The door to my condo is typical for a lot of apartments here. It is made of a very lightweight wood and there is a significant gap at the bottom. These two factors combine to mean that I can hear when every single neighbor comes and goes in the hallway outside and if they are speaking, I can recite their conversation back to you word for word. All rather annoying when you're trying to vet an early night's sleep.

So I want to replace the door with a new one that will cut out this sound dramatically. A quick google search shows an industry built around soundproofing in the US. But does anyone have any idea who I can contact in change Mai? It doesn't need to be like a sound studio, but think nice hotel where the door is solid and sealed on all sides and thus does a good job at muffling sound. Any ideas as to a competent manufacturer/ supplier in chiang Mai much appreciated!

Guess you could do worse than contact this outfit

http://www.pvcwindows-chiangmai.com/

Otherwise try Global House but guess you have already been there.

I used to design STC (Sound Transmission Co-efficient) sound isolation systems for apartment and can tell you this. A 15mm circular hole negates ALL sound resistance, so sealing all openings is imperative.

What I might suggest is that you consider a more easily found solid wood door that is residential fire resistant, a one hour resistance is fine. Hang the door opening outward, and then hang a second door opening inward. Use a threshold that has a rubberized material that touches the bottom of the door such that a 20 baht bill can be pulled out, but with a bit of force. Look for some rubberized foam or hollow stripping where the door meets the inside of the frame. You will achieve an STC of over 65 which means that even if someone was yelling outside, you might hear them faintly but could not make out what they were saying. It would probably far exceed the resistance of the wall. The air space acts to resist high pitched sounds, the heavy solid doors acts to resist transmission of low frequency sounds.

A third option would be to add one or two layers of gypsum board, preferably firecoded (because it is dense and heavy and will absorb low frequency noise) to one or both sides ofd the door. Do it neatly and glue some trim on it and it can look surprisingly good--but the hinges must be sturdy because it will increase the weight of the door substantially and you MUST have absolutely no air gaps.

I used to design STC (Sound Transmission Co-efficient) sound isolation systems for apartment and can tell you this. A 15mm circular hole negates ALL sound resistance, so sealing all openings is imperative.

What I might suggest is that you consider a more easily found solid wood door that is residential fire resistant, a one hour resistance is fine. Hang the door opening outward, and then hang a second door opening inward. Use a threshold that has a rubberized material that touches the bottom of the door such that a 20 baht bill can be pulled out, but with a bit of force. Look for some rubberized foam or hollow stripping where the door meets the inside of the frame. You will achieve an STC of over 65 which means that even if someone was yelling outside, you might hear them faintly but could not make out what they were saying. It would probably far exceed the resistance of the wall. The air space acts to resist high pitched sounds, the heavy solid doors acts to resist transmission of low frequency sounds.

A third option would be to add one or two layers of gypsum board, preferably firecoded (because it is dense and heavy and will absorb low frequency noise) to one or both sides ofd the door. Do it neatly and glue some trim on it and it can look surprisingly good--but the hinges must be sturdy because it will increase the weight of the door substantially and you MUST have absolutely no air gaps.

Thanks much for this. So for the first option, basically you mean to use two doors and have them open in opposite directions? Then, make sure that all air gabs are sealed. Correct?

I used to design STC (Sound Transmission Co-efficient) sound isolation systems for apartment and can tell you this. A 15mm circular hole negates ALL sound resistance, so sealing all openings is imperative.

What I might suggest is that you consider a more easily found solid wood door that is residential fire resistant, a one hour resistance is fine. Hang the door opening outward, and then hang a second door opening inward. Use a threshold that has a rubberized material that touches the bottom of the door such that a 20 baht bill can be pulled out, but with a bit of force. Look for some rubberized foam or hollow stripping where the door meets the inside of the frame. You will achieve an STC of over 65 which means that even if someone was yelling outside, you might hear them faintly but could not make out what they were saying. It would probably far exceed the resistance of the wall. The air space acts to resist high pitched sounds, the heavy solid doors acts to resist transmission of low frequency sounds.

A third option would be to add one or two layers of gypsum board, preferably firecoded (because it is dense and heavy and will absorb low frequency noise) to one or both sides ofd the door. Do it neatly and glue some trim on it and it can look surprisingly good--but the hinges must be sturdy because it will increase the weight of the door substantially and you MUST have absolutely no air gaps.

I personally like the decorative wall board. (decorating your job)

My concern is the perfect seal around the door. I remember having a rubber strip on the bottom. But what about the rest of the door. If it swells in the rainy season or the building shifts a little would it not bind up or stick. If there is a way to seal it would that not work with the exiting door.

Why not just get a thick heavy curtain to hang on the inside to cover the door?