[Gouie]

Hi Everyone, looking for a bit of advice on doors. The way I see it there are two options, solid wood or formed hollow core that have been filled with sawdust and called solid core. I'm guessing the solid wood door is going to do better in a soundproofed room but maybe not. Anyone have any input or real-world experience on which is better for this application?

 

[BIGmouthinDC]

Flush veneer covered 1 3/4 thick particle core is my pick of widely available doors. Solid wood is not better than densely filled solid core.

 

[Gouie]

Thanks BIG. In an effort to keep the look of the door the same throughout the house and because I will need to be hanging the door myself due to the unusually thick wall, here is my idea; 1" thick MDF with 1x4 framing around the outer edge then sandwiched between two layers of 1/2" MDF. The 1/2" sheets would allow me to route the front and back of the door in the same recessed pattern as the reset of the doors in the house. With a door that thick and heavy my thought is the wooden frame would give me something more substantial to attach the hinges to. Seems like a lot of work but the theatre entrance will be 5 feet from another door. A flat facing door might not blend as well.

 

[jimim]

Thanks BIG. In an effort to keep the look of the door the same throughout the house and because I will need to be hanging the door myself due to the unusually thick wall, here is my idea; 1" thick MDF with 1x4 framing around the outer edge then sandwiched between two layers of 1/2" MDF. The 1/2" sheets would allow me to route the front and back of the door in the same recessed pattern as the reset of the doors in the house. With a door that thick and heavy my thought is the wooden frame would give me something more substantial to attach the hinges to. Seems like a lot of work but the theatre entrance will be 5 feet from another door. A flat facing door might not blend as well.

look in my build. same thing i'm doing pretty much. except i'm using 1.5" thick core of ultra refined mdf. it's denser. my outside layer to match my home will be 3/4" to make the profile i need cause he can't make it with half inch. green glue between that layer. that gives me over 2 inches. the inside theatre layer is 3/4 inch cherry bottom half and a frame to accept a acoustic panel. behind that panel will be 1/2 cherry. that layer with green glue too but again that layer is kinda useless cause it isn't really dense but i figured the 1.5 plus the 3/4 and green glue will do the trick. also banding it like you said with hardwood for hinges and such.

seals i used the mortised in version of the zero drop down seal. the 369aa. jam seals i used the 770. these are the two they use on their door system. these are also the models kinetics uses on their soundproof doors. hinges are brass ball bearing 5x5 hinges, 4 of them.

just me and my first door but most of this comes from advice here with a change here and there. gets me dense, look i need outside and inside.

 

[Jmking]

look in my build. same thing i'm doing pretty much. except i'm using 1.5" thick core of ultra refined mdf. it's denser. my outside layer to match my home will be 3/4" to make the profile i need cause he can't make it with half inch. green glue between that layer. that gives me over 2 inches. the inside theatre layer is 3/4 inch cherry bottom half and a frame to accept a acoustic panel. behind that panel will be 1/2 cherry. that layer with green glue too but again that layer is kinda useless cause it isn't really dense but i figured the 1.5 plus the 3/4 and green glue will do the trick. also banding it like you said with hardwood for hinges and such.

seals i used the mortised in version of the zero drop down seal. the 369aa. jam seals i used the 770. these are the two they use on their door system. these are also the models kinetics uses on their soundproof doors. hinges are brass ball bearing 5x5 hinges, 4 of them.

just me and my first door but most of this comes from advice here with a change here and there. gets me dense, look i need outside and inside.

Where did you source the hinges, I am also starting on a door and I need a set. Thanks

 

[jimim]

Where did you source the hinges, I am also starting on a door and I need a set. Thanks

Emtek. I found a place online. http://doorhardwareusa.com/manufacturers/Emtek

i was going with baldwin but they were double the price and the only difference i noted was the thickness of the brass which was soon little. so i took the chance. i go them today. they are pretty hardcore. i never used ball bearing hinges so i can't compare them to anything else but i can't see 4 of them having an issue holding up a 300 lb door is it ends up that heavy.

jim

 

[doublewing11]

I had a custom made, extra thick solid hardwood door made to help with soundproofing. Did it help? Not as much as I'd hoped!

Weakest link in my soundproofing efforts! When I close second foyer door ie double door system.............then efforts work much better. Solid doors as in solid hardwood are not the way to go! In my case, wasn't willing to forgo aesthetics.

 

[brausch]

I had a custom made, extra thick solid hardwood door made to help with soundproofing. Did it help? Not as much as I'd hoped!

Weakest link in my soundproofing efforts! When I close second foyer door ie double door system.............then efforts work much better. Solid doors as in solid hardwood are not the way to go! In my case, wasn't willing to forgo aesthetics.

Did you put a door jamb seal kit and automatic door bottom on the door? My 1.75" solid-core door was letting A LOT of sound through, until I added a door seal kit. It made a HUGE difference - amazing really. The door is probably still the weakest link, but it's still an amazing improvement.

 

[jimim]

Did you put a door jamb seal kit and automatic door bottom on the door? My 1.75" solid-core door was letting A LOT of sound through, until I added a door seal kit. It made a HUGE difference - amazing really. The door is probably still the weakest link, but it's still an amazing improvement.

He has full seals all around. I know that.

 

[jimim]

I had a custom made, extra thick solid hardwood door made to help with soundproofing. Did it help? Not as much as I'd hoped!

Weakest link in my soundproofing efforts! When I close second foyer door ie double door system.............then efforts work much better. Solid doors as in solid hardwood are not the way to go! In my case, wasn't willing to forgo aesthetics.

Maybe because solid wood isn't as dense as a mdf layered approach? That's why I'm not really counting my cherry inside layer as a true layer for soundproofing. I'm hoping my 2.25 inch thick mdf and green glue deal is enough. Along with my seals. I'm also hoping spending a bit more on heavier seals helps also.

Jim

 

[doublewing11]

Did you put a door jamb seal kit and automatic door bottom on the door? My 1.75" solid-core door was letting A LOT of sound through, until I added a door seal kit. It made a HUGE difference - amazing really. The door is probably still the weakest link, but it's still an amazing improvement.

Yup........................I wanted NC-20, but door is most likely culprit of my NC-25 rating.

 

[doublewing11]

Maybe because solid wood isn't as dense as a mdf layered approach? That's why I'm not really counting my cherry inside layer as a true layer for soundproofing. I'm hoping my 2.25 inch thick mdf and green glue deal is enough. Along with my seals. I'm also hoping spending a bit more on heavier seals helps also.

Jim

Issue with solid doors.............no dampening. Sure, door looks great, but could be better with keeping out sound. Fortunately, able to close off small foyer with another door. With both doors closed, kitchen hears nothing...........and theater room hears nothing from kitchen. I too have the beefiest seals on theater door.................. having 2-1/2 inch thick solid hardwood door will not soundproof.

 

[Gouie]

This has been a big help. Although I've read that others have had great success with the standard pre-hung 1 3/4" particle as long as the sealing is done properly I'm still onboard with the custom build. Being that there are multiple doors in eye-shot of the theater the WAF is important. Just cant find a commercial door with residential finishing.


Now, after collecting all this info I'll have to put the door build on hold; have to figure out how to deal with a hole saw making contact with a wire.

 

[RedStripe88]

If you don't want to go full custom, you could start with a solid core door and give it a facelift. Really depends whether you need the non-theater side to match other doors.

The other option I considered but rejected was using a two panel MDF door that matches the others in our home. I was going to fill the theater side with bondo then add GG and MDF. But it didn't have the mass of the solid core or the 4 heavy duty hinges.

I started with this:

And ended up with this on the rec room side:

And this on the theater side:

I have not measured STC, but very little is audible outside the theater. Inside is deafeningly quiet. To be critical, I believe the weak points are the zero seals because there is no sound going through the 1 3/4" solid core with green glue and 3/4" MDF on the theater side.

Let us know what you decide

 

[jimim]

The main reason I went full custom was only because I have the access to my buddies shop. I come and go as I please and work right with Dave and his guys. I can micro manage as much as I want and nobody minds. It's just as easy for me to have him do it vs myself taking to time to put something together. This way I was able to get an exact match of the rest of the home doors and hopefully a soundproof door. I hope. Lol

Jim

 

[jimim]

If you don't want to go full custom, you could start with a solid core door and give it a facelift. Really depends whether you need the non-theater side to match other doors.

The other option I considered but rejected was using a two panel MDF door that matches the others in our home. I was going to fill the theater side with bondo then add GG and MDF. But it didn't have the mass of the solid core or the 4 heavy duty hinges.

I started with this:

And ended up with this on the rec room side:

And this on the theater side:

I have not measured STC, but very little is audible outside the theater. Inside is deafeningly quiet. To be critical, I believe the weak points are the zero seals because there is no sound going through the 1 3/4" solid core with green glue and 3/4" MDF on the theater side.

Let us know what you decide

Ur door build out was great btw. It came out awesome!

 

[Fatshaft]

What about the door handle...how does one take care of that big hole...
Is just putting the handle enough to block the sound?
I've always wondered about that area

 

[billwil]

What about the door handle...how does one take care of that big hole...
Is just putting the handle enough to block the sound?
I've always wondered about that area

That's one of the several reasons doors are usually the weak link.

 

[Gouie]

If you don't want to go full custom, you could start with a solid core door and give it a facelift. Really depends whether you need the non-theater side to match other doors.

The other option I considered but rejected was using a two panel MDF door that matches the others in our home. I was going to fill the theater side with bondo then add GG and MDF. But it didn't have the mass of the solid core or the 4 heavy duty hinges.

I started with this:

And ended up with this on the rec room side:

And this on the theater side:

I have not measured STC, but very little is audible outside the theater. Inside is deafeningly quiet. To be critical, I believe the weak points are the zero seals because there is no sound going through the 1 3/4" solid core with green glue and 3/4" MDF on the theater side.

Let us know what you decide

Door turned out great. I would prefer your approach but the other doors in close proximity are recessed; the only way to duplicate is to route.

 

[stevejcash]

Wood doors normally provide poor insulation. If you want better energy efficiency choose a wood door with strong inner core and make sure that you seal it properly. I recently installed custom made door for my media room and i choose fiberglass. I didn’t want to make any mistakes so i hired a contractor heritage home designs in Toronto. They recommended me to use fiberglass as they are durable,strong and offer great insulation.