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Front Door Soundproofing

Front Door Soundproofing

Author: Eric Zuck

Last Updated: February 9, 2024

Read Time: 8 Minutes

Front Door Soundproofing

Author:

Eric Zuck

Last Updated:

February 9, 2024

Read Time:

8 Minutes

Author: Eric Zuck

Updated: Feb. 9, 2024

Read Time: 8 Minutes

Many frustrating and grating noises can penetrate your front door. It could be traffic from a busy street, nearby construction, loud neighbors, or constant sirens in the city. While these noises may seem like something you have to live with, there are ways to soundproof your front door to block out these noises.

Rather than turn up your TV or blare the stereo, soundproofing your front door may be just the relief you’ve been looking for. There are two main approaches to front door soundproofing: (1) replacing your door or (2) sealing all gaps and cracks around your door. We’ll cover the factors to consider and what adjustments you can make to lessen external noise in your home in more detail in the article below.

Many frustrating and grating noises can penetrate your front door. It could be traffic from a busy street, nearby construction, loud neighbors, or constant sirens in the city. While these noises may seem like something you have to live with, there are ways to soundproof your front door to block out these noises.

Rather than turn up your TV or blare the stereo, soundproofing your front door may be just the relief you’ve been looking for. There are two main approaches to front door soundproofing: (1) replacing your door or (2) sealing all gaps and cracks around your door. We’ll cover the factors to consider and what adjustments you can make to lessen external noise in your home in more detail in the article below.

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Popular Front Door Soundproofing Products


Sound Lock™ Door Seal Kit
Sound Lock™ Soundproof Door

Why Soundproof a Front Door

You want a soundproof entry door because you hear sound through it. Maybe you know why that is because it's obvious, or maybe you don't. The thing that so many don't realize is how poorly sealed their door might be because a lot of builders are able to cut corners without anyone noticing. Here's an example of what you might think is going on versus what is REALLY going on...

poorly sealed front door with trim covering

You may think your door is well sealed...

poorly sealed front door revealed

...but often trim is used to hide very large gaps around your door.

poorly sealed front door stuffed with foam

Soft foam is often used to plug the gaps, and caulk is left out of the equation.

poorly sealed front door

Even if your door LOOKS sealed, it might not be.

The harmful side of a poorly sealed door

External noises in your home can raise stress levels, increase blood pressure, reduce your ability to focus on tasks, and/or disrupt your sleep. All of these are things that your body is equipped to handle in short-term bursts, but a significant issue when you take a long-term lens to the problem. Sleep disruption on its own is a huge issue as growing research shows poor sleep leads to substantially increased risk of basically every disease that kills people – cancer, hypertension, Alzheimer’s, diabetes. And then short-term sleep disruption can impact your mood, your productivity, and your immune system function. Matthew Walker (a leading sleep researcher) goes into detail in his bestselling book if you want to learn more.

Loud noises trigger a natural response in the part of the amygdala of your brain. You probably learned about the amygdala in science class. It controls mostly subconscious functions associated with emotional responses. A common example of something controlled by the amygdala is our fight or flight response. Having this function consistently triggered when you should be at peace in your home is a problem, and will harm your mental and physical health over time.

Alright, you get it. Unwanted noise is not good. Exterior noise gets into almost every home via two common paths: the doors and the windows. These are the weak points that allow the sound in and are the top priority when reducing sound in a home. This article is about soundproofing the front door, but we also have articles on door soundproofing and exterior window soundproofing if you suspect there are more issues besides just the front door.

soundproof exterior door

How to Soundproof a Front Door

If you are done dealing with intrusive noises and constant sounds when you want some quiet time in your own home, it’s time to soundproof your front door.

There are two aspects to focus on when focusing on soundproofing a door, and more specifically an exterior door:

  • The density and thickness of the door. You need a solid-core door.
  • Ensure all gaps, cracks, and spaces around the door is well-sealed

Having the Right exterior Door

Most residential homes have thick, dense front doors. Generally all exterior doors have more weight to them than your average interior door. If your exterior doors are lightweight or have single pane windows in them, replacing them will increase the amount of sound blocked. If you have a heavy, solid core entry door, but the sound is still coming through, the most likely issues are windows or gaps around the door.

A front door with windows, no matter how thick, will let in more sound that one without windows are a weak point for soundproofing. We just mentioned the door being well-sealed. The front door typically is sealed tight, because if the door is not well-sealed you are also leaking heat outside.

Sealing Your door

There are two ways we recommend sealing your door. The best performing option is with the top-of-the-line Sound Lock Door Seal kit, which allows you completely seal up the perimeter around the door. This kit comes with everything you need to block sounds from coming into your home through spaces between your door and the frame or floor.

Sound Lock Door Seal Kit

This soundproofing door kit is capable of increasing the Sound Transmission Class (STC rating) of a door up to about a 60. Your typical door will never get that high though, because the door itself can’t block enough noise. With a very dense door, you’ll end up in the 45-50 range which will eliminate heavy traffic and muffle the sound of sirens and construction noise coming through the front door.

The durable anodized aluminum casing is installed around the perimeter and at the bottom of front doors and exterior doors to create an airtight seal for gaps. If you already have a solid, sturdy door that needs to be better sealed, this soundproofing kit will allow you to soundproof those gaps.

One of the best aspects of this kit is the bottom seal. The air gap between the floor and bottom of the door is often the biggest culprit of sound slipping thorough, and this kit has a drop mechanism that seals the door when it’s closed but then pops up when opening the door so it’s still easy to open and close.

Gasket Seal for noise reduction on an exterior door

A more affordable and still effective option is to install Second Skin gasket seal around your door. Our gasket tape comes with a peel and stick backing, and should be used around the perimeter of your door. We recommend two layers side by side if they will fit. The Second Skin gasket tape should be combined with a Sound Lock bottom door seal.

Be Sure You Understand Your Soundproofing Options

Below are other soundproofing options for an entry door that you may run across when researching this problem. There are

Weatherstripping for noise reduction on exterior door

Weatherstripping comes in many forms from foam (like our Second Skin gasket seal tape) to plastic, metal, or rubber. The right weatherstripping for you will depend on your goals and how long you want the material to last. The purpose of the weatherstripping is to create a tighter seal between your door and the door frame. All of the options are great for thermal, but for the best soundproofing the Second Skin gasket seal has been formulated to seal and isolate the door. But keep in mind this foam seal is only for the perimeter and will not soundproof the bottom of the door.

Sorundproof exterior Door Sweeps

A door sweep is narrow strip that attaches to the bottom of your door. It’s often made of neoprene rubber or has brush fins. A soundproof door sweep works very well on an exterior door for noise reduction, because it’s typically combined with a threshold to properly seal the bottom fo the door. A door sweep is much less effective on an interior door, where we would always recommend a Sound Lock bottom seal for soundproofing.

Soundproof Curtains for a soundproof entry door

Soundproof curtains are kind of a mythical product. We have yet to find a true curtain that is STC rating – they are typically rated for sound absorption (NRC rating). If you get as heavy of a curtain as you can find and don’t mind covering your front or exterior door with a curtain, you can see modest results (less than 5 decibel reduction). You also could try using a soundproof blanket for door soundproofing, like one of our Quiet Quilt soundproof blankets, which can be both interior or exterior rated. Either option makes the door harder to use, but can be the right answer in some situations.

Soundproof Paint

There is sound-proofing paint marketed to reduce noise that leaks through your front door. This solution should be avoided, as there are many problems with the claim. The paint won’t seal gaps around the door, and it will be difficult to add enough density to make a noticeable difference in blocked sound.

Questions About Your Soundproofing Project

A soundproof front door is one of the keys to keeping exterior noise out of your home. If you have an exterior door that is also a french door, then check out our article on soundproofing french doors for more information. If you have questions about your specific situation, please reach out! We’re here to help solve your soundproofing problems.

Have questions about your project?

Call us at 1.800.679.8511