There’s absolutely nothing worse than getting home from a hard day at work, coming in your home, shutting the door, and realizing that you still won’t be getting any peace due to noise coming through your front door.
It could be traffic noise, noise from neighbors, noise from a street, or even someone’s excitable dog. Whatever the problem, it’s not an easy thing to live with, as we should all be able to shut our front door and have quiet from the outside world.
Which brings me onto the task in-hand, and the reason that you are here.
You want to know how to make your front door soundproof.
I am going to tell you how you can do it, starting off with some very cheap ways in which you can try it, and then a more expensive solution if that doesn’t work.
How to Make Your Front Door Sound Proof – The Cheap Way
Before we get into this, understand one thing. Doors are the weak link in your house or apartment. They have gaps, spaces, cracks and possibly windows or cat flaps in them where sound can come both in, and out. Just like water, sound can leak through any space that it finds.
Unlike thick walls, they don’t offer the best in terms of soundproofing your home, so if you want to stop noise coming in or out of your front door, you need to fill those gaps and make them as soundproof as possible.
The challenges you will face are:
- The front door is relatively thin or hollow and lets sound penetrate easily
- There are gaps top, bottom, and sides where sound leaks through
We are going to fix that.
The expensive option here would be to buy a soundproofed solid core front door, but these can run up into the thousands of dollars. You might not have to spend that amount of money, which is especially relevant if you live in a rental apartment, or don’t have that type of budget.
Here’s how you can soundproof your apartment front door (or any front door for that matter) cheaply and efficiently.
You don’t have to do all of this, as just one of the methods might give you the noise reduction you desire. So, don’t rush off any buy everything just yet, start with method 1, test it, then move onto the next method if you still aren’t happy with the level of soundproofing achieved.
Method 1: Weather Stripping and Door Sweep
Your front door probably already has some molding in the gaps around the frame. But this is where a lot of noise is going to be coming in or out of.
What you need to do is buy something called weather stripping. You can buy a kit which contains all you need to get started, and it doesn’t always cost too much either.
It’s got a sticky adhesive side, so you measure and cut it to size, and the insert it into the front door frame. You would be amazed at what a difference this can make to the noise.
That kit also comes with a door sweep that can be placed at the bottom of the front door. Not only will it stop drafts coming in but will also help to block out some noise.
You should be able to pick up all of this gear for less than $25 so it makes for a sound investment (see what I did there?).
Method 2: Soundproof Blankets
I only recommend you do this, if you are going to be comfortable with the look that blankets can give when over a door. It might that you simply hang them up at night or when you want to get some sleep, rather than considering these to be a permanent fixture.
You can buy special soundproof blankets that can be tacked permanently to the door so you get a snug and tight fit, or you can hang them with hooks.
If you do decide to hang them, make sure that the blankets cover over a couple of inches either side of the door frame and top and bottom. This total coverage, with some inches either side will help to soundproof the front door better.
Again, they are a cheap solution, and can help to soundproof thin or hollow front doors which many modern homes and apartments tend to have.
My recommended soundproof blankets for front doors are on Amazon (click here to view prices on Amazon). Whilst they don’t describe themselves as a soundproofing product, they work very well in this respect. If they are out of stock, then just look for house removal packing blankets, as that’s all they are in reality.
Method 3: Soundproof Curtains Over the Door
OK, so let’s be honest, hanging blankets probably won’t look that great.
Instead, spend a little bit more money on soundproof curtains (they really do work), as these are built for purpose, and won’t look out of place in your home or apartment once pulled over a front door.
You will need to install a curtain pole over the top of your front door, and also make sure that the curtains offer a few inches either side of the door, as well as top and bottom for the best results.
You can buy specially made soundproofing curtains on Amazon. To see my own recommendation view these curtains. They are very quick and simple to put up over a door.
But What about Mail Slots and Cat Flaps?
Good question.
If you have a mail slot (letter box in the UK) in your front door and sound (and cold air) is coming through, then you need to block that up, but still allow for post to come through.
An insulated mail slot is a great option. Place one of these mail catchers (view on Amazon) over the mail slot, not only will it stop drafts and noise but will also catch your mail. A great way to solve multiple problems in one go!
Similarly, you can find draft proof cat flaps on that can help with noise coming in and out. There are plenty of those on Amazon so go take a look.
How to Soundproof an Apartment Front Door – the Complicated Way
So perhaps you want something a little bit more robust.
If you do, then you could actually re-inforce the door panels in a hollow door, and even fill it. This method works with hollow doors – knock it, does it sound hollow, if yes, then it’s hollow.
You can re-inforce the door panels by buying a piece of wood that’s the same dimensions as your front door. I recommend ½ inch thick smooth MDF.
What you will be doing is gluing the MDF panel over the existing door so you will need to measure up exactly, and take out the handles before doing so.
You will have to cut holes in the MDF for the door handles to come through, before sticking the thicker MDF panel over the existing door panel. The best glue for doing this would be Green Glue Damping Compound – also known as a noise-proofing compound and you can view the prices on Amazon.
It should look something like this:
How to soundproof an apartment front door with an MDF panel
How to Soundproof a Front Door – The More Expensive Way
I hope that the cheap and inexpensive method I described above has worked for you. But, there are no guarantees because sound is a very pesky element that seeks out any weakness and exploits it!
If there’s a gap, crack, or space anywhere under the door or at the sides, then sound is going to come (and out).
The front door soundproofing methods I have already outlined and described should work in the majority of cases. But there will be occasions when you need to take things to the next level, especially if you are living on a very noisy street, or in a noisy apartment block.
But it’s going to take a little bit more money, so my advice is to completely exhaust the options I’ve outlined in the cheaper method, before you go spending any more money.
It could be that the noise reduction is acceptable once you have implemented the cheap ideas. If it isn’t though, then it’s time to spend a little bit money.
Here’s what you need to do.
You simply buy a soundproof door or a solid core door, and have it installed by a professional team.
It will give you the best result, but it will be expensive.
If your DIY skills are up to scratch then you can buy one yourself from stores such as Lowes and HomeDepot.
