Where Can I Get A Solid Plywood Door?

[timmyp]

I would like to have a double door for my apartment entrance for the purpose of noise reduction. There are no other openings to the hallway, I believe a 2nd door would be effective reducing noise (noise getting out of my apartment that is, the noise in the hall doesn't really bother me).

The frame/jam for my apartment door is sizable, wide enough to hang a 2nd door of the same size that would open and close opposite the door currently in the frame.

I hoping someone can tell me:

1. Where can I get a solid plywood door in Bangkok? The cheapest one at Home Pro is 2300 baht.

2. Any idea what it would cost to get someone to install the door?

I hear there is an area down near Khlong Toei shops that sell doors and would a chang/worker who could put it in?

Sorry, I'm still new here, don't know my way around yet.

Oh-- are doors standard size in Thailand? I read on this forum that often they aren't?

[klikster]

What is the nature of noise? Are you trying to block a specific direction? Are you responding to complaints?

You may live in a type of construction where the common-wall concrete barriers between units does not extend to the roof. As a result, the extra door would only work for noise to the hallway.

A good job of "sealing" gaps around the door may accomplish what you want.

[timmyp]

Yes, I figured it would only deal with noise creeping into the hallway. Each neighbor on the side of my and the neighbor below would just have to suck up the noise. No body above cuz I'm on the top floor. I figured a 2nd door was only going to offer limited noise reduction, but would be worth it if I could do it for 3000 baht.

[Kwasaki]

Yes, I figured it would only deal with noise creeping into the hallway. Each neighbor on the side of my and the neighbor below would just have to suck up the noise. No body above cuz I'm on the top floor. I figured a 2nd door was only going to offer limited noise reduction, but would be worth it if I could do it for 3000 baht.

How about hanging a heavy curtain material on a raill behind the front door and another across the hallway gap with a rail and valance.

If your happy with the door a Home-Pro, most stores like that will get someone to fix it for you.

Why not find the other place and ask both for a price there are cheaper doors.

The price may vary if it does not come with the door frame and any addition requirement to suit the width of your hallway.

Edited March 12, 2012 by Kwasaki

[timmyp]

>How about hanging a heavy curtain material

A double door with a wedge on the bottom is far superior in stopping noise. I've taken the heavy fabric approaches to the rest of the room (walls, floor, etc.).

Acutally not so happy with what I found at Home Pro, I thought it a bit pricey for the door they offered, and wondered what else is out there. I don't know other stores, though of course I'm sure there are plenty, I just don't know where to look other than the area of lumber shops I've heard about somewhere near Khlong Toei. I guess I also figured that installation fees offered by Home Pro would be more pricey than other places or what the chang/workmen would charge directly. But I didn't ask at Home Pro, so I don't really know.

[klikster]

>How about hanging a heavy curtain material

A double door with a wedge on the bottom is far superior in stopping noise. I've taken the heavy fabric approaches to the rest of the room (walls, floor, etc.).

Acutally not so happy with what I found at Home Pro, I thought it a bit pricey for the door they offered, and wondered what else is out there. I don't know other stores, though of course I'm sure there are plenty, I just don't know where to look other than the area of lumber shops I've heard about somewhere near Khlong Toei. I guess I also figured that installation fees offered by Home Pro would be more pricey than other places or what the chang/workmen would charge directly. But I didn't ask at Home Pro, so I don't really know.

An additional door without a perimeter seal might get you a 10-12 dba reduction. You can probably get that with some creative sealing techniques (think very low pressure "air tight"). Double doors both sealed (depending on the mass of the doors) may get you ~20-30 dba.

The seal is very important.

[timmyp]

I was planning to use sponge used for insulation around the perimeter of the door, and a rubber door jam that goes under the door. Do you think that would do the trick, or do you think this is a lot of effort that will have little affect on the noise level in the end?

[klikster]

^^^ I wouldn't recommend household type sponges as they are porous. Try to find something with a 'skin', like the rubber used on car door seals. Be careful of the density. Compressing a few cm between your fingers is easy, compressing several meters when closing the door could be difficult.

I assume that the door opens inward. If so, your seal would need to be on the frame exterior to the door. Is that okay with management?

If you have offset door jambs and have room like in "A", adding a seal is much simpler, easy DIY.

Another way "B" would be to using wood moldings to make an offset with the correct gap for the seal you are using. One cm wide and .5 cm thick is enough to effect a seal. The threshold can be a bit clumsy, so making it removable (for future) is recommended.

[timmyp]

Enormous, enormous thanks for you input on this.

My current outside door opens into the outside shared hallway of the building. There is enough room in the jam and frame to hang a second door that opens in to the apartment. The hinges for the outside door and the new inside door would be on opposite sides of the door frame. There's just enough room with the door knob to fit an extra door (assuming doors are standard thickness in Thailand!).

Here's a floor plan. There's a separate room in the back, but there isn't enough extra space in the frame/jam to hang a second door.

The landlord wouldn't care about a jam added to the bottom of the door. The place isn't exactly a hi-so building.

[timmyp]

All input on soundproofing with a double door is highly encouraged and welcome, but back to the original question:

1. Where can I get a solid plywood door in Bangkok?

The cheapest one at Home Pro is 2300 baht (without the door knob, hinges). Hoping to spend considerable less.

2. Any idea what it would cost to get someone to install the door?

Is there a standard fee plus hourly rate for a chang/worker making a house call?

I hear there is an area down near Khlong Toei shops that sell doors and have a chang/worker who could put it in? If you know exactly where those shops are, please explain. Please, more detail than "over in Khlong Toei". It's a big area. I've seen some shops down there, but none for doors. Some were selling lumber, but not doors. I'm still learning my way around BKK, so just having the name of a neighborhood just gets me lost when I venture over there.

[timmyp]

I went down to the Yu Thai Lumber area, right next to the Golden Mountain Temple. There's an entire street there with people selling lumber, doors, moldings, and other items might of wood. I asked at several stores, and the prices weren't really cheap. Sure, I tried talking them down and asked for lower quality. The cheapest door I found was a ready-made door at 850 baht. That was a good price, but all other doors were at least 2500 baht and up. To get the door and frame as a set was 3500 baht. That was the price everywhere. All stores said that they don't install the door/frame, and didn't know about prices.

I also just needed a plank of plain unfinished wood about 150 x 25 x 2 cm long for a temporary shelf for a bunch of plants I recently picked up. Measurements not important, appoximate would have been fine. Just a junk piece of wood would work, but the cheapest strip of wood I could find was 800 baht (they requires a min. purchase of 2 m). I walked around for a while and finally found someone willing to sell me a junk piece of wood for 120 baht. I bought two pieces.

All that said, in the end Home Pro is cheaper: They have a cheap doors on sale for 625 to 1900 baht, and cheap frames for 429 to 890. They offer installation of the door for 800 baht. This is obviously far cheaper than what I found in the lumber yard.

I also asked about getting a couple of unfinished tables at 100 x 45 x 75 cm made at the lumber yard. Using the cheapest wood and a very basic design (panel sides instead of legs), they quoted me at 2600 baht per table. I thought that was a bit expensive, I really envisioned it would cost about half of that. The expensive part is the wood itself, they said.

Is the Yu Thai Lumber area more expensive than other areas, or do these prices sound pretty standard? I really thought Home Pro would cost more, but from what I've found sound far, that doesn't seem to be the case.

[timmyp]

Just went to Thay Watsadu for the first time out next to Ikea in Bangna. Exactly the place I've been looking for. This is where you can get cheap lumber and piping, among tons of other stuff. I was also looking for some very cheap sections of carpeting, and was having trouble finding it. Well, this is definitely the place. Unfortunately they only deliver within 10 k...