If your home has hollow interior doors, and you have noticed that sound really carries in your home, those doors could be to blame. Hollow doors are not good at blocking noises except for very quiet sounds. For better noise insulation, you'll want to install solid doors instead.

Hollow Door Panels Are Generally Thin

Hollow doors are terrible at blocking noise because they're constructed with two thin panels with empty space in between. It's really easy for sound to carry across those panels and that space. Sound waves, which are really masses of air molecules hitting the molecules in front of them and thus carrying the sound wave pattern across a space, can hit the door panel and make the panel's molecules move in the same way. Those molecules hit the air molecules on the other side of the panel, and the sound wave continues on. Despite having to go through two panels, the sound waves remain in pretty good shape, causing you to hear more noise through that door.

Solid Door Material Is Harder to Move

Solid doors are, of course, thicker than the thin panels that make up a hollow-core door. That extra mass is harder to move. Sound waves that hit the door can still move some of the door's molecules, and those molecules can move the air molecules on the other side of the door, but the solid door's molecules are harder to move. They're not like the thin panels and empty space of the hollow door. So, sounds on the other side of that solid door are going to sound more muffled and be much quieter.

The Fit Matters, Too

Sound waves can pass through thin spaces, which means that if there is a lot of space between the door and the frame, then the solid door really won't help that much. It's imperative that you get the correct size for the door frame. Interior doors don't have weatherstripping to seal gaps, so have residential door installers come out and take measurements. If you're remodeling and will be changing the carpet or flooring, take the measurements for the door after the new flooring has been put in. Even a few millimeters' difference can turn a slight gap at the bottom of the door into a large one.

When the door has been installed, you should notice the difference in sound levels right away. That door will help keep the room much quieter and prevent more noise from leaking out of the room, too. That leads to an overall happier, calmer home.

Contact a contractor for more info.