How to Soundproof French Doors

soundproof french doors

French doors are a stylish addition to any home, but as you may know from some of our past blogs, windows alone aren’t very effective preventing noise transfer between spaces. If you’ve chosen to install french doors in your home then it might be because they’re an elegant touch to any room, or maybe they were already there when you moved in. Either way, you don’t want them letting unwanted noise into your house. This is a situation we get inquiries about almost everyday and we always have the answer. So you’ve come to the right place if you want to figure out how to soundproof your french doors.

Also, if you’re believe sound is leaking in through other windows in your home see our guide to soundproof existing windows.

Soundproofing Glass Doors

The same soundproofing methods below can also be applied to sliding glass doors if you have those in your home. They’re usually larger like french doors, and again you have the issue of having sound sneaking in through large windows.

Seal Up Sound Leaks for Interior Doors

soundproofing interior french doors
Interior French Doors are often used to separate a home office from the family room or other busier areas of the home. As interior doors, they typically will not provide sufficient soundproofing to allow simultaneous uses of the space, without some soundproofing.

Before making any major changes or big purchases to fix your noise issue, the first thing you should do is check for sound leaks around the doors. Do you notice any cracks or gaps around or between your french doors? If the answer is yes then you need to fill those spaces ASAP because a 1% opening in a wall can let in 50% of outside noise.

There are a couple different products you can use to fill in these sound leaks. First, try Green Glue acoustical caulk. This product is STC rated; meaning it has proven sound blocking abilities. You can also use weather strips around and between the doors to close up any gaps. Or, if you already have weather strips, try and find out how old they are because you may need to replace them. If you’ve noticed both cracks in the walls around the doors and gaps within the doors, you can use both of these products.

If you don’t have any sound leaks around the doors, or the above methods aren’t as effective as you’d like then you’ll most likely need to add soundproofing materials over your doors. We know, you might be thinking that soundproofing material is usually pretty ugly, but don’t worry.

soundproof french door
Before getting into a big home project, try sealing any noticeable gaps in and around your french doors or windows. Large gaps allow sound to “flank” around the window panes and underneath doorways, which decreases their soundproofing rating.

Install Soundproof Curtains on Double Doors

Residential Acoustics manufactures soundproof curtains that actually block sound. Other people will try and advertise their curtains as soundproofing, when really those ones just absorb echo because they’re made of thick material.

Our sound blocking curtains are lined with a material called mass loaded vinyl. This material has an STC rating between 20 and 25, allowing our curtains to block between 60% and 80% of outside noise. While the material in the curtains helps them to block sound, our curtains also seal around the perimeter of windows and doors to prevent sound leaks. Customers have the option of having a velcro or magnet seal for their curtain as well. We also have multiple color choices for the fabric that wraps around the MLV so you can match the decor in your home.

Soundproof curtains for french doors can be very effective. Although the curtains would have to be quite large, the cost could end up being worth it with the amount of noise reduction you’ll experience.

Soundproof Curtains for French Doors

We really suggest the AcoustiTrac for people considering soundproof curtains for their french doors. It has the same sound blocking abilities as our other soundproof curtain models, but it’s much easier to use on a larger scale. Also, since you’ll probably want to show off your nice french doors, you can keep the AcoustiCurtain propped open on the sides with its straps.

The AcoustiTrac also a better option if you’re using it over a door or window that is frequently opened and closed. It gets a little more difficult to roll up the other curtain models we have just because they get heavier the larger they are. The track system with this model makes it much more convenient to push off to the side when it’s not in use.

Why Soundproof French Doors

Because of how large french doors are, and because they’re mostly made of glass, they’re not going to be great at blocking noise. Luckily, we have the perfect solution that allows you to block noise without covering up the nice french doors in your home.

With our soundproof curtains you can close them up when you want to relax or go to bed and then open them whenever you need. Or, if your sound issues aren’t too major you can get away with sealing up any sound leaks to soundproof your french doors.

Checklist for Soundproofing French Doors in Your Home

  • Ensure you’re treating the interior door the same as you would an exterior door. Use weather-stripping or STC-rated door sweeps and seals around the door to reduce noise flanking around it
  • In the center of the double doors, add an overlap trim or an “astragal” (beam that connects the two doors). This ensures less sound will travel through the large gap that’s typically present where the doors meet.
  • Install soundproof curtains over the double french doors – allow overlap on each side to minimize flanking
  • If these improvements aren’t enough, consider upgrading to solid-core doors or STC-rated glass doors
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How To Soundproof French Doors
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How To Soundproof French Doors
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So you have beautiful french doors in your home, but they're letting in too much sound. Residential Acoustics has solutions including soundproof curtains.
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Residential Acoustics
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