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...

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.

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.

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.