# How do I soundproof my Garage Door?



## GrayPonyWorkshop (Apr 28, 2010)

My shop is in the single bay of a 3-car garage. I am concerned that the noise level is getting to the neighbors.
I'm assuming I need to put something on the inside of the garage doors, but not sure what is best.


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## schloemoe (May 10, 2010)

You can go to Home Depot or Lowes And ask for garage door insulation they should have it if they don't sears should or maybe you have a garage door co. in you're area I know they have it goes in easy and works real good…............Schloemoe


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## mrg (Mar 10, 2010)

Styrafoam insulation, available at home depot, lowes, in the insulation dept. Comes in sheets cut and put up with two sided tape. Acoustic tile will work also.


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## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

Insulating your garage doors goes a LONG way to sound reducing. Soundproof? Not hardly. But reduces it far enough the neighbors don't know when I am working…

I took the R-Max foil backed foam insulation, and sized / cut it to fit my door panels, and then glued them in place with Liquid Nails for Projects…

Also make sure you use the door edge gasket that goes all around the sides and top, and a good bottom seal.

I can not hear my wife pull into the driveway with this setup, and my neighbors have commented that they no longer hear my planer (a Ryobi screamer…)


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

Greetings,
Sounds like you got some good advice from the post above….
I did that once to a shop I had, and it really helped to keep the noise down.
After you do the insulation, and the neighbors still complain…..just tell them to bugger off…..lol
You're out there doing something useful…what are they doing? Setting in front of the "boob tube"?


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

Soundproof for your neighbors? Heck, I guess my neighbors would be happy if the door was even* closed*!


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## dmorrison (Jun 20, 2009)

I just did this to my garage and it does make quite a difference in sound and heat/cooling.
I used this kit.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_222457-10477-8+FT+GARAGE+DOOR+INS_0_?productId=3025310&Ntt=garage+door+insulation&Ntk=i_products&pl=1&currentURL=/pl__0__s?newSearch=true$Ntt=garage%20door%20insulation$y=0$x=0

The panels are styrofoam with a hard vinyl covering. You cut to size and slip them in between the metal edges of the door. The double bubble silver insulation has a higher R factor but I don't think it will provide the sound dampening that this kit does. 
If you have a wooden door this will not work.
Here is the companies web site and information/PDF on the garage door kit.

http://www.insulfoam.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=154:residential-garage-door-kit&catid=45:specialty-products&Itemid=177

What I learned while doing the job.
1. Follow their directions. I tried making the panel 1 large piece that would fit under the metal edges. More difficult than it's worth. Their method work fine.
2. I have 9' doors and used 1 kit per door. However I have a door panel section with square windows So the cutoffs allowed me to use them to fill in around the windows. If you have no windows. Then you will need 2 more panels per door for a 9' door.
I ordered 4 kits for the 3 doors I have. I returned 1 kit to Lowes, unused.
3. I cut the panels on my table saw. Very easy and quick. Plus nice square cuts.
4. Cut the Vertical first, then the horizontal on the panel. This way your cutoffs are bigger for filling in around the windows. The fill ins may have to be glued in depending on your windows shape.

I measured a 5-7 degree difference between the old metal temp and the vinyl surface after installed using a IR temp gun.
I noticed a big difference in the garage after the installation. I did this when we were having your 100-105F days. 
So I am very pleased.

Also the garage door is very quite opening and closing now, where before it was a metal rattling sound.

dbhost, said he used the foil back insulation. I considered this but was afraid the foil would not stand up to wear and tear. The foil seemed to rip easily when I tested it in Lowe's. So I chose the option above. The vinyl surface is very rugged and I'm sure that any bumps, knock or dings will not tear the material.

Dave


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## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

Oh FWIW, adding the weight of the insulation, or insulation kits will put a LOT of extra weight on your door, and in turn your springs. I need to get mine adjusted, the door does stay up fine, but it wants to SLAM down when I close it…

And yes, opening and closing the door is MUCH quieter with the door dampened with insulation than without…


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## Eric_S (Aug 26, 2009)

I dealth with sound dampening my garage last summer and here are things to consider. Are the walls of your garage insulated? The Attic above the garage? If not, you'll want to do that too. I don't know where you live but i was able to tax write off the insulation. It helps tremendously cut down the noise to the outside. Also, make sure the gaskets around the garage doors are tight. My doors are solid wood, so the gaskets don't seal well all year round. I actually had to use strips of window foam insulation that has a tape backing on one side to plug those gaps. The garage door can still open and close, but I may occasionally have to reattach a piece or two of that weatherstripping.

Another thing to consider is stopping the sound waves from bouncing around INSIDE the garage which will amplify the sound inside and therefore out. So don't use hardboard or pegboard for the walls, it seems to make the sound reverb a lot INSIDE the garage. I really like having pegboard for hanging lawn tools and workshop tools, but it does seem louder with it. I'm thinking of adding acoustic panels to the ceiling and walls to help dampen some of that but I haven't decided yet on that stuff. I usually don't work past 6pm or before 11am on weekends and that helps too.

Also, make sure to walk around the outside of the garage with your noisiest tools on to see if you find any problem areas that need to be plugged. I had my planer and dust collector both turned on and I then walked outside my house to the street and couldn't hear it that much, which means by the time it gets to the neighbors house and through their insulation it shouldn't even be audible.


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## Kindlingmaker (Sep 29, 2008)

I did about the same as dmorrison using 2" think foam panels with white vynil on both sides. The noise has been dramaticly reduced and the heat and cooling are also so much better. I used Liquid Nails to apply the foam panels to the doors.


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## Bearpie (Feb 19, 2010)

Plug your ears???? lol

Erwin, Jacksonville, FL


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## Broda (Oct 7, 2008)

ahahaha @ bearpie


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## dmorrison (Jun 20, 2009)

The extra weight that was discussed by dbhost is true. The single door package was 10 pounds. Now it just so happened that before I received the packages from Lowe's. One of the 2 springs on the large door broke.
So when I called to have the spring replaced, I informed them of the additional 20# that would be added to the door. So the springs were upgraded. When the tech installed the new springs he adjusted the door for the new weight.
Doing research on replacing the springs myself, I found the spring come in units with about 20# differences in design. So even though I had a particular strength spring on the door we replaced them with the next size up. So the springs are rated for the door and insulation combined. 
My doors use the torsion type springs.
If you use the "side" springs you can always upgrade them. 
If you choose not to upgrade them you can always adjust your spring tension for the doors new weight.

The single garage door, I did not adjust the springs. The door is attached to a garage door opener and seems to be working fine.

Dave


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## FirehouseWoodworking (Jun 9, 2009)

I agree with what everyone has already mentioned.

One other thing you can do is to hang a large, HEAVY weight, CANVAS tarp in front of the door (on the inside of the garage) about 3 - 6 inches from the door. It has to be canvas, the plastic ones won't help. If you don't have (or can't get) such a tarp, you can try 2 or 3 of the lighter canvas tarps. You can get them from Harbor Freight and paint stores.

The tarp will act like a sound curtain on a theater stage. You can use 3/4 or 1 inch metal conduit as a curtain rod. Try hanging it close to the ceiling, It needs to come within a foot or two from the floor.

Good luck!


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## NathanAllen (Oct 16, 2009)

Pink poly panels, may look like a treat but best and cheapest insulation/sound proofing you can buy for $10.


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## DMIHOMECENTER (Mar 5, 2011)

Old thread, I know… i have a few things to add.

Lowe's no longer sells the Insulfoam product. I had independently found it months ago and determined it had the least ghetto look of all the available contenders. Then, not available.

I have come to the conclusion that the best AND least expensive route for professional looking insulated panels (short of ordering them from the garage door folks $$$) is to insulate with whatever you want/like, then purchase one roll of powdercoated coil steel (like the siding guys use on the metal fascia) for about $100 at Lowe's or Home Depot or other (its available somewhere close to you). Cut the panels to fit and screw into the metal framework with white self-tapping screws, then caulk/paint the edges as needed.

I have three 9' x 7' garage doors that will require a total of twelve panels 21" x 9 ft. So, I'll use 108 linear feet. These coils are 2 feet wide by 150 feet long, so you'll have some leftover to give to a friend or family member. It cuts pretty easily. If you happen to know someone with a long break press, you can get really fancy with some stiffening lines and/or folded edges, etc.

I expect less than $160 in materials costs for three (3) garage doors.

Hope somebody needs this information.

This is high on my list of things to do before summer is over.


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## cloakie1 (May 29, 2011)

bloody neighbours…...they just don't understand!!!


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## auggy53 (Jan 23, 2011)

i talked to my neighbors and asked if it bothered them , cause sometimes i have the door opened .they said it did not ,so i keep cutting, planing and beating . i dont know what i would have said it they said it bothered them . i keep the noise down to a minimum after 9:00 as not to bother them to much.


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## redryder (Nov 28, 2009)

I just turn the music up and they never hear the power tools…..........


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## noise_expert (Apr 5, 2011)

In a previous employment, I used to design sound reducing enclosures for diesel engine powered generator sets.

Since the engine noise level would be in the region of 103-105 dB(A) and the outside requirement was often 75dB (A) at a distance of 1 metre, our insulation design was:

Outer steel of container
75mm of Rockwool (mineral wool) 60kg/m3
Woven glass fibre scrim - to stop fibre migration
1mm thick steel perforated plate, 1.6mm hole on 3mm pitch.

The perforated plate allowed noise to enter the mineral wool that absorbed the sound, whilst keeping the whole structure in place and rigid.

For information, 75dB(A) @1m allows for a conversation to be held without the need for shouting.


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## warrenhenery (Nov 4, 2013)

You can reduce the unwanted noise by using sound panels in the walls of your room.


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## tvrgeek (Nov 19, 2013)

Much miss-information here. The term "sound proof" in itself is wrong. 
Might I suggest GOOGLE "sound control"

You can block sound or absorb sound. Very different things. Tiy can reflect it and refract it, focus or scatter. All of these things are frequency dependent.

When dealing with a wood shop, surface is important for dust management but in conflict with sound control. Smooth surfaces will reflect more than textured. Some sound control products are highly inflammable. Some are illegal to leave exposed.

Owens Corning makes compressed fiberglass panels. OC 704 etc. Sound absorption material thickness is directly related to frequency. To block the full hearing range takes about 8 feet of material. This is the primary material used for sound absorption. It comes in 4×8 sheets from one to 6 inches thick.

Rigidity of the panel ( i.e. garage door) will prevent it from resonating. Single layer doors are terrible. My doors are double wall foam filled, not for sound, but for current wind load building codes. Most of the old single wall doors no longer meet code anyway.

One can add a high mass silastic layer, dynamat or some brush on, to dampen the "Q" of a panel so will not vibrate as much. THis is what is done in cars.

FWIW, an airtight garage door is an oxymoron.


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

On the last remodel I did before retiring, the owners gave me a lot of free rein in restoring a 2,500 square foot farm house. Because of that, I gave them a lot of freebies, many they didn't even know about. Soundproofing was one of those things.

Sound proofing was made easier by that the house got all new siding. That meant I was able to Tyvek the exterior. Any holes or cuts in the Tyvek were patched and it was sealed around windows and doors.

A few of the rooms got rock and insulation too. When that was the case, I worked hard to plug every hole to the attic, or elsewhere I could find. Since I was buying caulk by the case, I sealed the walls from the inside, before the insulation and rock went in or on.

Keep in mind, actual wall movement aside (like a speaker cone), sound is air movement (rarefaction and compressions of air, air waves). If you can stop air movement before you work about absorbing vibrations caused by air movement, the more quiet you get. For example, since the place would be used for meetings, the bathroom off the 20×20 foot meeting area even got a tread plate under the door, to seal the bathroom (air was drawn in from elsewhere), in attempt to make it more bean proof.

The result of sealing the walls was such that I was working in the kitchen, after the walls and ceiling area had been sealed, but before the insulation and rock was done, and I didn't know a storm had picked up outside, until I opened the door to toss something.

Once the insulation and rock were done, casual conversations outside could not be picked up from the inside.

Moral of the story, seal every place air could move in and out first. Then you can add layers of rock and sound deadening insulation.


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## wingless (Feb 8, 2019)

We recently updated our home, changing from requiring plywood attached during hurricane warnings to hurricane windows and doors.

Part of that upgrade included the garage door. The garage door was already steel w/ lateral reinforcement timbers and fiberglass board insulation.

The new garage door is now an Amarr Heritage HR3000 Triple Layer Steel / Insulation / Steel door.

It was VERY noticeable to me how very quiet the garage became the first time the new insulated door was closed, as compared to the prior insulated door. The new door attenuated both the quiet neighborhood exterior noise and deadened the interior sound.

This new garage door included this LiftMaster 8550W Battery Backup Belt Drive Wi-Fi Opener. It is waaay cool. Not only is the belt drive quiet, but the bright integrated interior light turns on and off automatically when entering the garage, plus there is a smart phone application to open and close the garage door, showing the current state and the past history.


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## ibewjon (Oct 2, 2010)

Eggcrate style foam panels on interior surfaces absorb the sound. And add very little weight Tova garage door. Hard surfaces reflect sound, soft surfaces absorb it.


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## wingless (Feb 8, 2019)

> Eggcrate style foam panels on interior surfaces absorb the sound. And add very little weight Tova garage door. Hard surfaces reflect sound, soft surfaces absorb it.
> 
> - ibewjon


Please be careful when adding potentially flammable egg crate packaging panels for usage as sound deadening material.

That material was ignited during the February 20, 2003 Station nightclub fire in West Warwick, RI, killing 100 and injuring 230.


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## en13 (Apr 30, 2020)

Hahahahahah…[email protected]


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## controlfreak (Jun 29, 2019)

Back when I was doing Home Theater Rooms their was a rubber like layer that could be installed behind sheetrock that we nicknamed sound suck. You may be able to install and cover with 1/4" plywood panels. This would keep the door flex from acting like the skin on a drum. Care would also need to be taken to plug any gaps around the door. I would total up the cost vs buying an insulated door before doing it that way.


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## wingless (Feb 8, 2019)

> Back when I was doing Home Theater Rooms their was a rubber like layer that could be installed behind sheetrock that we nicknamed sound suck. You may be able to install and cover with 1/4" plywood panels. This would keep the door flex from acting like the skin on a drum.
> 
> - controlfreak


 That "sound suck" is Mass Loaded Vinyl (MLV). When I disassembled my vehicle for sound proofing I used that 1 lb/ft² MLV, overlapped and glued at the seams, along with Dynamat Xtreme, Denim Ultratouch foil radiant barrier denim insulation and denim insulation blanket rolls, tucked into all the voids.

The sequence was: Dynamat on the bottom, stopping the metal resonance, denim insulation next, decreasing thermal and audible transmission, followed by a sealed layer of MLV to deaden noise and block the direct noise path.


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

We used to spray controlled atmosphere storage facilities. The stuff would go on 1/8" thick without dropping on vertical surfaces. Wonder how it would for some sealing applications.


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