door Kit
The door sweep will only cover the bottom gap. For the rest of the door gap, you will need something that covers the holes but doesn’t obstruct the door’s movement either.
Therefore, you will need a weatherstripping door kit.
Similar to the door sweep, weatherstripping is also mainly used to prevent air from leaking out. However, it can work for soundproofing too.
It comes in various forms, such as wood, metal, foam, and rubber being the most common. These are also self-adhesive and quite inexpensive.
You measure it out according to your door’s dimensions and stick it all along the door frame. When you close the door, this rubber or foam strip compresses and creates an airtight seal. This prevents any air or noise from going through.
Install a Door Gasket
Since the weatherstripping kit is self-adhesive, it can come loose or grow ineffective over time.
So, if you want a more lasting solution, you should install a door gasket.
A door gasket works similar to weatherstripping, but it has a relatively complicated installation.
Door gaskets usually have a metal component that is screwed into the frame and a rubber component to seal the door.
Moreover, unlike the weatherstripping rubber, you can’t simply cut it with a scissor. Once you’ve measured your door and marked it on the gasket, you might need a saw to cut through the metal part.
Then you’ll need to get out your drill to fix it in place. It might sound like a lot of effort, but it’s only in the beginning.
Once you’ve installed it, you won’t need to worry about it peeling off, and it’ll be quite effective at soundproofing your apartment door.
Method 2: Filling Up Cracks Around the Door Frame
The door is not the only thing that is leaking noise. The wall around the door frame could also have cracks that are letting the sound through.
Though these are not very apparent, they are easy to fill up and an inexpensive way to soundproof your apartment door.
Even after sealing the gaps between the door, if you can still feel some air passing through, it’s probably the cracks in the wall.
Here’s what you can do about it.
Use Caulk to Fill Up the Cracks
You can use caulk to fill and seal any cracks around the door frame. Even if you can’t spot any visible cracks, aim for the edges along with the door frame as those are the likeliest places for cracks.
If there are any switchboards or sockets near the door, apply the caulk around that as well, since they could also be hiding some cracks.
There are quite a few types of caulks too but for the most effective soundproofing, choose an acoustic caulk sealant.
Unlike the normal silicone caulk, acoustic caulk has some flexibility so that it won’t crack as the wall shifts over time.
Moreover, most caulk tubes have a sharp end, which makes it easy to apply. Make sure you wear gloves when applying caulk.
Apply Expanding Foam Around the Door Frame
If you’re noticing very large cracks in the wall, the caulk might not be enough. In that case, you need to apply expanding foam over it.
This is excellent for soundproofing as well as insulation.
As the name suggests, when you apply this foam, it expands and fills even the tiniest gaps and cracks. Apply the foam all around the door frame, starting with the largest cracks. Depending on how long it takes to expand and solidify, let it be for a while.
Once it’s completely set, there might be some foam sticking out. You can scrape away this excess foam using a knife or saw.
After that, use sandpaper to smoothen it out and paint over it to match the wall.
Method 3: Blocking Noise Through the Door
It could be that even after sealing every tiny crack and crevice, there’s still noise coming through your door.
In that case, it could be that the door itself is letting the sound waves travel into the room. This happens if the door is hollow from the inside.
You can check this by simply knocking on a wall, then knocking on the door, and comparing the sound. Here’s what you can do to block noise through such a door.
Use a Soundproof Blanket
Use a soundproof blanket to block noise entering through the door.
The blanket itself contains fiberglass, which is designed to absorb sounds, and when you hang it over your door, it will prevent sounds from passing through the door as well.
You can get it in the precise dimensions of your door and attach the blanket over it.
You can use hooks, nails, or even Velcro to completely stick and seal it. Additionally, you can easily roll or remove the blanket when you don’t need soundproofing, or you’re moving to a new place.
Hang Soundproof Curtains
Similar to a soundproof blanket, you can also go for soundproof curtains.
While these are more visually appealing, they are less effective than soundproof blankets. Other than that, they are easy to hang up or remove it.
You can also easily slide them aside when you need to open the door.
Attach Soundproofing Panels
You can also attach soundproofing panels to the door. These are quite dense and super-efficient at blocking sounds.
Essentially, they also contain fiberglass, which increases air resistance and prevents sound waves from passing through.
Furthermore, they even absorb the sound bouncing off the walls and furniture in the room.
Since they are quite soft too, you can comfortably cut them according to the size and shape of your door, along with the door handle, and stick it on.
Alternatively, you can stick Styrofoam sheets as well for a temporary and quick fix.
Change the Door
If you don’t like additional blankets and panels covering your door, you can change the door altogether.
Go for a door that isn’t hollow and is thick and dense enough to prevent any sounds from passing.
Additionally, you can also opt to fill the hollow door with soundproofing material. You will have to take the door off its hinges and open it from one end.
Then you can fill it with sand, foam, or anything else that is bound to block noise.
Easy Hacks to Quickly Soundproof an Apartment Door
If you’re in a fix and need to soundproof your apartment door right away and don’t happen to have any tools and materials at hand, you can use these easy hacks.
Take a couple of towels and stuff them under the door to seal that gap below it.
Additionally, find the thickest blanket you have and hang it up on your door using some hooks or nails. If you have some thick and heavy curtains, you can use those as well to cover the entire door and its surrounding frame as well.
You can also place a rug right outside the door as it will help absorb some of the noise coming through. These should temporarily soundproof your apartment door to some extent.
Conclusion
There are quite a few options out there to soundproof your apartment door.
Which method is the best for you will depend on your budget, why you need to soundproof the door, and to what extent you want to soundproof your door.
For starters, you can go through this list and decide how you want to go about it.
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