# How Would You Soundproof a Roll-up Garage Door?



## DJames (Jan 9, 2022)

Help! 🆘

My wife and I just bought a newly built townhouse with a finished garage that is perfect for acoustics (11ft x 20ft rectangle with high 9.5ft ceilings). As luck would have it, the wall between our neighbour is double-studded, double-insulated, double drywalled with a small air gap inside - great! To treat the monster reverb, I've blown my line of credit on Primacoustic panels for the ceiling and walls - it's all going to sound great inside except...

The stupid flimsy roll-up garage door lets all the sound leak out into the neighbourhood - and it's BAD! 📛

Last night, I did a sound test with my wife playing a song on her tiny little iPhone from inside the garage. I could hear that damn phone clearly at the end of the driveway! 📳 If I don't fix this, I'm going to become public enemy #1 with my KRK 10s! 🔊🚨

Of course, being a roll-up door, there are significant air gaps that need to be sealed around the top and sides. I never plan on using the door anyway, but I'm also not allowed to change it due to the strata rules with our neighbours. But I seriously doubt plugging the gaps will be enough. The door is only an inch thick!

Of course, building a full-sized, fully, insulated false wall a foot or two away from the garage door is the best solution - but I can't afford it now. And should I sell the house later, tearing all that down and restoring the room to the way it was is too much of a hassle. 🛠️

So I have another cheaper, less destructive idea, and I'd like some feedback and recommendations. If it works, I would post the results and pics here so others could benefit. 💡

IDEA
Build an 8x10' foot 10" inch-thick framed and insulated "box cover" to go over the inside of the garage door, overlapping its edges. It would have two layers of 3.5" soundproofing insulation, leaving me a 3" air gap between the garage door and insulation. Then I would attach it to the wall over the door, paint it, and put my sound panels and diffusers on it.

QUESTIONS:
Is this a good idea?
How would YOU build it? What would you do differently or additionally?
How would I attach it over the door to get a good seal? Green Glue?

I always appreciate the brilliant minds and experience on VI Control. 🧠 Thank you!


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## wst3 (Jan 9, 2022)

You have two issues, sound passing through the thin metal basically creating a loudspeaker of sorts) and of course air-borne sound.

Your "portable false wall" idea could work well, the key will how good a seal you can get on the perimeter.

Another alternative is to use a big sheet of loaded vinyl to seal the opening, and a second almost as big sheet to dampen the door itself. I mention them in that order because the first step could be sufficient by itself, where the second one won't. Using both together also gives you an air gap which can be a big help.

I'm not sure the cost for the portable wall or the loaded vinyl, that might be a decision maker.

Good luck, and please report back.


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## DJames (Jan 9, 2022)

wst3 said:


> You have two issues, sound passing through the thin metal basically creating a loudspeaker of sorts) and of course air-borne sound.
> 
> Your "portable false wall" idea could work well, the key will how good a seal you can get on the perimeter.
> 
> ...


I'm thinking of using acoustic Green Glue to attach this entire thing to the wall, plus maybe some brackets screwed into the wall. I don't know if Green Glue was actually meant to be a "glue", in the sense that it holds everything on its own.

So you think I should also apply mass-loaded vinyl to the garage door in addition to all this? I think your right, the metal door is acting like another speaker.


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## jmauz (Jan 9, 2022)

Can you further explain your 'box cover' idea? I don't understand the difference between this and just building an interior wall. Either way, to stop sound you need mass. Drywall is the best bang for your buck. Mass loaded vinyl is great but it's very expensive. 

However you do it, as has already been said, the seal around the perimeter of the wall will make or break your solution. This is the biggest challenge with using temporary solutions. 

First question to ask is how much sound isolation do you need? Or, rather, how much sound isolation do you want to SPEND?  It gets significantly more expensive the higher STC (sound transmission coefficient) you're trying to achieve.

BTW green glue isn't an adhesive. I suggest you do some further research on what it's designed for and how to properly use it.


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## DJames (Jan 9, 2022)

jmauz said:


> Can you further explain your 'box cover' idea? I don't understand the difference between this and just building an interior wall. Either way, to stop sound you need mass. Drywall is the best bang for your buck. Mass loaded vinyl is great but it's very expensive.
> 
> However you do it, as has already been said, the seal around the perimeter of the wall will make or break your solution. This is the biggest challenge with using temporary solutions.
> 
> ...


The difference is that this acts more like an oversized cover over the garage door as opposed to a traditional wall. It's easier to build and easier to take down. More importantly, it will cost less. If I had to build an entire wall, it would involve framing and drilling into the ceiling, floor, and walls and would cost more materials. Then trying to take it down to sell the house someday is a whole other expensive mess.

What could I do to make the seal super tight though? I agree, if that seal sucks, the whole idea is for nothing.

I want the most sound isolation I can get. I'm trying to prevent neighbours from knocking on my door to tell me they can hear my music in their driveway which is right beside us.

Right now, as I said, you can hear a cell phone speaker loud and clear through that door. So there is plenty room for improvement.


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## Mike Greene (Jan 9, 2022)

The box cover idea sounds good, as does Bill's loaded vinyl idea, but I'd be more inclined to just build a wall over the opening. Use screws, rather than nails, then it will be easy to disassemble later. Specifically, I would do this:

1. Screw an outer frame of 2x4's to the garage door frame, flush with your already existing interior wall. (Later, we'll want the drywall to extend a few inches over this interior wall.)

2. Screw or nail vertical studs to that. I would position those studs on 24" centers, rather than 16" centers, since there's nothing structural about it, plus you'll get a better drywall diaphragm for bass absorption. I might even be tempted to go for a full 48" span, but the drywall might get a little wobbly.

_Note. Typically, you would make this Step-2 wall first, and then screw it to the Step-1 garage door frame. I just wrote it in this order so it would be easier to understand._

3. Nail drywall to the interior side. You could use screws, but assuming you'll "finish" this wall (drywall mud, sand, etc.), you'll be covering the screw heads, so nails would be easier for disassembly, since you can just pound the drywall off from the other side.

3b. As I hinted in Step 1, make this drywall go _past_ the outer frame you built. That way the seal will be less critical, since you're covering any gaps this way. (Tiny gaps are less critical than people think anyway, but that's another discussion.)

4. Fill the cavity with regular household insulation. This is a must! When people talk about "thin walls" at a cheap motel, it's because the walls aren't insulated, not that the walls are actually thin.

5. Now drywall the outer side (the side closest to the rollup door.) Use screws this time, since you don't need to "finish" this side, so the screws can remain exposed, for easy disassembly later.

6. If you have the space, add insulation to the gap between your new wall and the rollup garage door. Cover with cheap cloth, so it's not blowing in the wind if someone opens the garage door.


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## jmauz (Jan 9, 2022)

First thing before you do anything is make friends with your neighbors and talk to them about it. I've had client spend thousands on sound isolation only to later find that their neighbors didn't give a shit. Just feel them out and see how much isolation will keep them happy. Also, when do you normally work? If it's during the day then they might not even be home so you can get away with a lot more noise. 

Mike's advice is in line with what I would do EXCEPT:



> Tiny gaps are less critical than people think anyway, but that's another discussion


This isn't true at all. I've personally seen PINHOLES completely ruin an otherwise high STC wall. If you consider how sound travels, you realize that any airflow affects isolation significantly.



> Now drywall the outer side (the side closest to the rollup door.)


If you do this you'll be creating a triple leaf situation which will lessen your STC rating. Read more here:









Understanding the Triple Leaf Effect and air cavity depth


The bottom line: For concrete walls and ceilings, bigger air cavities are better, but decoupling the mass is the real key.



www.soundproofingcompany.com





Keep in mind interior walls aren't expensive to build AND aren't difficult to remove down the road. As Mike said, use screws where the frame attaches to the existing structure to make removal easy.

I would price out building a 2x4 wall in front of the door with studs on 24" centers. Insulate with R13 or R15 (whichever you can find in your area, probably R15) and finish with drywall. If budget allows, 2 layers of drywall with green glue in between the layers.

Here are some online resources:



http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/index.php










The DIY Garage Studio Building Thread - Gearspace.com


Hello Folks, the Ladies & the Gentlemen. It`s been a long time since I wrote here on gearslutz, and I am starting this thread, because I have to mo



gearspace.com








__





How Much Isolation Do You Need? - MORE ON Resonance - John H. Brandt Acoustic Designs


My views on the Haas effect and its inclusion in the design criteria of a modern control room More On Resonance




jhbrandt.net


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## jaketanner (Jan 9, 2022)

Not to make you feel like you've wasted a lot of money, but you could have made your own acoustic treatment for a fraction of the cost of Primacoustics, and put the money into the garage door...but moving on...So what I would do, is build a very heavy and thick Panel (similar to your cover idea), that is a few inches larger than your garage door, and place it in front of it. You can use foam to line the sides that touch the wall around the garage door, so that you can get a nice seal. I would go at least 8" thick...get 6x8 treated wood: create a frame and cover one side with 3/4" double layered sheetrock (you can add vinyl in between if you want OR green glue)...then on the inside, get Roxul Safe and Sound from Home Depot...it's like $45 per package. stuff the inside tight with this and then cover it with breathable fabric. This should reduce your transmission greatly...because you can't build an actual wall, you are not going to cut sound out completely...where air can get in, so can sound. But essentially you're creating a large enough GOBO/panel that can reduce your transmission.


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## DJames (Jan 9, 2022)

Thank you for these suggestions. I'm going to talk to a drywall expert tomorrow to see if I can afford a proper "false wall" in front of the garage door before I attempt my idea. How do you suggest I build the wall?


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## jcrosby (Jan 9, 2022)

The short version is you can't soundproof in the scenario of a roll up door...

'Soundproofing' requires physical isolation. This is structural in nature, often incredibly expensive, and in the vast majority of cases is unachievable... (At least by the standards of what's typically considered 'soundproofing'...)

Instead, you should focus on achieving a realistic goal of what's _workable_... It'd be a good idea to understand where the differences lie between virtually attempting to isolate any/all exterior sound (unrealistic in the current scenario), vs minimizing sounds that get into a recording or escape into the ears of any nearby neighbors, (realistic)....

While this may sound pedantic on the surface it actually isn't... One is totally doable, (A workable solution that acknowledges some amount of sound will get in/out - and the question becomes how much, and how do you get that number as low as is realistically possible...) The other isn't without construction, and in many cases might not be achievable without a commitment to completely rebuilding around an existing one; more importantly this would typically include adding false floors and ceilings in addition to walls....


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## jaketanner (Jan 10, 2022)

One last scenario, but might be a bit of an investment, but the trade off is that it's easier than the rest...something like this, and you can double up on it...this way it covers the entire door and you can overlap the perimeter. 
Audimute Sound Absorption Sheet - Sound Dampening Blanket - Soundproofing Sheet from Amazon.​


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## Wedge (Jan 10, 2022)

A few years ago, I had a huge room, with a high ceiling, that shared a wall with a neighbor. I built a giant box that was sound proofed inside the room. And made it my studio box. It got pretty fucking warm inside but it worked. You could try something like that.


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## ZenBYD (Jan 11, 2022)

Yeah, I'd echo the sentiment here: really the only way to do it without replacing the roll up garage door with a different kind of acoustic door is to build a decoupled wall in front of it. Sounds like you already know about this but you basically build two walls, each with 2 sheets of 5/8ths dry wall, with a small air gap between. Offset the studs to avoid vibrations and strengthen the wall. You can use fibreglass in the air gap too if you want. Should get you an STC of around 50-55.

Good luck. Sound proofing is a cruel mistress!


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