Urgent advice for sound isolating a wooden door!

[Nautama]

First of all, Im new here and I don't know if this is the right section to ask this, but I really need some advice.

I have just moved in a new apartment and as you can imagine, I like to play hard and loud a lot, I really need it, but the thing is that my neighbors don't share this view of mine, so Im thinking of having the door of my room replaced with a new one (simple wooden door, not one piece, I mean, two plies of triplay with a space inbetween) which I would like to have filled with some acoustic isolating material. As far as I've seen my two best options (for the price, of course) are filling the door with spray polyurethane foam, or have the door filled with these pink foam planks they sell in home depot about half an inch thick, I'm not sure what kind of material it is, although I believe its also good for isolation.

My question would be, which do you think that would perform a better sound isolation? and, how much improvement would there be?, and, if anyone has a better suggestion for filling the doors is very very welcome. Right now I think about rubber, maybe.

Thanks a lot.

About the window I'm definitely putting double glass.

[Vulconizer]

The noise isn't going to just travel through the door or windows.
It travels through walls, ceilings, and floors real easy as well. In a lot of cases, it is the walls, floors, and ceilings that are actually the worst part. They vibrate in sympathy with the soundwaves you produce. Guess whose apartments the vibration is heading for? Yep, those same neighbors that already share a different view of your volume level choice.

****>>> Apartments and loud music do not mix. <<<****
Might as well get used to it, or get used to cops being at your place a few times and then getting evicted. Trust me. Been there. Seen it. Done it. Know it. bla, bla, bla...

No reason to worry about insulating the doors or windows 'cause if you play loud and your neighbors already don't like it, there ain't no way in hell you're gonna be able to keep them from hearing it unless you play real quiet. The floors, walls, and yep, the ceilings will make sure of that for you....

The way you want to go about doing the door will only help make it worse, actually. The door needs the space in the center. It is a two-leaf design. if you put deadening material on both sides of the OUTSIDE and in two different thicknesses, you stand a better chance.

It still won't do you any good.

****>>> Apartments and loud music do not mix. <<<****

Do your best to find some other place to crank it up 'cause it isn't going to be any fun for you or your neighbors.

[Nautama]

Well you see I don't want to soundproof it entirely, just at the most I can without a major investment. I've been making tests of how much sound comes out and from where, just let the speakers sounding at full volume and then close the door and the window and listen from outside my room in the hallway and from outside my apartment from the side of the window (first floor).

I've detected that the door by itself as hollow as it is helps to reduce a lot the amout of sound coming out from the room, while from the outside of the apartment the window barely lets any amout of sound escape. So I believe that reinforcing the thickness and density of the door would help me to keep from disturbing my neighbors and, while we are at it, my own folks don't love to hear me playing as loud, so the door would be also to keep from bothering them.

So I believe I really need to get a way to reinforce the door, maybe you are right about that filling the space is not the best option, I understand It will make the door more like a one piece of material and help transport the soundwaves, but then I wonder how are the professional doors for sound isolation made?

[Nautama]

I found this page about soundproofing a door, they state that a core solid door is the way to go, now Im a little confused about how this whole thing works. But maybe I could try this green glue thing.

Sound Isolation / Soundproofing Doors

[Vulconizer]

Check this site out. Has some useful info.

Acoustics Forum &bull; View topic - Doors

I stand behind the two-leaf design. Makes more sense to me to use a hollow door and if possible, 2 doors with insulation added to the outsides of each.

[Barryw]

I agree, you probably have bigger issues than just this door.

Real (good) studios use extremely heavy and well sealed doors. Undoubtedly you cannot afford this, but you can take a lesson from them. Here's where I'd start:

1) Make sure the door has great weatherseal all around it, and there are no leaks. The latch must pull the door HARD into the seals. This seals the door (duh) and helps dampen the vibrations that transmit sound.

2) Increase the mass of the door by replacing it with a solid-core door (if possible) and then adding (glue & screw) TWO sheets of 3/4" plywood to the inside. Again, this dampens vibrations.

3) Optional - Add some acoustic foam/fiberglass trap on the inside side. This won't help much with sound transmission, but it will make your room sound a bit better if you don't have a big 36x80 reflecting hard surface.

Better yet... MOVE away from people disturbed by your noise.

-Barry

[Nautama]

I've researched a little further the subject but all the options are unavailable from where I am (Mexico), thus I started to think about a door with three layers of wood, the two from a normal door and one inserted in the middle with two air spaces of the same size between each ply?, do you think this would help improve the sound isolation?

[Vulconizer]

Originally Posted by Nautama

I've researched a little further the subject but all the options are unavailable from where I am (Mexico), thus I started to think about a door with three layers of wood, the two from a normal door and one inserted in the middle with two air spaces of the same size between each ply?, do you think this would help improve the sound isolation?

Going to be honest with you, Nautama. I'm not sure what that would do for isolation purposes. I'd like to think it would help, but I am not an acoustics engineer and it's been a while since I spent some time reading up on isolation.

What I suggest is to look around some more on the acoustic sites and see if someone can give you a definitive answer backed up with practical reasons.

Let us know what you find out, if you get a chance.

[brandondrury]

Well you see I don't want to soundproof it entirely,

That's the only way to do it. Soundproofing is an all or nothing kind of thing.

I've researched a little further the subject but all the options are unavailable from where I am (Mexico), thus I started to think about a door with three layers of wood, the two from a normal door and one inserted in the middle with two air spaces of the same size between each ply?, do you think this would help improve the sound isolation?

If your neighbors had their ear to the door, it may knock it down 2dB. If they stood 2 feet from the door (or further) I expect it to make zero difference.

Brandon

[Nautama]

Thank you all for your concern and suggestions. I've decided to go for what seems to be my best option within the budget: gonna get a door with three layers of wood with two air cabinets inbetween, gonna isolate the border with weather tape and the bottom with one of those aluminum bars that seal for dust and bugs, not sure what they're called.

I'll get back to you with the good (hope so) or bad results.