Do Thick Doors Reduce Noise? 

One part of your room you shouldn’t take for granted are doors, especially if you have a busy doorway or stay close to the stairs. Doors are a point of entry for a noise disturbance, and if you don’t do something about it, you have interrupted naps now and then. But do thick doors reduce noise? Does the thickness of your door matter in reducing noise? 

Yes, thick doors help to reduce the noise coming into your room. If a door is lightly built, it makes it very easy for sound to pass through. However, such is not the case, especially for thick doors made with wood as they do a nearly perfect job of keeping out sound. 

Does the thickness of a door matter? 

Let’s answer this question with an example everyone can relate to; during winter, we all have thick clothes on because of the temperature. The thicker the clothes you wear, the more warmth you experience because less cold is put off from entering your body due to the thickness of the clothes you wear. 

The same applies to sound and thick doors. When it comes to doors or anything in particular, more thickness means less sound penetration and vice-versa. 

If keeping out sound is the goal when getting thick doors, by all means, go for it; especially when it is made of wood. 

The material of the door can also come into play, especially when metal is involved. However, with the right thickness, this shouldn’t be a problem. 

The thickness of a door matters a lot, especially when you stay in a noisy neighborhood. Not only do thick doors keep out sound, but they also do a great job of preventing sound from going out as well. 

If you hope to set up a recording studio; rather than spend time and money in soundproofing a hollow door, spend it on a thick heavy door. It will get the job done. 

Related post: How to soundproof a room cheaply

Are heavier doors more soundproof? 

If given a choice between hollow doors and thick doors, one might easily go for hollow doors because they are usually easier to fix, especially if you are doing it yourself. 

However, as I earlier stated, heavier doors will do a great job in terms of soundproofing. This is because the thickness of the door makes it almost impossible for sound waves to travel through, thereby causing them to disperse away in the form of echoes. 

These echoes are now mopped up by sound-absorbent materials like cotton, and other materials capable of absorbing sound. 

This is why it is very important to have lots of sound-absorbing materials around if the main aim is soundproofing. 

How can I soundproof a door? 

When it comes to soundproofing a door, you have to take into account the type of noise in question, which includes the following:

• Low-level noise
• High-level noise 

Low-level noise

Low-level noises are noises you’ll likely get in domestic areas such as office spaces and homes. The reason for this kind of noise is that most of the internal doors used generally in buildings are hollow, with thick doors only preferred at the entrance. 

You can solve this problem by either changing the entire door in the room where this is a problem or using some of the hacks I’ll be sharing below. 

Hollow door upgrade

Instead of going through the rigors of changing the entire door, you can choose to upgrade the affected door by using a material called tecsound SY100. 

For those who aren’t familiar with this item; it is a mass-loaded elastic rubber with an identical density to lead. Not just that, it also comes with an adhesive part that makes it very easy to be glued to the door. 

The primary purpose of this item is to add mass to your door, so don’t be surprised if the finishing is not flashy. However, if you’re still interested in its appearance, you may want to add a plywood finish on the surface, or better still, door stickers. 

Just to make it clear, this option is more suited to household and office environments and is not in any way a hack for high-level noise like the ones you have in studios. If you are working with a budget, then this is for you! 

Door seals

If upgrading your door isn’t sufficient enough, you can choose to improve the seals on your door. Some door frames can provide leaks for air to pass through, and if air can pass through, so can sound. 

This problem can be fixed by using draught seals (click here to view) on your doorframe or the doorframe in question as they are cheap and can be installed by anyone. If you have a large budget, you may want to install acoustic panels on your doorframe for the best result. 

High-level noise

High-level noise involves areas or settings where noise needs to be managed like recording studios. 

In this setup, the first and most important step you have to take would be to change the doors to thicker and heavier doors–Hollow or regular doors won’t cut it. 

If you don’t know where to look, you may want to start with heavy fire doors as they are known to have good soundproofing properties. For the best result, you should consider using two at once! Place one behind and one in front whilst leaving a little gap in the middle. 

The use of an acoustic drop-down seal

Using acoustic drop-down door seals also helps to reduce noise entries in a room. They function when the said door is locked, meaning you don’t need a higher door threshold as it clears the existing door threshold. Acoustic drop-down door seals are very effective in professional setups when used correctly. 

Acoustic doors

If you want a more professional outlook on things, then you may want to go for acoustic doors. Acoustic doors are more suitable when it comes to keeping things professional, and they also allow you to have a personal touch on its appearance, that’s if you want it handmade of course. 

The guys at the soundproofing store will give your acoustic door a professional yet personal touch on any acoustic door of your choice. Feel free to check them out. 

Also read: How much does it cost to soundproof a room?

How to soundproof a door cheap

If any of the aforementioned methods do not work out for you, try any of the following hacks to at least get a reprieve, but I can’t guarantee it would be as effective as the methods above. 

Step 1: Cover the base of your door

All a noise needs to get into your room is space, and sometimes, that space can be found underneath your door. 

Due to poor construction or negligence from the installer, some doors have spaces underneath them which can be a pathway for noise. To prevent this from becoming a problem, you can tuck a cotton cloth material underneath the gap whenever you are indoors. 

If the gap isn’t wide enough, you should consider using a foot mat that will fit perfectly into the space, as long as it won’t disrupt you from closing the door. 

Step 2: Increase the mass on your door 

The thicker the door the better right? Well, you may want to consider increasing the mass of your door by covering it with a thick clothing material. 

This clothing material (click here to view) can be pinned to the door or attached in any way suitable, but ensure it doesn’t weigh on the door’s hinges. 

Step 3: Close up the cracks on your door 

Cracks on a door can also create an easy passage for noise to get in, regardless of how thick the door is. To prevent this from happening, you can seal up these cracks using top bonds, then try covering them up with door posters to give them a finer appearance. 

FAQs 

What type of door is best for noise reduction? 

For starters, the door should be thick. And in the absence of wood, thick fiberglass or steel doors can also help in noise reduction, with emphasis on the word ‘thick’. Nonetheless, thick wood doors come highly recommended. 

Are solid or hollow doors better for sound? 

It depends on what you want. If you wish to have your business out there, whilst also listening to the business of others, then hollow doors are ideal since they allow sound to travel true to them quickly. However, if you’re looking for something more conservative or soundproof, solid doors are better at this. 

Which type of door is best for room? 

You can use any kind of door that ranges from pocket doors to panel doors (depending on your budget). However, you would want to pay attention to the thickness of the door in question and ensure it doesn’t become a sound vacuum. 

Conclusion–Do Thick Doors Reduce Noise? 

Aside from the cost implications, I generally advise interested individuals to go for thicker doors. Your front door shouldn’t be the only door subject to a thickness gauge, give the same attention to your internal doors as well, and watch how serene your home sounds and feels. Kindly let me know if you have any questions on this subject in the comment section. Cheers.