In order to soundproof your door with a blanket or any other solution, you need to first understand what a soundproof door does well. It starts with the first of the basic principles of all soundproofing jobs: eliminate air gaps. No matter how dense or soundproof your door is, if there are air gaps on any of its sides, noise will “leak” through those openings. As whatever noise is annoying you (TVs, people talking, music playing) travels through the air (ie airborne noise), it behaves a lot like water - it finds a weak point and leaks through.

You can take a bite out of airborne noise by creating an airtight seal around the door itself. We go deeper on how to seal a door in our door soundproofing guide, but we’ll come back to it later in this article too.

The second key for soundproof doors is to have a lot of mass. The denser and thicker the door, the better, as you want a very heavy barrier between you and unwanted noise. Even if your door is sealed very tight, if it is a hollow-core door, sound is going to easily transmit through the door panel itself.

Hollow doors are very common in residential homes, especially for interior doors because they are economical and lightweight. Exterior doors tend to be more soundproof, as they are both heavier and better sealed (keep that AC in!). Another common design element in a residential home that leads to poor soundproofing is French doors, which adds the element of single pane glass (also not very soundproof). If your door is hollow, has glass, or isn't well sealed, that's contributing to your soundproofing problems.

When it comes to adding a blanket, lightweight blankets and even "heavy" moving blankets aren't usually heavy enough. Soundproof blankets are designed with mass loaded vinyl inside and absorption on the face to make it a powerful 1-2 punch for soundproofing a door.

We generally only recommend a soundproof blanket for a door in two scenarios:

• • • The door is a hollow-core door that you do not want to replace with a solid-core door
    • The door does not need to be used regularly while the barrier blanket is up

If that does not describe you, you may just want to jump to the next section. Or if you just want to learn stuff – keep plowing on ahead!

Ok, so you’re set on using soundproof blankets on your door. The first thing you need to do is select a type of blanket that’s actually rated to block sound. You’re looking for something called an STC rating, which means the product has been professionally tested to block sound. If it’s not rated for STC, it’s not a product that was designed for soundproofing. If you have a hollow-core door, the STC rating is especially important because your current door is a poor barrier.

The key is for the blanket to be as thick and heavy as possible, and seal it at the edges. The only blankets we ever recommend are our Quiet Quilt indoor soundproof barrier blankets or our Quiet Quilt 2-Sided Blanket. These blankets are 2” thick with a density of 1.5 lb/sq ft. Both of these blankets come standard with 1 lb mass loaded vinyl and a sewn on absorptive quilt face. We can upgrade to 2 lb MLV if you request it. This is similar to picking out the right soundproof curtain.

Both versions of the Quiet Quilt blankets are rated for both STC (sound blocking) and NRC (sound absorption). They are durable, long-lasting, and come in several colors depending on the look you want. When installing the blankets, always face the absorptive face towards the door and ensure the blanket is as well sealed as possible around the doorway for the best performance. The blankets come with Velcro on the two sides and grommets, making it easy to hang them on hooks or seal them to each other.