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A barn door can be notorious in making noise in your home. Every time its opened or closed, it will disturb everyone in the house.
If you are experiencing this problem, you are not alone. It’s a common problem for people with barn doors in their home.
The noise can be unbearable if you have several barn doors in your home. Whenever someone opens or closes, it makes a squealing noise.
We were wondering how to Soundproof Barn Doors until we tried different techniques. We tested various methods and at the end discovered techniques that work best for any barn door.
Therefore, this article will discuss techniques that work well in soundproofing barn doors.
7 Effective & Tested Ways to Soundproofing Barn or Sliding Doors
1. Thicken the Door or Replace the Barn Door
Before trying doing anything else on the barn door, inspect it. Check its thickness and the material used to make it.
When you knock, how does your door sound? Does it sound solid or hollow? If the door is hollow, that is the problem. Hollow doors are affordable but poor in soundproofing barn doors.
There are simple techniques for solving this problem. The simplest technique is to install sound dampening materials on the door. You can fix moving blankets or sound deadening foams. However, this technique could be simple but might not be effective.
The most effective technique is to remove your light door and replace it. This technique will cost a higher budget, but it will give higher results than applying dampening materials on the door.
However, if your house is rented you might not take this method. If you must replace the door, talk to the property manager or Landlord. Some might allow you to change the door. Others might not agree with this idea. Other property managers might even take full responsibility for changing the door.
If you cannot be allowed to replace the door, install sound-deadening materials. It will help.
If you choose to replace the barn door, buy a solid wooden door. It will be more effective if you get a door made of hardwood.
Replace metallic and hollow barn doors. They allow noise to pass through them. Metallic doors amplify the noise. Any vibration coming from the barn door is heard from outside.
2. Seal Air Spaces on the Barn Door
Looking for a perfect technique on how to Soundproof Barn Doors? This method is the cheapest but yet among the most effective for barn doors.
Buy the seal on Amazon and fix it yourself. Below are systematic steps to install the dampening seal on the door.
- Measure the height and width of your gaming door.
- Use a handsaw to cut the weather-stripping into correct sizes.
- Place the cut strips to seal the door.
- Cover the gaps from inside. Covering from outside will make your door look ugly.
This technique will reduce the noise passing through the barn door. However, it will make your door look ugly.
Therefore, inspect your door. See if there are air spaces between the door. Inspect also the gaps between the door and the wall.
Use the same seal and cover all the air spaces. No matter how small the gaps are, they will allow noise to pass through them.
Also Read: How to soundproof Air Vents in easy ways
After identifying all the gaps on your door, use the seal tape. Apply it on the gaps. The seal is self-adhesive. It will stick well on the walls.
If you want to know how to Soundproof Barn Doors easily, buy the seals on Amazon. Check the following seals.
- Foam Adhesive Strips
- 2-Inch-Wide X 1/4 Inch Thick
- Total 13 Feet Long
- Seal, Doors,
- Waterproof,
- Sound dampening
- Craft Tape (33 Ft- 1/8″ x 2″)
3. Cover the Space Between the Door and Floor
Every door is installed in a way that it can open and close smoothly. This is why there is a gap between the door and floor. The door space, however, will allow noise in and out of your barn to pass through it.
The larger the gap, the more noise it’s going to allow through the door.
Therefore, buy door sweeps and install them under the barn door. Check the size of the gap and buy a draft that can cover it perfectly.
When installed under the door they slide nicely over carpets, wooden, and laminate floors. They leave no marks or scratches on the barn floor. The drafts will block noise from passing through the door gaps.
The drafts are also called door sweeps. They block all the air spaces under the door. At the same time, they allow the door to open and close without difficulties.
Check the following sweeps on Amazon
- Under Door Seal for Exterior/Interior Doors
- Soundproof Door Bottom
- Weather Stripping
- Double-Sided
- No cold
- 36 Inch Foam
If your goal is to cut all the noise from your barn door, soundproof the door sweep. Put something under the door. Choose the sweeps recommended above from Amazon.
It doesn’t matter how your door is sound absorbent if there is a space between the door and the floor. Check how tightly your door hugs the ground. If there is a big gap, use a simple door sweep to cover the gap.
4. Hang the Blankets Over the Barn Doors
Barn doors are difficult to soundproof. Many of the doors have gaps that allow air and sound to pass through them. However, blankets have great success covering the gaps. When soundproofing the doors, do the following.
- Nail or glue the blankets to the doors.
- Drape the blankets over the doors.
- If you don’t plan to open the door, nail the blanket to the surrounding wall.
- Use a curtain holder and hang the blanket above the door.
Nailing or glueing the blanket on the door will obviously damage the blanket. However, that’s the perfect way to prevent sound from entering your room.
Ensure you use the blankets in the inside part of the door. But always remember to vacuum the blankets time over time. They can easily carry dust from the barn and outside.
Best Soundproofing Blankets
Most blankets can be used in soundproofing, but not all will give good results.
Thicker blankets muffle airborne sounds and vibrations. When you think of soundproofing, you should look for blankets made of the following materials.
- Cotton
- Multilayered polyester
- Mineral wool
The best soundproofing blankets are moving blankets. They are designed for protecting furniture and appliances from damages when transported.
Moving blankets are suitable for soundproofing because they are dense. They easily dampen any sound vibrations.
Here you go: How to soundproof your room using blankets
Consider the following blankets and buy them from Amazon.
Sure-Max 12 Moving & Packing Blankets
- Deluxe Pro
- Double-sided construction
- 80″ x 72″ (40 lb/dz Weight)
- Professional Quilted Shipping Furniture Pads Royal Blue
- Effective sound absorption.
- Measures 95″ x 54.
- Great for recording studios, drum rooms, rehearsal spaces, vocal booths, and more
- Installation hardware included
- Deluxe Moving Blankets by Chean Cheap Moving Boxes
- Size: 72″ X 80″
- Double lock stitching and thick 1/4-inch material
- Ideal for preventing scratches and nicks to furniture
- Double lock stitching with four square finished corners
5. Hang Soundproofing Curtains Over the Door
Soundproofing curtains work the same way with blankets in soundproofing barn doors. The only difference is that the curtains are hanged. Blankets can be hanged or pinned on the wall.
We have tested the following curtains in with our barn door. They are all effective.
Factors to Consider When Choosing Soundproofing Curtains
Not every curtain will be useful in soundproofing your premises. The following are the top factors you should consider before buying any soundproofing curtain.
- Thickness, Density, and Weight.
The thicker, denser, or weightier the curtain is, the better. Sound will have a hard time penetrating through the blanket.
2. Size
The size of the blanket should cover the space you need to soundproof. Don’t leave any space in between curtains.
Curtains come in different sizes. Buy a blanket that fits your space.
Understand the measurement of your barn door, then buy a curtain that fits it.
3. Grommets
Grommets are hanging the curtain on a wall or a rod. Curtains made for soundproofing purposes, come with grommets.
If a curtain does not have grommets, install them. Ensure your curtains have grommets that will enable you to hang them over the barn doors.
Buy either of the following curtains below from Amazon and say goodbye to barn noise.
- Noise Reducing Thermal Insulated Solid Ring
- Top Blackout Window Curtains/Drapes
- Two Panels,42 x 84 Inch.
- Thermal Insulated
- Noise Reducing
- Size: 52W x 54L Inch
6. Install Acoustic Foam on the Door
Acoustic foam panels are specifically designed for music rooms or drum room. They can also function well on the barn doors. Most of the foams are dust and waterproof.
Acoustic foam panels absorb all noise that bounces off the barn door. They soften all barn echo sounds.
The acoustic foams are self-adhesive. Buy and install them in the inside part of your door. They will eliminate all the noises from your barns.
We have tried and tested the following acoustic foams. Fix them on your barn door and reduce the noise.
Check our tested foams on Amazon.
Foamily 12 Pack- Acoustic Panels
- 12 Pack covers 12 square feet
- Professional acoustic control
- Great for spot treating sound on walls
Mybecca 12 Pack- Acoustic Panels
- 12 pack means
- Professional acoustic control Acoustic
- Sound deadening material
7. Lubricate Your Barn Door
The barn door slides over rollers. As the rollers continue moving, they start making noise. The noise comes from the door rails and rollers.
Therefore, to do away with this noise, lubricate your door time over time. Use normal lubricants. Apply a little oil over the rollers.
The lubricant does not only reduce the noise but also reduce the wear and tear on your barn door.
Parting Shot
Barn doors make more noise as compared to other types of noise. But this doesn’t mean they are not good doors. You can choose to soundproof the door and enjoy living in your home. First, you should start by inspecting your door. Check the material used to make the barn door. If the door is made up of metallic or hollow cardboards, it will make more noise.
Buy a strong solid wood door. Replace all metallic and cardboard barn doors. If the noise persists, apply other soundproofing techniques. Cover all air gaps. You can use soundproofing blankets, curtains, sound dampening seals or acoustic foams.
