The 40-year old bedroom door easily passes sound. The door is
practically made up of thin plywood sandwiched to 1" x 2" studs
separated vertically by half a foot or so. The door closes tight, but
just enough to slip a credit card thru. Eventually, sounds of laughter
go into my R.E.M. sleep and create nightmares. I then go to work
at the grave yard shift like a Zombie. I'd tried and gave up using
earplugs since they keep falling off, create sores or just got tired of
disinfecting them to reduce ear infections. What are some ways I
can reduce sound on this rental unit?

Thanks

What are some ways I can reduce sound on this rental unit?

The best solution is to mask it.

Get a loud air cleaner or white noise generator and run it all night in your
room. You'll sleep very well.

On Tue, 14 Dec 2004 10:07:24 -0500, "John Harlow"
wrote:

What are some ways I can reduce sound on this rental unit?

The best solution is to mask it.

Get a loud air cleaner or white noise generator and run it all night in your
room. You'll sleep very well.

Yep, I agree: Here's some more info:

http://www.white-noise.biz/noiseshield.htm

http://www.white-noise.biz/sonet_aco...acy_system.htm

Voices are hard to block because the volume and frequency varies so
much. Even a $300 set of Bose noise-cancelling headphones won't stop
voices, tho they are terrific for constant sounds like engines and
wind roar.

This is one BIG reason people buy their own homes. I always _hated_
hearing strangers talking all around me.... Or consider moving into a
duplex. Most have the utilities located between the two halves, which
effectively masks noises from the other residents. But be sure to
check out the degree of seperation before signing!

John



John Davies TLCA 14732
http://home.comcast.net/~johnedavies/
'96 Lexus LX450
'00 Audi A4 1.8T quattro
Spokane WA USA

John Harlow ) wrote:

What are some ways I can reduce sound on this rental unit?

The best solution is to mask it.

Get a loud air cleaner or white noise generator and run it all
night in your room. You'll sleep very well.

I like the air cleaner idea - solves two problems in one.

Another simple partial solution would be to buy a heavy "oriental" rug
and hang it inside the door. This only works if the door opens
outwards. The heavier the rug, the better. You should need to use
screws or nails to hold it up. As much overlap as you can manage on
the sides and top, and it should rest firmly on the floor.

Maybe two heavy rugs, back to back, for added mass, and so you don't
have to look at the back of the rug when you are coming through the
door.

You'll have to push the rug to the side whenever you enter or leave
the room, which can be a pain if you are carrying a bowl of soup. And
it will make your room look you are a big Rudolph Valentino fan. But
it should absorb some of the noise coming through the door.

You may be able to rig up some cords to roll the rug up like a bamboo
window shade, and let it down when you are going to sleep.

Here's another idea: Take the old door off it's hinges, and store it
under your bed. Install a thick, heavy door with "weather stripping"
around all four sides. When you move out, take off the new door and
put back the original. Don't know about your lease, but this has
worked in the past for me.

But, try the white noise approach first. It's simple, cheap, and you
don't have to worry about the terms of your lease!

--- Chip

On Tue, 14 Dec 2004 14:52:21 GMT, someone wrote:

The 40-year old bedroom door easily passes sound. The door is
practically made up of thin plywood sandwiched to 1" x 2" studs
separated vertically by half a foot or so.

Is sound also coming UNDER or around the door in any way? Lots of
doors that "close tight" where the knob is, have a big gap at the
bottom. Aren't you the same guy that was posting about the "outhouse"
(really outbuilding, appaently) with the seven smoke detectors in a
pillowcase? Kick that "drifter" out, and sleep there!




Reply to NG only - this e.mail address goes to a kill file.

On Tue, 14 Dec 2004 14:52:21 GMT, "Leroy Mowry" wrote:

The 40-year old bedroom door easily passes sound. The door is
practically made up of thin plywood sandwiched to 1" x 2" studs
separated vertically by half a foot or so. The door closes tight, but
just enough to slip a credit card thru. Eventually, sounds of laughter

Weather stripping around the door, a more solid door, and a door sweep
might help reduce the noise.

Might want to put a white noise generator in your room to help drown
out their noise. Use a fan.

go into my R.E.M. sleep and create nightmares. I then go to work
at the grave yard shift like a Zombie. I'd tried and gave up using
earplugs since they keep falling off, create sores or just got tired of

Ear plugs you were inside your ears manage to stay 'in' longer.


disinfecting them to reduce ear infections. What are some ways I
can reduce sound on this rental unit?

Thanks















hth,

Tom @ www.WorkAtHomePlans.com

As others have said, masking the sound is best and especially in a
rental situation certainly the most feasible solution. For a cheap
demonstration as to how effective this can be, using something you may
already have, place a box fan a couple inches from the wall & turn it on
blowing AGAINST the wall. Varying the speed of the fan & the distance
from the wall will vary the volume/"tone" of the sound. The 1st night
you try this the fan noise may seem initially intrusive, but since it is
CONSTANT you will quickly block it out. You may find the fan is all you
need.

Interesting about the laughter affecting your dreams. My personal noise
pet peeves are loud vehicles (more & more common with the proliferation
of trucks & "performance" exhaust systems on every kid's 12 year old
Civic) and barking dogs. To the latter, I had a inconsiderate moron
neighbor years ago who had a toy poodle which they would allow to bark
any hour of the day or night. On more than one occasion, I was in the
middle of some totally canine-free dream when suddenly the barking would
become part of it, shortly after which I would wake up. Could have shot
that f'ing dog, AND his owner. Finally repeated disturbing the peace
tickets from the police convinced the jackass it was better to just
bring the miserable creature inside than to keep writing checks to the
city...

Dan

Leroy Mowry wrote:
The 40-year old bedroom door easily passes sound. The door is
practically made up of thin plywood sandwiched to 1" x 2" studs
separated vertically by half a foot or so. The door closes tight, but
just enough to slip a credit card thru. Eventually, sounds of laughter
go into my R.E.M. sleep and create nightmares. I then go to work
at the grave yard shift like a Zombie. I'd tried and gave up using
earplugs since they keep falling off, create sores or just got tired of
disinfecting them to reduce ear infections. What are some ways I
can reduce sound on this rental unit?

Thanks

Dan wrote:

My personal noise
pet peeves are loud vehicles (more & more common with the proliferation
of trucks & "performance" exhaust systems on every kid's 12 year old
Civic) and barking dogs.

Both are a pain around here. The neighbor has a Ford F-250 with a monster deisel
engine. Has to be able to tow his Quadrunner around on weekends, don't cha know.
For reasons that aren't clear, he thinks he needs to let the engine warm up at
least five minutes during the summer and 20 minutes or more during the winter.
So it sits in his drive banging away every morning.

On Tue, 14 Dec 2004 16:26:06 -0700, "Clark W. Griswold, Jr."
wrote:

Dan wrote:

My personal noise
pet peeves are loud vehicles (more & more common with the proliferation
of trucks & "performance" exhaust systems on every kid's 12 year old
Civic) and barking dogs.

Both are a pain around here. The neighbor has a Ford F-250 with a monster deisel
engine. Has to be able to tow his Quadrunner around on weekends, don't cha know.
For reasons that aren't clear, he thinks he needs to let the engine warm up at
least five minutes during the summer and 20 minutes or more during the winter.
So it sits in his drive banging away every morning.
i used to do the same thing when i had a diesel. it's not
a matter of "needs to", it's wants to. it'll pull better. in winter
soime heat will be coming out (diesel takes longer). all in all,
a good idea if you can afford the gas.
....thehick

dunno if it works or any potential problems but remember someone saying to
fill such a door with sand (will the hinges hold?) and to make sure plenty
insulation in attic around door area and in walls around door, noting
insulation can be blown in existing walls

maybe a rubber type gasket all the way around the door so when you close it,
it seals, and maybe a rug on the floor to slide over any crack at the bottom

might also be able to add hardie panel (made of mixture of cement and wood)
to your room walls for sound deadening

if you go all out and put hardie panel on the wall inside your room and
outside it (i.e. attached to different sides of the same 2 x 4 studs) use
different thicknesses on inside vs. outside, that way they won't pass the
same frequencies through them, enhancing the the ability of the dead space
inside them to deaden sound

or maybe just tack a big thick blanket over the door once you're in your
room


"Leroy Mowry" wrote in message
. com...
The 40-year old bedroom door easily passes sound. The door is
practically made up of thin plywood sandwiched to 1" x 2" studs
separated vertically by half a foot or so. The door closes tight, but
just enough to slip a credit card thru. Eventually, sounds of laughter
go into my R.E.M. sleep and create nightmares. I then go to work
at the grave yard shift like a Zombie. I'd tried and gave up using
earplugs since they keep falling off, create sores or just got tired of
disinfecting them to reduce ear infections. What are some ways I
can reduce sound on this rental unit?

Thanks

Heavy drape covering the door will help as will a white noise generator or
one of those boxes that does sound soft running water etc...

You want low density stuff that is soft to absorb the sound

Wayne

"effi" wrote in message
...
dunno if it works or any potential problems but remember someone saying
to fill such a door with sand (will the hinges hold?) and to make sure
plenty insulation in attic around door area and in walls around door,
noting insulation can be blown in existing walls

maybe a rubber type gasket all the way around the door so when you close
it, it seals, and maybe a rug on the floor to slide over any crack at the
bottom

might also be able to add hardie panel (made of mixture of cement and
wood) to your room walls for sound deadening

if you go all out and put hardie panel on the wall inside your room and
outside it (i.e. attached to different sides of the same 2 x 4 studs) use
different thicknesses on inside vs. outside, that way they won't pass the
same frequencies through them, enhancing the the ability of the dead space
inside them to deaden sound

or maybe just tack a big thick blanket over the door once you're in your
room


"Leroy Mowry" wrote in message
. com...
The 40-year old bedroom door easily passes sound. The door is
practically made up of thin plywood sandwiched to 1" x 2" studs
separated vertically by half a foot or so. The door closes tight, but
just enough to slip a credit card thru. Eventually, sounds of laughter
go into my R.E.M. sleep and create nightmares. I then go to work
at the grave yard shift like a Zombie. I'd tried and gave up using
earplugs since they keep falling off, create sores or just got tired of
disinfecting them to reduce ear infections. What are some ways I
can reduce sound on this rental unit?

Thanks

Drill holes in the door, and fill it with spray foam called "GreatStuff".


"Leroy Mowry" wrote in message
. com...
The 40-year old bedroom door easily passes sound. The door is
practically made up of thin plywood sandwiched to 1" x 2" studs
separated vertically by half a foot or so. The door closes tight, but
just enough to slip a credit card thru. Eventually, sounds of laughter
go into my R.E.M. sleep and create nightmares. I then go to work
at the grave yard shift like a Zombie. I'd tried and gave up using
earplugs since they keep falling off, create sores or just got tired of
disinfecting them to reduce ear infections. What are some ways I
can reduce sound on this rental unit?

Thanks

Reading the subject of this post all I could think about was how this
guy and his wife must keep the kids up all night with their cavorting.


Dimitri

"Leroy Mowry" wrote in message
. com...
The 40-year old bedroom door easily passes sound. The door is
practically made up of thin plywood sandwiched to 1" x 2" studs
separated vertically by half a foot or so. The door closes tight, but
just enough to slip a credit card thru. Eventually, sounds of laughter
go into my R.E.M. sleep and create nightmares. I then go to work
at the grave yard shift like a Zombie. I'd tried and gave up using
earplugs since they keep falling off, create sores or just got tired of
disinfecting them to reduce ear infections. What are some ways I
can reduce sound on this rental unit?

Thanks


Move!

Living in a rented apartment that causes you discomfort is silly.

If you can afford it and are able to relocate, give notice and get out.

Or complain to the landlord and let him know you intend to move if the door
and soundproofing aren't improved immediately.

not a good idea, the foam will span the inside of the door, leaving no empty
dead space, and the door will transmit sound


"Buck Turgidson" wrote in message
news:rEMvd.33154$Jk5.31791@lakeread01...
Drill holes in the door, and fill it with spray foam called "GreatStuff".


"Leroy Mowry" wrote in message
. com...
The 40-year old bedroom door easily passes sound. The door is
practically made up of thin plywood sandwiched to 1" x 2" studs
separated vertically by half a foot or so. The door closes tight, but
just enough to slip a credit card thru. Eventually, sounds of laughter
go into my R.E.M. sleep and create nightmares. I then go to work
at the grave yard shift like a Zombie. I'd tried and gave up using
earplugs since they keep falling off, create sores or just got tired of
disinfecting them to reduce ear infections. What are some ways I
can reduce sound on this rental unit?

Thanks

Everyone already has a white noise generator. Just reach for a cheap
(or expensive) AM radio an tune to find just hash. That is white noise
and will do everything a noise generator will.

Harry K