Need help with isolating door

[lutus]

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum, and in fact I joined it to read and ask about recording gear. My first question is: I've just now moved into an apartment with an inner door to my room, which acoustically isolates like a paper curtain. It's a sliding door without any seal at all, and its weight is very light. This is very bad since I plan to rehearse alot in the room (classical guitarist) without disturbing the other flat-mates, so it's obvious that I will replace it with a new door. I would like to fit a door which isolates as much noise coming out of my room as possible, within a reasonable budget limit. Specifically I'm asking which type of door would be best for that, and in which way I can improve the isolation myself after it has been installed? So far I couldn't find a relevant answer...

Thanks guys!

[earsnfingers]

I'd suggest a solid core door. And maybe put some foam insulation where the door meets the frame, to help stop any sound from getting through. Think of it as a door to the outside and you're trying to keep the cold out of your room.

Now, you mention this is an apartment. The way they make apartment walls, these days, you might be making the door secure and sound proof, but the walls will be your sound loss.

Interior walls of sheet rock, don't always have insulation in them, and sheet rock isn't that good of a sound dampner on its own. But, if you're lucky, there is some insulation in a bedroom walls, if the builder thought of soundproofing.

For further soundproofing, maybe some sound absorbing blankets on the walls, or in front of the door could help. Maybe you could build a booth of some sort, where you can drap heavy blankets over a wooden frame, further deadening the sound from traveling. Think of absorbing the sound with thick blankets or drapes. This would also help isolate your guitar from outside sounds and room noise, for recording.

Google "soundproofing a home studio" for some tips on what you might use to limit sound transmission in your apartment. There are products out there, that are within a minimal budget.