In this post, I’ll walk you through the various aspects of soundproof sliding glass doors, and also, the step-by-step methods to complete the project in a cost-effective way.
Let’s face it, sliding doors are quite popular among people who want to add to their internal decor.
It goes without saying that these doors have elegance attached to them and look so attractive that you can’t stop your eyes from staring at them.
Personally, I’ve installed a couple of sliding doors in my dream apartment that my husband bought recently, and you know what, these doors are so enticing and beautiful that I can’t remove my eyes from them for a second.
My apartment is sea-facing so these sliding doors give a lovely view of the outside.
I can’t demand more than what I got from these sliding doors.
However, I’ve to admit that these doors have a few problems attached to them.
Unfortunately, sliding doors are much harder to soundproof, and at the same time, the soundproofing process is tedious as well as time-consuming.
Since I’ve soundproofed quite a few sliding doors I may be the right person to share my pain with you.
Moreover, even the interior doors are sturdier and thicker as compared to the sliding doors.
In layman’s language, it means that the sliding doors don’t provide any resistance to external noise.
It is not always necessary to soundproof your sliding door.
Nonetheless, I’m going to list down some of the scenarios in which you may need your sliding doors to be soundproofed.
- Your new neighbors’ are noisy and unfortunately, they are right in the direction of your sliding door. As a result, you’re suddenly exposed to the sound of high decibels leading to an adverse impact on your physical as well as mental health
- You’re living in the vicinity of high-traffic zones such as an airport or a railway station
- You’re living in an area where recently construction work has started and even though most of the unwanted noise could be muffled, the sliding door lets it all in
- You’re living near the seashore where the weather changes so frequently and the bad weather hits you unexpectedly being very loud and unpleasant
Needless to say, there are many more scenarios where you definitely need to soundproof your sliding door.
Rather than thinking of more and more scenarios, it’s better to hone in on the problem and look for a feasible solution.
Best Ways to Soundproof Sliding Doors
To understand why certain methods are perfect for soundproofing your sliding door, you need to first dive deep into the root cause analysis.
Figuring out the problems associated with thin glasses can help you to make an informed decision.
After all, soundproofing sliding doors is a tricky business, isn’t it?
If you’re an avid reader of this blog then you must be well aware of the fact that the denser and thicker the material is the better it will combat noise, so next time when you’re going to buy soundproofing materials, remember to check for the aforementioned parameters.
- The sliding doors are way thinner than the doors made of wood and similar materials. As a result, you need to put in lots of effort to combat noise, and the worst part is that success isn’t guaranteed at all
- Since they are sliding doors placing soundproofing materials on the thin glasses isn’t advisable. It will not only hamper the look and feel of the door but also, will be ineffective
- As we all know glasses are brittle so there is always a chance of them breaking. Glass doors do tend to be fragile apart from laminated ones
There may be many more issues, but I’ve highlighted the most important ones.
So, let’s see what are some of the best soundproofing hacks for these problematic glasses.
We’ll discuss the cheapest methods first and then we’ll move to the costlier ones.
Trust me, you’ll get an answer to the question, “How to quiet sliding glass doors?”.Install a Thick Blanket
Moving blankets are made of sound-absorbing materials and thus, you can expect them to absorb unwanted noise.
These blankets are quite cheap and can serve your purpose to some extent.
In case, you’re expecting it to dampen all the external noise, then you may get disappointed with the final outcome.
You can consider them as a temporary and instant solution to the external noise.
On the downside, these blankets aren’t visually appealing so you may not find it a feasible option if you’re very particular about the look and feel of your sliding door.
Nonetheless, if you wish to stick to this solution I would recommend moving blankets.
This blanket is one of the best soundproof blankets available on the market at an affordable price.
The reason why I’m saying this is because I’ve experienced some great results with it.
su_box title=”What are some of the benefits of installing soundproof blankets?” style=”noise”]
- Extremely low cost
- Convenience
- Ease of Use
I would recommend you to have a couple of blankets with you so that you can hang them on your sliding doors when your neighbors are making too much noise. [/su_box]
The installation process is quite easy.
All you need to do is to hang it alongside the sliding doors.
Seal the Gaps, Cracks, and Holes
If you’re an avid reader of this blog then you must be well aware of the fact that I’ve explained in detail the importance of sealing all the gaps, cracks, and holes in my article on soundproofing rooms.
Needless to say, leaving these holes open may ruin all your efforts.
To seal the gaps and cracks first and foremost, you need to figure out where all they reside.
Most of these holes are visible to the naked eye.
However, a few aren’t because they are too small to be noticed by your eyes.
So, how to find such holes, gaps, and cracks?
Well, all you need to do is to perform a simple yet effective experiment.
Close the door and switch off the lights.
Send someone on the opposite side of the door with a source of light such as a torch.
Ask him to place the torch near the sliding door.
The light coming from the torch will highlight all the holes because you’ll be able to see a ray of light coming from these small nasty holes.
Have a marker handy and mark all the holes.
Now, use a soundproof sealant to seal these holes.
You can even use weatherstripping tape to seal the gaps.
Furthermore, you’ll need to cover the door frame slowly and gradually.
Weatherstripping tape is definitely a feasible option to cover the door frame.
Don’t forget to cross-check for the gaps between the frame and the door by closing the door.
If you find some gaps then seal them using weatherstrip.
Now, comes the most important gap that you need to completely block for the superlative outcome.
As we all know, there is a huge gap between the bottom of the doors and the floors.
You need to cover this gap by installing a door sweep.
As the name suggests, a door sweep is perhaps the best way to seal the gap at the bottom of your door.
It can be easily installed and is affordable as well.
Once you’ve completed all three steps, you’ll find a tangible reduction in the intensity of the external noise.
Nevertheless, if the outcome isn’t as per your expectation, then I would recommend you to cross-check all the steps, one at a time, and especially look for the holes if any.
Hang Soundproof Curtains
Noise-canceling curtains are definitely one of the most popular soundproofing materials available on the market.
In short, installing these heavy soundproofing curtains can help you to enhance the quality of sound inside your room by dampening the echoes, reverbs, and vibrations and also, prevent external noises such as road noise from entering your room by blocking them.
Soundproof curtains are visually appealing and they will add to your decor.
These curtains come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes.
The installation process is quite easy.
However, you need to keep in mind to buy a curtain that is at least 10 inches taller than the height of the sliding doors and at least twice the width of the sliding door.
Try to install the curtain rod at least 6 inches above the door.
The good news is on top of all this, you can easily coordinate the color scheme.
Always go for the curtains that have grommets embedded in them.
Try Fiberglass Blanket
You may be wondering, I’m repeating the blankets, right?
Well, a moving blanket is different from its fiberglass counterparts.
It is capable of dealing with both airborne as well as impact noise.
Though it is a bit costlier as compared to the moving blankets still I would say it is worth spending a few extra bucks for the value it provides.
I don’t want to hide anything, so I would say right away to you that fiberglass blankets aren’t visually appealing, in fact, they are quite ugly.
Despite the fact that they aren’t the best-looking blankets on the market I would recommend you try them for soundproofing sliding doors because they do the job perfectly.
Just for your reference, I’ve seen some of the best nightclubs in the town using fiberglass blankets to reduce high-pitch noise.
Additionally, they are great at reducing impact noise which only a few sound-absorbing materials are capable of.
Well, you may try this blanket, (Check the Current Price On Amazon) but at the same time, ignore its appearance:):)
For the installation, you can follow the same process as for soundproofing curtains.
If you’ve got a decent budget, then you can even go for hooks that have anchors. (Check the Current Price On Amazon)
Using hooks with anchors makes it convenient to remove the blanket whenever some guests are visiting you.
Go For Laminated Doors
This is a costly affair still it is always available as an option for you.
All you need to do is to replace your sliding door with the laminated one.
The benefits of doing so are as follows:
- Far more elegant
- Strong
- Reduces noise quite well
Well, this is the costliest method that I’ve on my list.
It goes without saying that it will give you the best result when it comes to soundproofing sliding doors still I would suggest, that you should go for this ONLY after you’ve tried the aforementioned methods, and the outcome hasn’t matched your expectations.
At least, you need $750 for this method.
You’ll not get a laminated sliding door for less than $500 and add $250 as an installation cost to it.
Moreover, the installation will take a couple of hours at least.
If you’ve got a budget then why not try this superlative method?
Once you’ve installed the laminated doors, all you need to do is sit and RELAX.
Airborne noise, as well as impact noise, would be taken care of.It’s A Wrap
I’m assuming that you’ve received the required information that you were looking for.
Soundproofing a glass door isn’t as difficult and time-consuming as it seems to be.
All you need to do is to follow the step-by-step methods that I’ve discussed in this article.
Needless to say, I’ve applied the same steps in a couple of projects and have got satisfactory results.
- What’s your budget for soundproofing sliding glass doors?
- Which method did you find most effective out of the aforementioned ones?
- Last but not least, share this piece of information with the ones who are in need of it.
- After all, sharing is caring!
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