Door questions

2453 Views 12 Replies 9 Participants Last post by nathan_h, 9 mo ago

Keith Kowal

Discussion Starter · Aug 22, 2019

I am at the tail end of my HT build and still have a few outstanding questions where it would great to get some feedback. I have 2 doors in my home theater, 1 is 80x36 for the entrance, the other is 80x28 into a "concession room". Both are 1 3/4 solid core flush doors. I added 3/4 MDF on them with green glue. The room has clips, double drywall, and GG. Here are my open items:

1. For the door soundproofing - I am leaning toward the jambs that you put on the door stops as opposed to the adjustable door jamb stops from Zero. The adjustable door jamb stops would be nice but will be about 500 dollars more for both doors. Hence leaning toward the cheaper/better value option.

2. I was originally going to mortise the automatic bottom into the door, however with the door jamb soundproofing being visible I am not sure it will make that much of a difference, so leaning toward doing the exterior automatic door jamb

3. Will the zero door look ugly exposed? Any options to cover them, I am leaning toward the darker color metal and leaving as is.

4. I am struggling on what option to pick for the door handle and closing. I am leaning toward a handle on both sides, and a ball catch system. I am guessing the ball catch system wont hold the counter-pressure of the soundproofing jambs. If this is the case I was thinking about adding a latch at the top of the door (I have little ones, that I don't want getting stuck). The issue here is the door jambs soundproofing will be in the way of a straight latch so I would have to build up a small section on the door. ANY HELP or Thoughts on this one will be appreciated!

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pkinneb

· #2 · Aug 22, 2019

I am going with an auto door closer like @Oklahomie used in his theater post #248 of the "ashton cove theater build." I asked him how it was working but he is off enjoying his finished theater and has not responded. I am still a couple months from being able to provide feedback but have purchased all the parts for it.

Here is the closer I bought based on Oklahomie's recommendation

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HNL8W80/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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mhutchins

· #3 · Aug 26, 2019

I would not use any latches on the door that require a separate action to open beyond turning the door handle. In any kind of emergency or power outage, that room will be pitch black and your guests will not know how to unlatch the door. It is possible to purchase multi-point door latches that provide additional points of contact between the door and the frame to minimize door bowing and breaking the soundproof seals.

Mike

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Keith Kowal

Discussion Starter · #4 · Aug 29, 2019

I am going to try the door closer - just bought it off of Amazon. I'll have to get a little creative with the trim, but should make it work. I'll let you all know how it turns out.

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SierraMikeBravo

· #5 · Aug 30, 2019

Some folks go with an electromagnetic door latch. In the even if a power outage, the magnets loose their electrical feed and no longer hold the door. The button inside the theater is usually lighted similar to a doorbell.

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warwwolf7

· #6 · 10 mo ago

pkinneb said:
I am going with an auto door closer like @Oklahomie used in his theater post #248 of the "ashton cove theater build." I asked him how it was working but he is off enjoying his finished theater and has not responded. I am still a couple months from being able to provide feedback but have purchased all the parts for it.

Here is the closer I bought based on Oklahomie's recommendation

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HNL8W80/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Hi,How well does it hold your door shut with the power door closer and the soundproof seals? I'm currently shopping doors and I'm hesitant about adding a handle or not.

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pkinneb

· #7 · 10 mo ago

warwwolf7 said:
Hi,How well does it hold your door shut with the power door closer and the soundproof seals? I'm currently shopping doors and I'm hesitant about adding a handle or not.

It works really well for what it is and I would do it again the same way in a heartbeat. Having said that if you are looking for the absolute best system from a soundproof perspective I suspect either communicating doors or a door with a latch would be better.

In my case the door cuts the majority of the sound but the closer is at the top so it is tighter at the top then the bottom (still compresses the seals all the way around) and always will be. For me the ease of use and convenience are well worth the trade off and like I say I would do it again in a heartbeat. Good luck with your decision!

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jehlinge

· #8 · 10 mo ago

Keith Kowal said:
4. I am struggling on what option to pick for the door handle and closing. I am leaning toward a handle on both sides, and a ball catch system. I am guessing the ball catch system wont hold the counter-pressure of the soundproofing jambs. If this is the case I was thinking about adding a latch at the top of the door (I have little ones, that I don't want getting stuck). The issue here is the door jambs soundproofing will be in the way of a straight latch so I would have to build up a small section on the door. ANY HELP or Thoughts on this one will be appreciated!

I really like the "ball catch" style latch that I used. I say "ball catch" in quotes because it is installed like a ball catch, but it is really a strong magnet that holds the door in place. see my post on installation and accompanying you tube video on operation.

Derecho Silver Linings Theater Build

https://www.amazon.com/Precision-PL...refix=precision+pls24pro/xhd+,tools,77&sr=1-1

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warwwolf7

· #9 · 9 mo ago

jehlinge said:
I really like the "ball catch" style latch that I used. I say "ball catch" in quotes because it is installed like a ball catch, but it is really a strong magnet that holds the door in place. see my post on installation and accompanying you tube video on operation.

Derecho Silver Linings Theater Build

Amazon.com

Nice, I really like that idea

@pkinneb thx for your answer. I will have communicating door. I wonder how hard it will be to close the second door because of air compression in between them. using only the hydraulic door closer I wonder if it will overcome the resistance
I really like the magnet idea. Maybe door closer and magnet would make this works.

Envoyé de mon SM-G986W en utilisant Tapatalk

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nathan_h

· #10 · 9 mo ago

This is a fascinating thread. I’ve just been thinking I’ll use a conventional handle and latch, but now you all are making me question my assumptions. I was just gonna use something like

Auto part Automotive lighting Art Machine Jewellery

but now I wonder: are these doors without penetrations another way to prevent sound leakage?

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scottdvm

· #11 · 9 mo ago

nathan_h said:
but now I wonder: are these doors without penetrations another way to prevent sound leakage?

That was my thinking, that as soon as you cut a hole through the door for the knob it's a funnel for sound to get through. So I did a solid slab door with layers of MDF/drywall/Green Glue on one side to make the bank vault style of door. I put dummy knobs on it and used a magnetic latch to keep it shut. Put the automatic door bottom on and weatherstripped around the top and sides.

The weak point in my soundproofing is the framing around the door jamb. Despite stuffing backer rod into the gaps and spraying in foam insulation, there's still noticeable sound getting through there. So I'm not sure all the effort on the door was really worth it.

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wookiegr

· #12 · 9 mo ago

If I may interject... as I designed and built my theater I went all through the various stages of things and in the end... when all was said and done I discovered the latch sets had just enough give in them that they rattle during intense bass moments. My solid core doors and weather stripping on the gaps was no match for the low end sound waves making my handles rattle. I ended up tying rubber bands on them to prevent movement but still isn't perfect.

Check all door knobs/latches for movement or give before committing them to prevent rattles. Even the hinge pins in the door hinges rattle to a degree so think about those as well. What good does soundproofing a room do when the items inside the room rattle.

If your bass doesn't hit the lowest lows or the room never pressurizes then this may be a non-issue.

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nathan_h

· #13 · 9 mo ago

scottdvm said:
That was my thinking, that as soon as you cut a hole through the door for the knob it's a funnel for sound to get through. So I did a solid slab door with layers of MDF/drywall/Green Glue on one side to make the bank vault style of door. I put dummy knobs on it and used a magnetic latch to keep it shut. Put the automatic door bottom on and weatherstripped around the top and sides.

The weak point in my soundproofing is the framing around the door jamb. Despite stuffing backer rod into the gaps and spraying in foam insulation, there's still noticeable sound getting through there. So I'm not sure all the effort on the door was really worth it.

Yeah, for my next build, I've been researching door construction more, because it was the weak link on my last build. Here is what I have so far. I would appreciate anyone's input to make it better.

There will be dual doors to enter the theater, essentially one for each 2x4 wall since there are two walls -- room within a room style construction.