How can you test it using a laptop to produce pinksound? The whole purpose of using pink sound is to get a full frequency range. So not only is the testing floored, but the little range that the speakers can produce (all above 500hz) and at very low DBs, you still manage to hear the sound when the door was closed. To cut the higher frequencies you should use sheetrock or fibreglass inside the door then use a layer of mass loaded vinyl on either side and then cover it with a think layer of ply or MDF. If you can still hear sound coming out of your laptop then can you imagine how poorly your door will work with loud speakers or instruments.
Man, you're making a lot of assumptions. But I know for a fact the speakers I used can go down to 150Hz..now is that perfect for a test - No, but it was the only portable thing I had to measure the different rooms. Also, you can see in the video, it measured over 70dB from a few feet away which was loud enough for this kind of test. "To cut the higher frequencies you should use sheetrock or fiberglass inside the door" Sorry, but stopped listening here. I assume you mean fiberglass insulation? What good will that do to block the high-frequencies when it is inside the door? The high-freq will just bounce off the external surface. And sheetrock would do the same as it has high density. Also, I'm not trying to make my door 1 foot thick with your Door + sheetrock/fiberglass/ MLV + MDF. Your critique of the speaker is valid to an extent, but the rest I would have to disagree with you.
@Flannell where is the test without the modifications you did to the door? I know fibreglass insulation inside a door works for high and mid frequencies because I've got it inside my door and it works very well. You are confusing sound absorption with sound insulation. Yes if you have exposed fibreglass insulation or foam pads it will absorb HF which is good for removing reverb and making a room sound dry.
Yes but it will depend on if your door is the weakest part. If your walls are thin with little insulation, then sound will get in that way. In my case, the door was the weakest link in my room. I would find the weakest part of the room first and work on that. If it’s the walls put on another layer of drywall. If it’s the door, then use this build :)
Thanks for this vid.. I've built out a drum/mix room in basement and the walls and ceilings are all taken care of with res channel, multiple layers of 5/8 drywall but the door is going to be the challenging and weak spot. Going to go solid core, vynil, maybe some green glue and MDF ( with weather stripping). Down side is I have two doors as i wanted to keep another area open for storage. Will have to beef that one up as well but this tutorial was a big help. Only change I'd make is to do a surface mounted handle as well vs drilling a hole through the door. You could probably have cut even more sound that way.
My only concern would be the power of the adhesive of the vinyl, which has to withstand the weight of the MDF as well. A crude, but solid workaround would be just one or two screws for each MDF panel. It will ruin the door, but there's nothing a little putty and sanding can't fix. Other than that great vid!
Thanks! Yeah, that’s a totally valid concern and it’s something to thing about for anyone else attempting this build. Good suggestion. Luckily, the adhesive on this MLV was pretty strong and it’s holding up.
I was originally thinking that having a small air gap between the two materials would be beneficial, but I have no idea if that is true. But it was actually good because it gave me enough distance between the MDF and door frame to put the weatherstripping so that I can still easily close the door.
Yeah, I would imagine that is would have the same effect on the outside as long as you cover the gaps. And you would still be able to hear people knocking.
Nice, i dont expect you to answer, but wonder is this same method will work for a Side of one wall....Times when there's NoN Stop whaling, and Barking of a dog they tie up why they do that🤷♂🤷♂🤷♂🤷♂ but this is a start thank you for sharing.
I think something similar might help…slightly, but I don’t think my solution will help significantly. I knew the door was the weakest point for sound to get though. In your case it might not only be the wall but all around it as well. Many people in studio builds have double layers of drywall as well as other material, but I don’t think that would be worth the investment in this case. Sorry I couldn’t help!
@@ChrisFinnell : no not that didnt Help but gave me idea, the Place is a Garage that by Brother in Law wants to make into a Living Area for me and me dad, it's basically has no insolation, on walls nor ceiling, but i can't do nothing until my brothers ready to fix it up. Also the Garage opener maybe the Leading culprit since it reviels gaps. Like i mentioned got some ideas from ur clip TY.
A Threshold with a rubber weather strip is a more efficient solution. If you're worried about tripping over it, I think you'll find that is a non.issue. Our corridors leading to my studio all have thresholds due to fire regulations, and there have been no incidents, but they are a pain when wheeling goods and equipment over them.@@ChrisFinnell
Great video. I am also planning on making one of these doors. If you are playing the TV like watching the movie, can you hear it on the other side of that door?
Thanks! I would say I can't hear about 90%. I can't hear low frequency sounds, but high freq. sound like a scream would get through the door - there is a section of the door at the bottom that isn't totally sealed yet, but plan to fix that with a rubber door sweep. I'm thinking that will help a little bit more. Also, It's not in the video, but I put a little fit of MLV and rubber in the door handle cavity.
Hey! I have been thinking about a door mod like this for my home studio. One thing Ive been thinking about and not found a solution to is the door handle. I suspect maybe thats why you get leak of high frequency (airborne) noise? Have you, or anyone else, given this any thoughts? Making a real sound proof studio door is not an option here, but the results of your project were absolutely motivating. Hoping at least to add some increased privacy for my vocal practice. Ive been thinking of something like adding mass (Mdf/high density drywall) to the cavity. There will still need to be a hole for the door pin, and Im thinking of some kind of rubber seal. Dunno if it will work, as this part needs to be flexible.
I would have bought a drill bit that let me make large hole instead of using a hand saw and sandpaper.. haha But really I wouldn’t change much maybe think of a good solution for the bottom with a dust sweep and put something over the MDF to “finish” it
If I just put one layer of vinyl flooring on my door, would it be any good? I don't need perfect soundproofing, since I don't have a studio. But it would look nicer than MDF.
I don’t think just the vinyl will be as effective as you would like. An important part is the weather stripping around the edges. The MDF is unfinished and it is easy to add a final layer of adhesive film for aesthetics
Any place were you can see light entering is the pathway for sound to flow past also. Buy a second hand fire door there 2 inch thick door use now check your yellow pages for someone who does doors and windows replacement. They toss them place a order and wait. Get them to cut to size. No new tools cocking mdf etc. Just longer screws basically. Or let them mount the use door for you. Now your saving your time or get hurt is the trade offs
* Can you tell please - Which type of software you have use for "sound level reduction test" ? * A medium size 60' or 65' long & 20' height and 50' wide; a plane floor Auditorium. Main entry exit has the opposition of stage. The room has 5" brick wall. The acoustic or sound proof treatment will be in both two side walls & the rest of entry exit door wall part. * And now can you suggest me any solution or treatment for me please. Hope you will get back a reply.
I have to build two double doors. I’m thinking of putting something on the floor to avoid the sound passing below the door, but I hate the idea, I’d like to have the floor free from anything to be able to walk through freely.
Yeah I wish I would have tested that. I had just the MLV up for a few weeks before the MDF and it did make a difference. The door felt and sounded less hollow, but I could still hear the TV and such. After the weatherstrip seals and MDF, it made a dramatic difference.
@@ChrisFinnell yeah, if you just used the MLV you wouldn't have that nice seal over the edges where a lot of sound pressure will seep through. It would be interesting to compare an MLV cover on the door versus just doing a weatherstrip seal around the edges. Those crappy hollow cardboard doors will surely benefit from the MLV layer. But a more solid wood door would likely see the most benefit from the edge seal.
@@Babushka69I’m a handyman though not an an expert by any means, but I would definitely recommend the switching to the longer screws. When you remove the old shorter screws make sure to have some shims/wood chop sticks to shove in there in case the screw holes are blown out. Also everyone should keep in mind that when you lower the door so close to the floor or add in a sweep at the bottom you’re going to restrict airflow (obviously the intention) but it can impair the air return to your heating system and cause your home to heat poorly. Just something to keep in mind especially if you want to keep the door shut all the time
I’m in the process of finishing my vocal booth and I was planning to use MDF and mass loaded vinyl also because I have a jealous dog and I know he’ll bark his head off until my noisemaking guest leave and I’m hoping it’ll be good enough to get vocals done without him making a guest appearance on the song
I needed more depth between the door frame and the MDF for the weatherstripping. And I *speculated* that having an air gap between the the MDF and MLV would be beneficial - I have don't have any evidence of that though.
1. Get a new door knob. 2. Remove the door stop trim 3. Add the material to that side so the door isn't proud of the casing and you don't have to cut around the knob and hinges 4. Add the material and the new inside of the door swing. 5. Add the door stop trim back on with weather stripping.
99% of the sound leakage was fixed with the rubber weatherstripping around the cracks of the door. One probably could skip all the mass loaded vinyl and other stuff.
I would agree creating the seal with the weatherstripping had a big effect, especially for the high freq that can bounce around the cracks. Adding mass to the door helps with making more broadband. Surely you would agree having a solid door is better than a hollow-core door?
Yes it’s better especially if it’s a thin and hollow door. but for anyone looking into doing this I would start with the seal first and see if that fixes the problem. The mass loaded vinyl and plywood is more expensive and may not improve things enough to justify the cost. @@ChrisFinnell
In your test at the end, when it drops to 51.5DB, was that before the mods you did? In other words, the true difference is 10.3DB (51.5 before - 41.2 after). Thanks! Great vid
How can you test it using a laptop to produce pinksound? The whole purpose of using pink sound is to get a full frequency range. So not only is the testing floored, but the little range that the speakers can produce (all above 500hz) and at very low DBs, you still manage to hear the sound when the door was closed. To cut the higher frequencies you should use sheetrock or fibreglass inside the door then use a layer of mass loaded vinyl on either side and then cover it with a think layer of ply or MDF. If you can still hear sound coming out of your laptop then can you imagine how poorly your door will work with loud speakers or instruments.
Man, you're making a lot of assumptions. But I know for a fact the speakers I used can go down to 150Hz..now is that perfect for a test - No, but it was the only portable thing I had to measure the different rooms. Also, you can see in the video, it measured over 70dB from a few feet away which was loud enough for this kind of test.
"To cut the higher frequencies you should use sheetrock or fiberglass inside the door" Sorry, but stopped listening here.
I assume you mean fiberglass insulation? What good will that do to block the high-frequencies when it is inside the door? The high-freq will just bounce off the external surface. And sheetrock would do the same as it has high density.
Also, I'm not trying to make my door 1 foot thick with your Door + sheetrock/fiberglass/ MLV + MDF.
Your critique of the speaker is valid to an extent, but the rest I would have to disagree with you.
@Flannell where is the test without the modifications you did to the door? I know fibreglass insulation inside a door works for high and mid frequencies because I've got it inside my door and it works very well. You are confusing sound absorption with sound insulation. Yes if you have exposed fibreglass insulation or foam pads it will absorb HF which is good for removing reverb and making a room sound dry.
It's the 1st test. I'm glad the fiberglass inside your door works great for you. This build works great for me.
Wondering if this is as effective for keeping sound OUT? Trying to turn a basement room into a saxophone practice room.
Yes but it will depend on if your door is the weakest part. If your walls are thin with little insulation, then sound will get in that way.
In my case, the door was the weakest link in my room.
I would find the weakest part of the room first and work on that. If it’s the walls put on another layer of drywall. If it’s the door, then use this build :)
Actually been thinking about doing this for awhile. I even got on Amazon a few months ago to check out the MLV. Going to do it your way, thanks!!
Awesome!
Thanks for this vid.. I've built out a drum/mix room in basement and the walls and ceilings are all taken care of with res channel, multiple layers of 5/8 drywall but the door is going to be the challenging and weak spot. Going to go solid core, vynil, maybe some green glue and MDF ( with weather stripping). Down side is I have two doors as i wanted to keep another area open for storage. Will have to beef that one up as well but this tutorial was a big help. Only change I'd make is to do a surface mounted handle as well vs drilling a hole through the door. You could probably have cut even more sound that way.
I'm glad it helped! Yeah I wish I could have done more with the door handle.
My only concern would be the power of the adhesive of the vinyl, which has to withstand the weight of the MDF as well. A crude, but solid workaround would be just one or two screws for each MDF panel. It will ruin the door, but there's nothing a little putty and sanding can't fix. Other than that great vid!
Thanks! Yeah, that’s a totally valid concern and it’s something to thing about for anyone else attempting this build. Good suggestion. Luckily, the adhesive on this MLV was pretty strong and it’s holding up.
I am subscriber #61.
Thanks for that cool DIY video.
Thanks! I’ll be trying to make even better videos. It was my first video so didn’t think it was very good. So appreciate it :)
@@ChrisFinnell You did great. You have a natural presence too.
Great idea! But why do you need that black rubber band around the door?
I was originally thinking that having a small air gap between the two materials would be beneficial, but I have no idea if that is true. But it was actually good because it gave me enough distance between the MDF and door frame to put the weatherstripping so that I can still easily close the door.
Will 2 normal door sandwiched or 2 communicating door work?
2 communicating doors might be effective, but you need to make sure the frames are sealed with weatherstrip or something
Can this be done from outside the door to reduce incoming noise? Would the vinyl still allow people to knock from outside, or do I need to add a bell?
Yeah, I would imagine that is would have the same effect on the outside as long as you cover the gaps. And you would still be able to hear people knocking.
Nice, i dont expect you to answer, but wonder is this same method will work for a Side of one wall....Times when there's NoN Stop whaling, and Barking of a dog they tie up why they do that🤷♂🤷♂🤷♂🤷♂ but this is a start thank you for sharing.
I think something similar might help…slightly, but I don’t think my solution will help significantly. I knew the door was the weakest point for sound to get though.
In your case it might not only be the wall but all around it as well. Many people in studio builds have double layers of drywall as well as other material, but I don’t think that would be worth the investment in this case. Sorry I couldn’t help!
@@ChrisFinnell : no not that didnt Help but gave me idea, the Place is a Garage that by Brother in Law wants to make into a Living Area for me and me dad, it's basically has no insolation, on walls nor ceiling, but i can't do nothing until my brothers ready to fix it up. Also the Garage opener maybe the Leading culprit since it reviels gaps. Like i mentioned got some ideas from ur clip TY.
What kind of seal do you have at the bottom of the door?
It’s not in the video, but I added a rubber door sweep
A Threshold with a rubber weather strip is a more efficient solution. If you're worried about tripping over it, I think you'll find that is a non.issue. Our corridors leading to my studio all have thresholds due to fire regulations, and there have been no incidents, but they are a pain when wheeling goods and equipment over them.@@ChrisFinnell
Great video. I am also planning on making one of these doors. If you are playing the TV like watching the movie, can you hear it on the other side of that door?
Thanks!
I would say I can't hear about 90%. I can't hear low frequency sounds, but high freq. sound like a scream would get through the door - there is a section of the door at the bottom that isn't totally sealed yet, but plan to fix that with a rubber door sweep. I'm thinking that will help a little bit more.
Also, It's not in the video, but I put a little fit of MLV and rubber in the door handle cavity.
Hey! I have been thinking about a door mod like this for my home studio. One thing Ive been thinking about and not found a solution to is the door handle. I suspect maybe thats why you get leak of high frequency (airborne) noise? Have you, or anyone else, given this any thoughts?
Making a real sound proof studio door is not an option here, but the results of your project were absolutely motivating. Hoping at least to add some increased privacy for my vocal practice.
Ive been thinking of something like adding mass (Mdf/high density drywall) to the cavity. There will still need to be a hole for the door pin, and Im thinking of some kind of rubber seal. Dunno if it will work, as this part needs to be flexible.
where did you get mass loded vynil?
I was able to buy it online here in Korea. So I'm sure something like Amazon will have it if you are in the states.
Very cool build! What would you have done differently now that you completed the build?
I would have bought a drill bit that let me make large hole instead of using a hand saw and sandpaper.. haha
But really I wouldn’t change much maybe think of a good solution for the bottom with a dust sweep and put something over the MDF to “finish” it
good idea - thank you for sharing with everyone@@ChrisFinnell
If I just put one layer of vinyl flooring on my door, would it be any good? I don't need perfect soundproofing, since I don't have a studio. But it would look nicer than MDF.
I don’t think just the vinyl will be as effective as you would like. An important part is the weather stripping around the edges.
The MDF is unfinished and it is easy to add a final layer of adhesive film for aesthetics
Any place were you can see light entering is the pathway for sound to flow past also.
Buy a second hand fire door there 2 inch thick door use now check your yellow pages for someone who does doors and windows replacement. They toss them place a order and wait. Get them to cut to size.
No new tools cocking mdf etc. Just longer screws basically.
Or let them mount the use door for you. Now your saving your time or get hurt is the trade offs
Show me the low frequency drop... I bet its not 29db. Please test at 50 - 100 Hz
I bet it's not a 29dB drop in that narrow frequency range either, but for the overall frequency spectrum it was. That would be a worthwhile test.
* Can you tell please - Which type of software you have use for "sound level reduction test" ?
* A medium size 60' or 65' long & 20' height and 50' wide; a plane floor Auditorium.
Main entry exit has the opposition of stage.
The room has 5" brick wall.
The acoustic or sound proof treatment will be in both two side walls & the rest of entry exit door wall part.
* And now can you suggest me any solution or treatment for me please.
Hope you will get back a reply.
Sorry, I can't really help with that one. An auditorium is going to need something professional.
The name of the app is "Sound Meter X"
I have to build two double doors. I’m thinking of putting something on the floor to avoid the sound passing below the door, but I hate the idea, I’d like to have the floor free from anything to be able to walk through freely.
I am using a rubber door sweep and there is only about a 1mm from the door to the floor.
Thank you
I wonder how much of a difference the MDF board made. I've seen people just use MLV but nothing addition.. interesting.
Yeah I wish I would have tested that.
I had just the MLV up for a few weeks before the MDF and it did make a difference. The door felt and sounded less hollow, but I could still hear the TV and such.
After the weatherstrip seals and MDF, it made a dramatic difference.
@@ChrisFinnell yeah, if you just used the MLV you wouldn't have that nice seal over the edges where a lot of sound pressure will seep through.
It would be interesting to compare an MLV cover on the door versus just doing a weatherstrip seal around the edges.
Those crappy hollow cardboard doors will surely benefit from the MLV layer.
But a more solid wood door would likely see the most benefit from the edge seal.
Also, any problems with your door frame or door hinges due to the added material weight?
I was kinda worried about that too before, so I has checking it often. I haven’t had any problems
@@ChrisFinnell Great. Might put in an extra hinge just in case and replace the small screw with 3in screws still.
@@Babushka69I’m a handyman though not an an expert by any means, but I would definitely recommend the switching to the longer screws. When you remove the old shorter screws make sure to have some shims/wood chop sticks to shove in there in case the screw holes are blown out. Also everyone should keep in mind that when you lower the door so close to the floor or add in a sweep at the bottom you’re going to restrict airflow (obviously the intention) but it can impair the air return to your heating system and cause your home to heat poorly. Just something to keep in mind especially if you want to keep the door shut all the time
I’m in the process of finishing my vocal booth and I was planning to use MDF and mass loaded vinyl also because I have a jealous dog and I know he’ll bark his head off until my noisemaking guest leave and I’m hoping it’ll be good enough to get vocals done without him making a guest appearance on the song
You were who I was thinking of when I made the thumbnail then! haha
Good luck with the vocal booth!
Why the rubber strips?
I needed more depth between the door frame and the MDF for the weatherstripping.
And I *speculated* that having an air gap between the the MDF and MLV would be beneficial - I have don't have any evidence of that though.
Ohw i get it, thnx for the answer
1. Get a new door knob.
2. Remove the door stop trim
3. Add the material to that side so the door isn't proud of the casing and you don't have to cut around the knob and hinges
4. Add the material and the new inside of the door swing.
5. Add the door stop trim back on with weather stripping.
My door knob took that personal
Immission is the word... please put on some wallpaper or paint it!
I mentioned in the video that is was unfinished as I hadn't put a finishing layer of film or painted it, yet.
@@ChrisFinnell nice I want to see how it turns out.
thats crazy good job
Another better-looking and effective solution is to upholster your door.
That's a good option. I mentioned it wasn't finished with the final decorating. I went ahead and covered it in a film and put an acoustic panel on it.
@@ChrisFinnellwhy not just buy a thick solid core door?
Where I live, buying a solid core door would be very expensive definitely over $300 USD. This project was about $50 dollars
99% of the sound leakage was fixed with the rubber weatherstripping around the cracks of the door. One probably could skip all the mass loaded vinyl and other stuff.
I would agree creating the seal with the weatherstripping had a big effect, especially for the high freq that can bounce around the cracks. Adding mass to the door helps with making more broadband.
Surely you would agree having a solid door is better than a hollow-core door?
Yes it’s better especially if it’s a thin and hollow door. but for anyone looking into doing this I would start with the seal first and see if that fixes the problem. The mass loaded vinyl and plywood is more expensive and may not improve things enough to justify the cost. @@ChrisFinnell
You should have used a lyer of rock wool and then another mdf board
Thank you for the suggestion! Are you talking about putting on the rock wool and attaching the MDF to that?
Studies show that it’s the mass that reduces sound transfer. More mass, less sound transfer.
No need for any other gimmicks
In your test at the end, when it drops to 51.5DB, was that before the mods you did? In other words, the true difference is 10.3DB (51.5 before - 41.2 after).
Thanks!
Great vid
That one was testing another room in the house that was untreated. Then I test the treated room.
Thanks!
Also, was your door hollow or solid core to begin with?
It is a hollow core. Also, I didn’t include it in the video, but I filled the door handle cavity with a few layers of rubber material
@@ChrisFinnell Yes I was thinking about that: add green glue caulking around handle. Should use green glue to glue MDF to MDV also