Mancave door - Soundproof?

[ukiltmybrutha]

Hi,

I have a home office that is near the living room. I work from home and the noise from the dogs and TV during the meeting is like I am sitting at my living room sofa watching TV. The good news is that the surface area facing the living room is pretty much limited to the door and a few inches of drywall.

If I could get a door that is soundproof but still looks like a normal interior door then I could work in peace.

I am sure that soundproof is a relative term but I really need drastic improvements to work in peace.

Having to move the dogs and family during each meeting (often ad hoc) is a bit much.

Thanks for any suggestions on the door.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Wanna do some drywall ? Pull it down and put in some insulation in or drill holes at the top of the wall for blown in cellulose.

That would be a start.

Is the a solid or hollow core ?

 

[mike93lx]

Solid core door with seals used on exterior doors.

 

[Zeke]

jeez, get a small mattress, foam or something and prop it up for the meeting. Solid core door will help but if you have central HVAC you need a transfer vent or a min of 1" clear at bottom of door over carpet or finished floor for proper air return. I've been in many houses where this is not correct and they complain about their circulation.

Hello, stupid. (referring to HVAC problems)

 

[larry_g]

You could also consider upgrading your electronics. Use a directional mic that only picks up your voice and ear phones for receiving. Can you snag some used office 'cubical' wall to put up against your existing wall and maybe a tapestry to hang on the wall. If your door frame will allow hang a second door so you have a double door.

lg
no neat sig line

lg

 

[mike93lx]

jeez, get a small mattress, foam or something and prop it up for the meeting. Solid core door will help but if you have central HVAC you need a transfer vent or a min of 1" clear at bottom of door over carpet or finished floor for proper air return. I've been in many houses where this is not correct and they complain about their circulation.

Hello, stupid.

A little harsh.

I'm not OK with keeping an extra mattress laying around to prop against a door for every call I make, but maybe you are.

I'd much rather close the door for a call then open it back up for air movement, or add a supplemental return

 

[Lingwendil]

jeez, get a small mattress, foam or something and prop it up for the meeting.

This is a kludge of an idea.

 

[ukiltmybrutha]

Wanna do some drywall ? Pull it down and put in some insulation in or drill holes at the top of the wall for blown in cellulose.

That would be a start.

Is the a solid or hollow core ?

It's hollow. Not tracking on the drywall part, sorry.

 

[ukiltmybrutha]

You could also consider upgrading your electronics. Use a directional mic that only picks up your voice and ear phones for receiving. Can you snag some used office 'cubical' wall to put up against your existing wall and maybe a tapestry to hang on the wall. If your door frame will allow hang a second door so you have a double door.

lg
no neat sig line

lg

There really isn't much wall there. I guess that is a good thing. I will post a picture at some point.

 

[PoorUB]

A solid core interior door will help a lot. Insulating the wall with help too, but it sounds like there is very little shared wall.

You could do like they do in adjoining motel rooms with two doors in one frame.

The gap under the door will be an issue. Keep it at a minimum, weather strip will help , but often not practical with and interior door. You might need to add a threshold.

 

[mike93lx]

I had a similar issue, originally using an office that was right off the living room.

I ended up moving my office to an extra bedroom on the second floor which was a great change. Further away from the activity, plus a bigger window and better airflow.

If you have a way to add distance between you and the noise, I would.

 

[ukiltmybrutha]

I had a similar issue, originally using an office that was right off the living room.

I ended up moving my office to an extra bedroom on the second floor which was a great change. Further away from the activity, plus a bigger window and better airflow.

If you have a way to add distance between you and the noise, I would.

Yeah it's a one story (retiring in place hopefully) and all of the other rooms are occupied. I think I am going to go with the solid door idea. Pics to show just how little inside wall is shared with this room coming at some point.

 

[smackey05]

The pic didn't load. I'd look at a solid core door as others suggested. More invasive, but interior walls typically don't have insulation. You could also look at hanging sound proof wall fabric (essentially a carpet) over the door area when you are in there on the microphone. Could add hooks so you can put it up and take it down when you need.

Also, depending on the software and microphones you use you can improve the situation. I know Teams has features to eliminate background noise. You could also look at using AirPods or a Headset that are designed to only pick up sound from you.

 

[duneslider]

Just adding a solid core door and putting a towel or something along the bottom to block the air gap during a call will make a huge difference. That alone might be enough to make it workable. Any place that air can make it through into the room will also allow sound to travel in. If there are outlets in the shared wall, or any other penetrations those can be sealed up better and that can help too. There are things you can do lower dollar to make a difference.

I always used my cellphone and headset for audio on calls, it works way better than the mic on the computer.

 

[Zeke]

This is a kludge of an idea.

Gets the job done today while acquiring the materials to do a new door. Having hung well over 1000 doors I know how this works. And one job, only one, was in an office having to do with sensitive interviews (think child abuse) I had to install sound proof doors. I needed to place a sealed threshold in each and route the transfer vent over the ceiling in a snake pattern to kill the sound. This all around more than just a solid core door. More like fire doors with a filling and completely sealed.

This quiet office will cost in the neighborhood of $2000.

 

[niget2002]

My office has french doors. I had similar issues during the summer while the wife and kids were home.

I installed a curtain rod over the top of the doors and put in thick black-out curtains. They helped quite a bit.

 

[nadogail]

A hollow core door is usually synonymous to a tympanic membrane. The mass of a solid core door will dampen a lot of sympathetic vibrations.

 

[TitusLloydPullo]

Hang a curtain rod above door. Get floor to ceiling thick curtains. Cover the whole wall.

 

[Zeke]

Hang a curtain rod above door. Get floor to ceiling thick curtains. Cover the whole wall.

Oh no! That would be a 'kludge' job.

 

[mike93lx]

Oh no! That would be a 'kludge' job.

A curtain isn't kludge. Putting a mattress against the door is

 

[ukiltmybrutha]

Oh no! That would be a 'kludge' job.

Calling people stupid without provocation is a major kludge for your 2k per door business. Do you treat your customers like that when asking questions?

 

[Zeke]

Calling people stupid without provocation is a major kludge for your 2k per door business. Do you treat your customers like that when asking questions?

You're right. I shouldn't call people stupid because they don't have the required 1" clearance below each door to a room served by a duct from the HVAC. I forget that these people don't know what HVAC stands for.

You know, it's funny, before central heating and air, there were probably people who kept their door closed to a room when the house was heated by a single source in a single room and then wondered why they were cold.

Yeah, no, I probably would have called them stupid.

Then there were those that closed doors to preserve heat for the rooms they needed. They might be called smart.

To get back on point, all interior doors don't cost $2000. Redoing an opening and rerouting HVAC to make the room quiet WRT the rest of the house does. If not more. So I've done it and that's how I know.

@duneslider was spot on when he said stop the air. Sound does travel in air. I used to tell my window customers that the single most important aspect of new windows was the weathersripping. As an example I would say go out and get in your car with the windows up and the engine off. Then crack the window open and hear the difference.

 

[Zeke]

A curtain isn't kludge. Putting a mattress against the door is

Whatever works to save the embarrassment of loud children and pets while on a business call. It was a temporary solution. Maybe you don't see any means to the needed results — now.

Getting the proper door configuration set up and installed could take weeks these days. Especially if the work needs to be done outside office hours. I offer a quick, cheap solution to a real problem and you take a shot at me.

Are you calling me stupid?

 

[mike93lx]

Whatever works to save the embarrassment of loud children and pets while on a business call. It was a temporary solution. Maybe you don't see any means to the needed results — now.

Getting the proper door configuration set up and installed could take weeks these days. Especially if the work needs to be done outside office hours. I offer a quick, cheap solution to a real problem and you take a shot at me.

Are you calling me stupid?

I didn't say you are stupid. It's the idea/solution that I don't care for. I know you aren't stupid

If I was defined by any individual "bad" idea I had, I'd be labeled a complete *******.

 

[Zeke]

It's joke, Mike. We're all good.

 

[RonnieC]

Have you tried opening the door and yelling “SHUT UP!!! “

 

[slow]

not seeing your picture, but can you convert the door frame to an exterior style weather-strip. I worked in a vehicle chassis dynomometer cell that has 2 doors in 1 doorway, one opening in and one opening out, that did help with the noise a lot, but may be weird in a house layout.

 

[ukiltmybrutha]

You're right. I shouldn't call people stupid because they don't have the required 1" clearance below each door to a room served by a duct from the HVAC. I forget that these people don't know what HVAC stands for.

You know, it's funny, before central heating and air, there were probably people who kept their door closed to a room when the house was heated by a single source in a single room and then wondered why they were cold.

Yeah, no, I probably would have called them stupid.

Then there were those that closed doors to preserve heat for the rooms they needed. They might be called smart.

To get back on point, all interior doors don't cost $2000. Redoing an opening and rerouting HVAC to make the room quiet WRT the rest of the house does. If not more. So I've done it and that's how I know.

@duneslider was spot on when he said stop the air. Sound does travel in air. I used to tell my window customers that the single most important aspect of new windows was the weathersripping. As an example I would say go out and get in your car with the windows up and the engine off. Then crack the window open and hear the difference.

No need to be sarcastic. There was no reference to HVAC here and I don't fall underneath the scope of "these people". Sounds like you call plenty of people stupid which just doesn't make sense. There is really no need to be condescending. Offering useful information without a conditional expectation that people take insults is the right way. Now that part isn't rocket science.

Have you tried opening the door and yelling “SHUT UP!!! “

Uhuh.

 

[ukiltmybrutha]

not seeing your picture, but can you convert the door frame to an exterior style weather-strip. I worked in a vehicle chassis dynomometer cell that has 2 doors in 1 doorway, one opening in and one opening out, that did help with the noise a lot, but may be weird in a house layout.

I never got around to posting the picture. I will at some point, sorry.

 

[Hohn]

Sound is vibration. Reducing sound means reducing the ability to carry vibration.
Yes, by all means find a way to reduce transmission via sound through the air.
As for the door, is most of the sound coming through the door?
The surest way to make something quieter is to add mass. Heavier things conduct sound less effectively because the mass won't accelerate as readily.
So, any kind of mass-adding attachment coupled to the door or other transmissive surface will help.

 

[Zeke]

No need to be sarcastic. There was no reference to HVAC here and I don't fall underneath the scope of "these people". Sounds like you call plenty of people stupid which just doesn't make sense. There is really no need to be condescending. Offering useful information without a conditional expectation that people take insults is the right way. Now that part isn't rocket science.

You were not my target. Not in the least. In fact if you read between the lines you might see that I understand your situation completely and am sympathetic.

However, since not many here follow very well, I think I'll just cut and walk.

BTW, if you don't address the venting of the room once you sound proof it, you might want to install a separate mini split.

 

[Zeke]

Sound is vibration. Reducing sound means reducing the ability to carry vibration.
Yes, by all means find a way to reduce transmission via sound through the air.
As for the door, is most of the sound coming through the door?
The surest way to make something quieter is to add mass. Heavier things conduct sound less effectively because the mass won't accelerate as readily.
So, any kind of mass-adding attachment coupled to the door or other transmissive surface will help.

The way to reduce sound is to reduce harmonics. Mass is only part of the equation.

 

[MongoTA]

Depends on how far you want to go.

A solid door will be better than hollow. You can add thin self-stick weather stripping bulb or some other type to the door casing to provide a better seal between the door and the door stop when the door is closed. You might have to pull and reset the door stops away from the door to accommodate the thickness of the weatherstrip. Not hard. But more work. It is DIY. A utility knife to cut the paint between stop and jamb, then a thin prybar to pry the stop off the jamb.

For under the door you can have some sort of permanent sweep there, or get one of those snake things (manufactured cloth thing, maybe a couple inches in diameter and 3' long) that people use to stop under door drafts. Use that when conferencing, it can be somewhere else when not needed.

The walls, this can be tougher. Best would be RC channel perpendicular to the studs covered with drywall. Or a second skin of drywall, then channel, then drywall. Caulk the corners. Then tape, mud, paint. A pain in the rear. Especially if there is crown molding, wainscot, etc. SIt's easy to modify some trim, more difficult to modify others. But the mass of the added drywall and the isolation factor of the channel will help. There are specific sound deadening adhesives and drywall products you can use, but they might be overkill.

Check junction boxes on that shared wall. Back-to-back j-boxes can allow sound to pass through.

There is also mass loaded vinyl, but I've only used that for music practice rooms or recording studios.

Regardless, good luck!

 

[Spud McGee]

jeez, get a small mattress, foam or something and prop it up for the meeting. Solid core door will help but if you have central HVAC you need a transfer vent or a min of 1" clear at bottom of door over carpet or finished floor for proper air return. I've been in many houses where this is not correct and they complain about their circulation.

Hello, stupid.

Stupid is thinking a mattress or foam will do anything to prevent sound from penetrating a wall.

Soundproof foam is for controlling sound bouncing around inside a room. It is not for containing the sound within that room and keeping it from crossing a wall/door into an adjacent room.

You need something thick and dense. Solid core door, brick, MDF, etc.

 

[Zeke]

Pemko makes an automatic door bottom. I had forgotten about those. I think I may have installed one.

Pemko STC411 Full Mortise Acoustic Automatic Door Bottom

Pemko STC411 full mortise automatic acoustic door bottom for commercial doors. 36", 42" or 48" lengths, Mill finish aluminum with black PemkoPrene insert.

www.trudoor.com

 

[ukiltmybrutha]

You were not my target. Not in the least. In fact if you read between the lines you might see that I understand your situation completely and am sympathetic.

However, since not many here follow very well, I think I'll just cut and walk.

BTW, if you don't address the venting of the room once you sound proof it, you might want to install a separate mini split.

So now we are all eeeejits?

Thanks for your help and reminder about air flow via HVAC.

 

[Dmm698]

Does your Company have an office? If so, you could just go back to working in the office. I hate this work from home **** due to what you're describing, but also a plethora of other reasons.
Sounds like a solid core door and a sealed threshold would be helpful, but as also mentioned would need to pay attention to how long its closed for due to HVAC flow.

 

[Hohn]

The way to reduce sound is to reduce harmonics. Mass is only part of the equation.

It's true that mass is only part of the equation. But your first sentence is confusing to me. Harmonics are the result of sound (or more precisely, displacement), not the cause.


One can add damping and reduce resonance and that helps with sound. But damping only affects *response* and not the *stimulus*.
Adding mass doesn't add damping, but it mimics some of the practical effects of increased damping.

 

[racecougar]

You're right. I shouldn't call people stupid because they don't have the required 1" clearance below each door to a room served by a duct from the HVAC. I forget that these people don't know what HVAC stands for.

You know, it's funny, before central heating and air, there were probably people who kept their door closed to a room when the house was heated by a single source in a single room and then wondered why they were cold.

Yeah, no, I probably would have called them stupid.

Then there were those that closed doors to preserve heat for the rooms they needed. They might be called smart.

To get back on point, all interior doors don't cost $2000. Redoing an opening and rerouting HVAC to make the room quiet WRT the rest of the house does. If not more. So I've done it and that's how I know.

@duneslider was spot on when he said stop the air. Sound does travel in air. I used to tell my window customers that the single most important aspect of new windows was the weathersripping. As an example I would say go out and get in your car with the windows up and the engine off. Then crack the window open and hear the difference.

Since it's such a sticking point, I have a serious question: Do bedrooms in California not have return ducts? Do you have to leave your bedroom doors open all the time to get heated/cooled air there?

 

[billconner]

Just check for flanking paths - through basement, attic, etc., before investing too much in the door. So many possible weak points for sound transmission and like water, the separation is only as good as the weakest point. Spent my career designing and planning noise sensitive spaces and there were a lot of weak points to surprise me and ferret out.