Soundproofing the Front Door of a Condo

Might be cheaper to get a new custom front door made.

nyc10023, I bet the condo would spank him for that.

this is annoying though... in my condo, I can hear everything in the hall and vice versa.

Alan: Nah. Just get the exterior to match the existing door perfectly.

Would recommend attempting a cheaper solution before looking to replace the door.

Google weather stripping and look for a door sweep (will see any gap at the bottom of the door) and weather stripping products for the side and top of the door.

Often times the majority of the noise penetration comes from gaps between the door and jam rather then through the door. Products designed to seal gaps to prevent the escape of heat can also help you with the ambient noise that comes through small gaps in the door.

Order the product online and pay your super $40 to install. Can try this for $100 or less before laying out real dough to replace the entire door.

try calling a company by the name of zero international, zerointernational.com. they manufacture products for these purposes.

riverfront beat me to it. Although Zero doesn't install anything, they make a whole bunch of stuff which any contractor can install on your door. The single most important one of which - in my opinion - for apartment dwellers is the gate for the bottom of your door - it will also stop most of the menu boys from pushing anything under your door as well.

My neighbor needs this sound-proofing badly. I often hear her screaming in the throws of passion. It's not clear to me whether she is with someone, or just BOB (Battery Operated Boyfriend).

I sure hope she doesn't read this thread and get this sound-proofing :(

I think nyc10023 is on to something. most condo doors are the metal hollow type which causes the noise leakage. A strip at the bottom of the door isn't going to solve that.

Have to agree with REjunkie and 30yrs.
My apartment is right by the elevators and just pushing up my floor mat against the bottom cuts almost all hallway noise.
But nothing stops sushi menus.

you should leave word with your building management that you don't live in a dormitory and they should try and arrange an escort of delivery personal into the building if possible.

Call Zero International: they make automatic door drop seals, door sweeps, self adhesive gasketing, sound proofing products.

Zero International Inc.
415 Concord Avenue
Bronx, New York 10455
Phone: 1-718-585-3230

"I think nyc10023 is on to something. most condo doors are the metal hollow type which causes the noise leakage. A strip at the bottom of the door isn't going to solve that"

You'd be surprised at how much ANYTHING will stop sound, and ANY gap will let LOTS of sound thru. The drop gates recommended by myself and riverfront really do wonders with a standard front doors: remember, any front door must be fire rated to begin with, so you're not getting any hollow core 2 lb wood doors as your front door, no matter how cheap the builder was. It's the gap at the bottom where over 90% of the sound comes thru (and depending on how well fit the door is to the frame, around the sides and top as well.

check out
http://www.zerointernational.com/catalogpage.aspx?page=17

To something 30yrs referenced -- most doors into apartments are built to fire code specs. If you put a surface on it, e.g., soundproofing, this could negate the door's fireproof status. You may not care but should there be a fire, your insurance company won't cover you; or worse you may be set up for multiple law suits. To the best of my knowledge this does not apply to attaching door seals or strips at the bottom -- both of which can indeed make a big difference.

Also because of fire code and insurance, most condos will not permit a single unit owner to change their door. It will require a standard door on all units. There may even be something in your condo's governing documents that prohibits changes (again, not the seals/stripping).

And before you spend your own money on the door seal, speak with your condo management. They may do this for you.

To get the best soundproofing you can glue a layer of Mass Loaded Vinyl with Quietglue to both sides of the door and make sure you seal all the gaps with weatherstrip i.e. around the door frame.
This link should help
http://soundproofingwithdave.com/2007/06/soundproofing-exterior-door.html

What can be done to soundproof or at least lessen the sound for an elevator door that opens into an apartment?

For an apartment door in a condo ( Co-op wouldn't let me install it ):

Citiproof does a weather-strip installation. Surrounds the entire door. Cuts incoming/outgoing noise, eliminates smoke/odor leakage from coming in/going out into the hall.

Even the most determined Chinese food delivery guy CAN NOT get a menu in through my door.

Truth,
I'm interested in having this done for my apt. door, can you let us how much Citiproof charged?

"What can be done to soundproof or at least lessen the sound for an elevator door that opens into an apartment?"

Install a "man trap" and call it a foyer. (only partially kidding: if you make a totally enclosed foyer - I think to be up to fire code it has to include access to at least one fire stairway if you want to put any locks on the door(s) - even if it is a lot of glass, it will greatly reduce the sound. but are you talking about the noise YOUR door makes, or the nose which makes it thru your door when the elevator opens on other floors?)

macintosh: It was 10 years ago; aprox. $450. Sounds like a lot, but professionally done, and not an eyesore. Give them a call.

I look at this thread and wonder if people have a specific product in mind that a coop will allow installation for soundproofing the front door?

I'm dealing with the exact same problem. My door was so poorly installed that there's a 1/2" gap between the head, one jamb, and bottom of the door. Does anyone have any idea if this compromises the fireproofing qualities of the door? I've already put some money into fixing it and am trying to avoid spending any more.

Truth, what was the reason for coop rejection?
Is it similar to this system?
http://citysoundproofing.com/residential.html
Ive been considering it for my door but have not even approached my coop.

truthskr: The reason was the usual: "If you install it on your door, then every other shareholder must be able to do the same."

My response was: "So, what's wrong with that?, If I'm paying for it out of my pocket, then any other shareholder who wants to can do the same."
They came back with: "Your door has to be uniform with all the other doors".
Meanwhile the coop board president had white marble floors inside her apartment that visibly extended out of the front apt door to form the transom.

When shown a photo of her door during her deposition, she claimed not to recognize it; and testified that she couldn't see any difference from the doors of the apts right next to it in the photo. One of those doors also belonged to her -- she combined two apts. and only had the marble in the main entry and door.

So try to request it, and see what your coop board says.
It's really the best way to seal the door.

Ok so the reason was strictly an aesthetics policy and nothing else.

Still strange as I dont see how your door's appearance would have changed on the outside from hallway view.

truthskr: That's right.
Especially since the apt. door of the coop board president was visibly not "uniform" not only with all of the other doors in the building but also not "uniform" with the apt. doors right next to it. It was white marble that extended under the door and wrapped around the bottom of the frame to form a transom that was higher, wider, white in color and not "uniform" in many ways.

After the coop board president's depo, I went out of town for a few days. When I returned the wood transoms on the bottom of each apt. door on my floor, and the others in the building had been scrubbed clean, in a ridiculous effort to make them look like white marble. That was the sneaky solution that the board came up with to allow the president to have her door look the way she wanted it and avoid cutting the marble floor in her foyer.

She ended up resigning suddenly and with no prior announcement to the shareholders, at the next shareholder's meeting. The board appointed a lady who had just moved into the building, to be the new president. When they announced her name at the meeting she jumped up, all excited and scurried to the front of the room; like an audience-member on "The Price Is Right": Come on down!

Then, there were the shareholders that decorated their apt.doors for the holidays (not my thing, and I don't mind if they do; but it was against the coop rules to decorate apt.doors. Many of those living on my floor were holiday decorators, the lady next door to me hung multi-color Easter eggs from ribbons on the front of her door. The coop board never bothered/objected to her or the others.)

Submit your request, truthskr.If they turn you down take your camera with you as you go from floor to floor to seek any apartment doors that aren't uniform. If you find any, take photos and send to the managing agent and every member of the coop board.

But, I don't have to suggest that to you -- you're truthskr!

Hi, Truth!

Within a minute -- there's that putz ah trolling again.
It's time for your bottle, alan.

I've been asking about this for years and keep hearing that it's not possible to soundproof an apartment. I hope that feedback is wrong because I'm an extremely light sleeper and would pay to have my new apartment soundproofed.

Just wondering if anyone has had success soundproofing their front door in a coop building. I am looking at a system that involves perimeter door seals and an automatic door bottom. Since this goes on the outside of the door, I do not know if my coop will allow it.

Or, is there any possible way to soundproof the door from the inside?

will these techniques work better on internal doors in between rooms?

prnyc: CitiProof can insatll the door bottom on the inside if you want. The door seals aren't visible from outside.

install

Hey guys, I was quoted $500 for soundproofing my front door, does that sound reasonable?

Quote from where,alpha?
If from a CitiProof or other co. that specializes-- it's good.
I don't know what CitiProof charges these days, but I would be surprised if the price hasn't gone up over the last decade since I paid close to $500.

sounds fair