Pocket doors are lightweight, easy to install, budget-friendly, and anyone can DIY install them. You have to purchase a door from the market, get some hardware’s and install it.
Super easy! They come with so many benefits that now most people prefer pocket doors.
According to the report of Global Market Insights, “Pocket Door Market size surpassed USD 7.6 billion in 2020 and is poised to grow at over 5.8% CAGR from 2021 to 2027.”
In total, the industry’s overall supply is set to reach 56.26 million units by 2027. Isn’t there are so many benefits? But wait!
Pocket doors got so many advantages. But the biggest disadvantage is that they are not soundproof.
Think you are having a private conversation, and a person in another room can hear you. It would not be very comfortable.
However, don’t restrict yourself from taking the other advantages just because of a single issue.
I’ll help you with the 5 best ways to soundproof pocket doors in this article. After reading this article, you will be able to DIY it. It’s easy!
Table of Contents
What Is A Pocket Door?
If you are not familiar with pocket doors, they are sliding doors. When the door is open, it slides into the wall and disappears from view. Instead of hinges, the door travels on rollers with a track on either the top or the bottom.
Some pocket doors have two doors coming from each side, which is done to close a bigger area all at once.
These doors are usually hard to soundproof as they cover a large and it isn’t easy to seal all places. It would help if you had expert advice to soundproof double closing pocket doors.
What Method Do People Usually Prefer?
Indeed, this article covers the best practices, but these are a few common methods that people are currently being used to soundproof pocket doors.
- Make the door panel stronger.
- Use a soundproofing rubber.
- Use a door gasket.
- Use an automatic door bottom.
It sounds pretty technical, and all of these methods have other issues. You can make it a lot easier by following these five methods.
5 Best Ways To Soundproof Pocket Doors
We researched the internet and asked the professionals to find out the best ways to soundproof pocket doors.
These methods result from those extensive research, and using them will give you the best results. Let us start with the process.
1. Make The Door Heavier
Do you know the pocket doors come in two variants hollow core and solid core? We suggest you purchase a solid core pocket door as they are comparatively heavier and best for soundproofing.
They may cost you more but surely solve the problem.
Options to make the door denser
1. Purchase a denser door
2. Applying extra wood
3. Using mass loaded vinyl
4. Heavy paint
1. So, to make the door heavier, you need to purchase a denser door. You must purchase a solid core pocket door.
Thoroughly examine it by checking the weight, use a metal object to slowly hit on the doors to analyze the sound on multiple locations, and always go for a good brand.
It may get a little expensive but remember it’s a one-time investment and worth it.
2. If budget is your problem, you can apply extra wood to the door to make it heavier.
It’s easy, and you have to purchase some ready-made wooden sheets from the market and fix them on your door with the help of nails.
Laminate it for a better finish. This method is cheap and works the same way.
3. Most people prefer to use MLV (Mass Loaded Vinyl). It’s a liquid adhesive that forms a layer of your doors that becomes solid once dried.
You might have seen it in 5-minute craft videos. Similarly, you can use it on your doors; it fills all the gaps and ultimately makes the door denser, helping to soundproof pocket doors.
4. After you’re done with using your best soundproofing method, paint the door with soundproof paint.
These paints are usually heavy and easy to find in any local shop or order online. The paint gives an extra layer to the door and makes it denser.
Making a door denser requires a little effort, but it’s worth it.
2. Seal All Spaces And Holes
Of course, the other major problem for passing sound is the open spaces and holes in the door.
Whatever you do, you can never seal the door in the wall. You need to use some extra materials to soundproof and give your door a professional finish.
Options to seal spaces
1. Use soundproofing rubber for the sides
2. Weatherstrips
3. Seal all holes
4. Good quality hardware and attention to detail
1. A soundproofing rubber is a specially designed material that easily fixes on the sides of the door and sticks to the wall.
It seals all spaces properly that even air cannot pass. Making it one of the best options for soundproof pocket doors.
2. Professionals use weatherstrips as they are easy to install. You can purchase it from a local hardware store or order it online.
It works the same way as it sounds. It’s a strip that you need to peel from one side and stick on empty spaces. It is simple and provides good results.
3. If you purchased the door from the market, there won’t be any holes but if you built a door for yourself, make sure you seal all holes as they are the major reason for passing sounds.
You can use wood; Mass loaded vinyl or any other material that you think will be good enough to seal.
4. Leaving a single space or hole will ruin all your work, so make sure you check to get the best results.
Also, use good quality branded hardware because you will use that door daily, and it’s subjected to normal wear and tear. Poor quality material deteriorates soon and makes all your efforts go in vain.
It’s one of the most effective methods that apply to all kinds of pocket doors.
3. Seal The Top And Bottom
Always make sure the door is tightly fit to the top because if it’s not, it will allow the air and sound to pass. You will never see it or figure out the exact problem. On top of that, space is hard to fill with any material.
A pocket door is a sliding door, so you always have to leave some space for the rollers. Your main priority is to cover those spaces from the top and the bottom to get a soundproof pocket door.
Options to seal the bottom
1. Make it fit
2. Carpets for the bottom
3. Door sweep
1. Using good quality hardware and making the door fit from top to bottom does most of your work that you don’t have to worry use any other extensions. So, make it fit and ask for expert advice if you need help.
2. Use doormats or carpets at the bottom to hide the empty spaces. Use heavy material as a thin carpet to allow the air to pass and the sound.
At the same time, make sure your carpet or doormat is not acting as a barrier for the wheels, or else you will have a hard time opening and closing the door every day.
3. Using a door sweep can also be a great solution to block the bottom space; you don’t have to worry about any barrier or obstruction similar to carpets or doormats.
We suggest you go for a broom-style door sweep as they are easy to install, don’t stick at the bottom, and don’t make annoying noises on sliding.
Closing the space from the bottom is extremely important to soundproof pocket doors because you usually cannot see that space, but it impacts a lot.
4. Use Curtains To Soundproof
Using curtains is not a sureshot, and it’s a temporary solution, but it helps a lot. Especially when you are recording a video or audio, and you want Pindrop silence, this method helps a lot.
However, just installing curtains is not enough; make sure you do it the right way.
How to use curtains for soundproofing?
1. Use the heaviest curtains
2. Install on both sides of the door
3. Use a single curtain
4. Make them stretched
1. Don’t compromise with the quality when selecting a curtain. You need to purchase the heaviest curtains in the market if you want the best experience.
The thin bedsheet-like curtains are of no use and will never help to reduce even a bit of sound.
2. First, install the curtain on a single side and check the difference. If you feel that is not enough and want more silence, install curtains on both sides of the doors, which will surely help. We tried it by ourselves, and It works.
3. Using double curtains from both sides will create a gap. Whatever you do, you will never be able to seal that gap by tying ropes or attaching both of the curtains.
It’s always advisable to use a single heavy curtain, and you don’t have to worry about sounds.
4. Leaving the curtains hanging will allow the air and sound to pass. We don’t want that.
Use three to five hooks on both ends of the walls and fix the curtains to those hooks whenever you want a soundproof room. Apply the same process on both ends to feel a major difference.
It’s the easiest option to soundproof pocket doors and is budget-friendly, as well as curtains, are a one-time investment.
5. Good Quality Hardware And Professional Advice
We are focusing on good quality hardware because it’s the key factor. You will open and close the door multiple times in a day.
Poor quality material will allow the door to developing spaces after some time, and all your efforts will go in vain.
Purchasing branded products may sound heavier for your wallet, but they are worth the investment.
For professional advice, you need to
1. Ask a carpenter
2. Take your time to research
3. Don’t hesitate to spend
1. Carpenter does this work daily, and they are experienced enough with soundproofing or installing pocket doors. Either you can hire a professional carpenter or ask for their advice.
Multiple apps give you professional advice on a video call. You can use those services as well.
2. Research the Internet, browse videos on YouTube, read other articles and join a few groups to talk to the people experienced in soundproofing.
If you are doing it for the first time, it’s extremely important to take external help, or else you will make blunders and waste your time and money.
3. Do not hesitate to spend on your research. It doesn’t require a lot of money, and inexperienced you trying to DIY it yourself without any research will surely result in poorly completed jobs.
So, make sure to take enough guidance before you jump in installing the door.
This was our last step to soundproof pocket doors. Also, an important one as most people doesn’t consider taking external help and end up making blunders.
Wrap Up On How To Soundproof Pocket Door
There are so many options to try and multiple methods available for soundproofing. The motive of this article was to make you aware of the multiple options and guide you through the best ways possible.
In the end, we don’t want to leave you confused. So, you can follow these simple steps and work on all kinds of pocket doors.
- Do your research before you jump in installing the door.
- If already installed, make sure you fill all holes and empty spaces from the top, bottom, and sides of the wall.
- If your door is not thick, make it denser by using Vinyl or extra wood.
- Use heavy curtains for the best experience.
Using these simple methods will give you the best experience; they are easy and works amazingly well.
You are not installing the door for single-use, and it surely requires an investment. Make sure you do it the right way.
What do you think? Which one is your favorite method?
FAQ: Best Ways To Soundproof Pocket Door
We found people searching for similar questions on the Internet, so we piled up these answers to arrange a quick solution.
Q1. Are pocket doors good for soundproofing?
Ans. Frankly, no, pocket doors don’t block many sounds even after trying all the methods; asking the professional, you would hardly notice any changes. If you are using them for home, then great, but we don’t recommend using them for offices or sensitive areas like recording rooms.
Q2. Which material is best for blocking sounds?
Ans. Soundproofing rubbers or weather strips work the best for blocking out sounds as they are specially designed for this job. Also, they are easy to install, and anyone can DIY them.
Q3. Can I purchase a soundproof pocket door from the market?
Ans. Some manufacturers sell soundproof pocket doors, but it’s always a doubt. Those doors are usually solid core and hardly provide the same results as promised. You always have to take precautions while installing.
